What army has Germany? Army of Germany: strength, equipment, weapons

The combat capabilities of the armies of different countries differ, and very often they are hiding, and the media outlines the non-existent state of affairs. The most significant force is Germany, whose army inspires fear. However, experts note that in fact, everything is not as rosy as it seems. Is it really? Let's try to understand.

Ground troops

Note that the Bundeswehr consists of a three-species structure, that is, from ground forces, air forces and naval forces. As separate components, in 2000, a consolidated support force and a health service were established.

Let's start with the ground forces. In Germany, they include the four headquarters of the multinational NATO Corps of the so-called "rapid deployment", five operational groups in the headquarters of other corps of the army (Greek, Spanish, Turkish, Italian and French), five divisions and auxiliary units and units in the form of:

• Two tank divisions ;
• Motorized infantry division;
• Airborne division;
• Division of special operations forces.

The land army of Germany seems very impressive. In addition, if we take into account the firepower, compared to the previous years, it turns out that with the current brigade of 5000 people, the army is much more powerful and more armed than before. In the modern conditions of combat, an important infantry battle plays an important role, so a lot depends on the number of divisions.

Focus on peacekeeping activities

The army of Germany, according to the basic document of German military construction, is primarily aimed at carrying out peacekeeping operations as part of a coalition of forces and regulating local conflicts of low intensity. That is, in the case of martial law the country is ready to fight only with a deliberately weak rival in terms of combat, technical and logistical capabilities.

The number of the German army has recently declined significantly - we are talking about ground forces: now it is 84 450 people (taking into account those who study in military schools). In addition, since 2011, Germany has abolished compulsory military service, which has now become fully contractual and lasts from a year to 23 months.

Current operations of the country abroad

According to the beginning of 2015, the German army conducts current military operations in such regions as:

1. Afghanistan (900 people).
2. Uzbekistan (100 people).
3. Kosovo (763 people).
4. The Mediterranean Sea (800 people).
5. Somalia (241 people).
6. Mali (144 people).
7. Lebanon (128 people).
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina (120 people).
9. Sudan (10 people).

In all these operations, Germany is involved, the army of which is involved mainly in the person of full-time employees or the personnel of logistics rear parts. It is noteworthy that the military component of the army does not exceed 10% of the population, but in general the country does not knowingly participate in new operations abroad, especially if it is necessary to act in a contact infantry battle in which German soldiers are obviously weaker.

Armament of land forces

The country's ground forces have the following weapons:

• 1095 main battle tanks;
• 644 field artillery pieces, mortars and MLRS;
• 2563 armored combat vehicles (of which 736 armored personnel carriers);
• 146 helicopter gunships.

This is the overland equipment of the German army on paper, but in fact the situation is somewhat different. Experts note that the general trend of the state of the army of Germany on paper and in fact is different, and not in a good for the country side. It turns out that in the case of a martial law, Germany is unlikely to be able to oppose the stronger powers with modern and perfect equipment and weapons.

"Leopard" - the main tank

The main battle tank of the Bundeswehr is the Leopard. At the beginning of 2015, the armored parts of the country are based on the use of the model "Leopard-2" - they are armed with 685 pieces. The remaining tanks ("Leopard-1") are gradually used to produce metal, and at the training range - for training purposes. And the very first models, according to the statistics of the country, there are only 173, they will be written off by 2017.

As for the modifications of the Leopard-2 machine, only Leopard-2A3 (produced in 1984-1985) and Leopard-2A4 (produced from 1985 to 1987) meet the requirements of modern combat. True, the latest field tests showed that this technique of the army of Germany is distinguished by a low level of survivability, and therefore in 1991 a program for the modernization of tanks, called KWS II, was adopted.

Upgraded tanks

Since 1995, all the tanks that were modernized, began to be called "Leopard-2A5". There are about 470 of them for 2015. And those tanks that have not passed the program are being sold to third world countries. Since 2001, 225 more machines have been modernized, which became the most modern and equipped and received the name "Leopard-2A6". New models began to be equipped with enhanced tower armor and additional mine protection.

The tank army of Germany, in particular, the modified tank, attracts attention with the new gun Rhl 120 / L55 - with a longer trunk, which increases the firepower of the machine and expands the range of used ammunition. The on-board electronics became more sophisticated and modern, in which a new information management system appeared. The tank began to weigh 62 tons, and in general its technical characteristics have become much better.

The seventh modification of "Leopard"

In 2010, "Leopard" was again improved - to the seventh modification, which was called "Leopard-2A7 +". It became a heavy assault platform for fighting in urban conditions. According to the changes, anti-mine protection will be improved, removable protection modules of different projections will appear in the case and tower, screen grids against RPG will be installed, small arms will be equipped with a module that can be remotely controlled. Germany, whose army was based on old technology for a long time, planned to transfer to the seventh modification of about 150 tanks, although, until now, this goal has not been achieved. Accurate data on how much all the same in the arsenal of the country modified cars, no, but in open sources you can find information about 70-96 tanks. And the seventh modification is only planned to be developed ...

Light armored vehicles

In the light armored vehicles of the country BMP "Marder" always stood out, which began to enter service in 1961. During the years of operation, the machines remained practically unchanged, and only in 1979 the model was upgraded, which resulted in it being equipped with the ATGM "Milan" launcher on the right side of the tower, then modifications A2 and A3 appeared. It is believed that the model of "Marder-1A3" is not inferior to the popular and powerful tank "Leopard-1" by the degree of security of personnel. There were no further modifications of the model, and since 1985 the BMP "Marder-2" development program was being implemented in Germany. But the development took a long time, and the prototype of the first new car was introduced only in September 1991, and the tests at the testing site were completed only in 1998.

The army of Germany in 2014 included in its composition 1,581 "Marder-1" of all modifications, and in recent years there have been talks that this car will be replaced by BMP "Puma", the work on which has already been completed. According to calculations, by the beginning of 2016, it must replenish the country's armament. But in fact it turns out that so far there has not been a single modification of the Puma in Germany's arsenal. It turns out that the main means of providing infantry mobility and its fire cover are cars and armored personnel carriers of wheel type. The figures show that of the light armored vehicles in the country's army, only German BVMs in the number of 1135 BTRs are really suitable for use, of which only 779 are suitable for use in combat, while "Vizeli" is more appropriate to use not for transporting personnel, but for Intelligence.

Modern Artillery

Once a formidable German artillery has undergone many changes, and first of all they have been expressed in large-scale cuts. Like the United States, Germany, whose army needs modern and sophisticated weapons, began to create new and technologically advanced weapons systems that would allow the army to possess great firepower even with a reduction in the number of units of equipment. The Germans invented the unique PzH2000 gun, which provided the aiming cover with a standard target shell at a distance of 30 km. The rate of fire was three shots in just 9.2 seconds with a standard of 10 seconds, 8 shots in 51.4 seconds at a standard of 60 seconds. The distinctive features of this gun include the following:

1. Record on the rate of fire.
2. High and reliable protection of the crew and combat equipment due to the steel armoring of the tower and hull of the self-propelled gun.
3. The optimal thickness of the armor is a guarantee that the crew will be reliably protected from small arms with a caliber of up to 14.5 mm, large fragments from projectiles.
4. The use of the gun is advisable directly on the battlefield.

This is the best ACS in the world, so we found the answer to the question of which army in Germany is the most reliable and powerful. True, there are fewer than 200 such guns in the country.

Another available weapon of the German army is self-propelled mortars: M113A1G PZM (120 mm) and 100 MLRS MLRS. These guns have the following technical features:

• Range of fire - from 2 km to 40 km;
• The area of the attack with a volley - up to 25,000 square meters. M;
• Equipment with numerous types of ammunition, including cassette ones.

Army aviation of the Bundeswehr

The German army in terms of aviation consists of 38 Tiger strike helicopters, 118 VO-105 attack helicopters, 93 heavy transport helicopters CH-53G, 93 multi-purpose UH-1D, 39 EU-135 and 77 NH-90. The Air Force's management is provided by the Central Office and the Operational Command in Cologne. Operational command includes three aviation divisions, but there are no training units in the country. Cadets are trained in the US on their own technical bases.

The main strike force of the German air force is based on the Typhoon fighter-bombers - at the moment there are about 100 of them in the arsenal of the country. The bombers "Tornado" (they are based on Germany's 144 pieces) of the latest modification can be used as drums. According to forecasts of specialists, these machines are able to stand on armament in the next 8-10 years. The strength of the German army is gradually declining, and the same trend is noted in terms of its equipment. So, in the arsenal of the Luftwaffe, there are still old fighter-bombers "Phantom-2", "Tornado", although they have long been written off.

There are several A-319, A-340 in the transport aviation of the country, but experts say that these opportunities are not enough to solve the problems that face it. That is, this amount of technology is not enough even for the landing of one airborne brigade and its provision with supply for at least a month, provided active combat operations take place. There are 18 Patriot batteries in ground-based air defense.

Navy of Germany

The army of Russia (and Germany too) has long been considered very powerful, but the Germans are gradually losing ground, holding leadership in only a few sectors. So, the German navy is the most perfect in terms of equipment and balance. True, serious tasks do not face him, and the weapons available for arming are sufficient to defend the coasts and help the allies. At the moment, the Bundesmarine helps with the exploration and control of the Baltic Sea.

In this situation, it is surprising, but in Germany - a powerful and advanced shipbuilding industry, which produces almost the best in the world naval armament - submarines, working on diesel fuel, in the first place. These models are actively purchased by India, Greece, Turkey, South Korea, Venezuela. At the same time Germany's own fleet is very small. The number of the German army in terms of flotillas is just 4 submarines of type 212, 13 frigates of different types - from old to modern, two boats are being built.

Modern frigate "Sachsen"

As we have already said, the shipbuilding industry in the country is quite powerful. And this is evidenced, for example, by the construction of a new frigate of the "Sachsen" type. This project involves the construction of a destroyer, which, externally and by design, is a platform for naval weapons. By the way, it will appear in Germany in the near future. The distinctive features of this technique include the following:

1. The ship will be equipped with a universal gun 127 mm, two helicopters, a pair of RIM-116 and 27 mm blocks.
2. The equipment will be supplemented by the regular SCP "Harpoon".
3. The frigate's armament management will be carried out by a special automated combat control system, which consists of 17 computerized workstations, 11 modules with an interface, two large information displays, a satellite communications console and two workstations.

The main armament is still unknown, but I want to believe that the equipment will be serious and worthy of attention. In the Bundesmarine, attention is attracted to corvettes, missile boats, minesweepers, and in naval aviation there are 8 anti-submarine aircraft. According to experts, if the planned technologies will be implemented in reality, this frigate will be equipped with systems that can track up to 1000 targets at once.

The most powerful weapon of the army of Germany

It is believed that the most optimal, from the point of view of combat readiness, parts of the army of Germany are part of the Joint Force of a very fast response to NATO. In 2014, a meeting of the command of the Bundeswehr was held, at which the current state of the army's material and technical base was discussed. The register of the most powerful weapons was based on military equipment. Special mention was made of armored personnel carriers, helicopters, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. At the meeting, it was noted that almost all the old-style weapons needed serious repair, and sometimes a write-off. At the end of the meeting it became clear that the Bundeswehr at the moment can not solve large-scale tasks in the military field. The state of the army is such that individual brigades of the German army can be directed to help other countries, and then to where the military conflict is not of the highest intensity.

From the hand arms of the army of Germany, rifles, including snipers, machine guns, pistols, anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers are allocated.

The title of the army of Germany

Signs of distinction of the army of Germany depend on titles, there are three in this country - officers, non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file officers.

The ranks of officers are divided into generals, senior and junior officers.

Non-commissioned officers are divided into non-commissioned officers with a sword and without a sword belt.

All differences are noticeable in shoulder straps, buttonholes, headgear and sleeves, which are made differently - in accordance with the title. In addition, the epaulettes are significantly different from those used during the Second World War.

Photos of the army of Germany show that we have the power and modern equipment. Experts say that the armament of the country is going through not the best of times. But if necessary, Germany will be able to mobilize and cope with the enemy, albeit not as easily as we would like in practice.

At the end of the article, let's say a few words about the United Support Forces and the health service. The first is headed by an inspector with the rank of Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, and her task is to manage, provide and train soldiers. Under the Office of the Inspector of the Health Service are about 23 000 people.