Germany proposes more than 400 KF41 Lynx and Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles for Greece.

Germany is preparing a proposal to supply the Hellenic Army with more than 400 infantry fighting vehicles, combining new KF41 Lynx with second-hand Marder 1A3s and a pathway to modernize Leopard 2A4 tanks. The package aims to restore mechanized mass quickly while offering Greek industry participation and a controllable unit cost, according to Greek defense reporting and recent Rheinmetall activity in Athens.

Athens is considering a German package that would recapitalize its tracked fleet with a mix of new and used vehicles, led by Rheinmetall’s KF41 Lynx and surplus Marder 1A3s, with a parallel track to upgrade Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, as reported by the Greek outlet Defence Review. The construct mirrors an earlier Rheinmetall concept reported in Greece, which paired roughly 205 Lynx with about 200 Marder, coupled with local industry work. This formula is now resurfacing as both governments discuss near-term readiness and longer-term production in Greece. Public displays at the DEFEA exhibition in Athens and company statements about technology transfer reinforce the contours of the offer, even as final numbers and phasing remain to be agreed upon by the Ministry of National Defense.
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Acquiring about 400 modern IFVs would raise the inventory to more than 500 hulls, effectively tripling the IFV segment and creating a substantive capability step on NATO’s southeastern flank, with direct effects on brigade COP, tempo, and C4I interoperability. (Picture source: Hungarian MoD)

The Greek IFV fleet remains small and heterogeneous: 169 vehicles, including 129 legacy BMP-1s and 40 already integrated Marder 1A3s, while the armored personnel carrier fleet rests largely on more than 2,100 M113 and Leonidas derivatives. This structure limits the fire density and survivability of mechanized brigades against peer forces. Acquiring about 400 modern IFVs would raise the inventory to more than 500 hulls, effectively tripling the IFV segment and creating a substantive capability step on NATO’s southeastern flank, with direct effects on brigade COP, tempo, and C4I interoperability.

At the center of the package are about 205 KF41 Lynx, a recent-generation IFV with a digital open architecture and significant growth margins in weight and power. The KF41 typically mounts the Lance 2.0 turret with a 35 mm Wotan 35 gun, optional paired Spike LR missiles, and a crew of three plus eight dismounts. Series production versions use the 18-liter Liebherr D976 rated up to ~1,140 hp, coupled to the RENK HSWL 256 transmission, sized for combat weights over 40 t depending on protection kits. These are not theoretical figures: Hungary has commenced production at Zalaegerszeg, a precedent Berlin cites when discussing licensed assembly and offsets.

The KF41 Lynx is built around a modular architecture that separates a base power module from an interchangeable mission module, enabling rapid reconfiguration for operational needs. Using the same drivetrain, an operator can switch from the infantry fighting role to reconnaissance, command post, MEDEVAC, mortar carrier, or short-range air defense. Rheinmetall has already demonstrated this flexibility with the Skyranger 35, which mounts a 35 mm revolver-gun turret on a KF41 chassis for counter-UAS, helicopter, and cruise-missile defense. Other packages exist for anti-armor, reconnaissance, or electronic warfare, including prospective production lines in Ukraine, while shared architecture across Hungary, Italy, and Ukraine opens the door to common sustainment networks and pooled spares. This modularity, combined with an open digital integration approach, allows system evolution over time by adding sensors, software, and weapons without restarting platform development.

In its primary configuration, the Lynx fields the LANCE 2.0 turret with the 35 mm Wotan 35 and optional Spike LR2 for long-range precision fires. The turret includes a stabilized EO sight, laser-warning sensors, and a ballistic computer with auto-track/auto-fire functions. Modular protection is rated to defeat 30 mm rounds on the frontal arc and 14.5 mm on the sides, supplemented by a double armored floor advertised for charges equivalent to 10 kg TNT, decoupled seats, and anti-spall liners. Survivability is reinforced by the ROSY smoke system, acoustic shooter localization (ASLS), and the optional StrikeShield active protection system. The crew is three (driver, gunner, commander) with eight to nine troops in the compartment. The Liebherr D9612 powerpack at 850 kW (1,140 hp) with an automatic RENK transmission gives 70 km/h top speed and over 500 km range with 900 L of fuel, at a combat weight of 44 to 50 t depending on kits. The Supashock adjustable-damping suspension stabilizes the chassis off-road; common driveline components with other European vehicles reduce support complexity; and the running gear accepts light steel tracks or segmented rubber tracks. Obstacles: 60% gradient, 30% side-slope, 1 m vertical obstacle, 2.5 m trench, and 1.5 m fording without preparation, parameters that place it in the upper tier of mobility for mechanized operations in open and urban terrain.

As a bridge to this future fleet, Berlin includes about 200 Marder 1A3s from Bundeswehr stocks. The A3 standard is familiar in Greece after recent transfers; it mounts the 20 mm Rh202 cannon with 7.62 mm coaxial MG and, on many hulls, a MILAN launcher. Combat weight is about 33.5 t after the armor kit that improves resistance to 20 to 25 mm threats. The crew remains three with a smaller dismount team than early variants. For a force that still operates large numbers of BMP-1s and M113s, the Marder is a pragmatic transitional chassis that can be fielded quickly while Lynx production ramps up. The Marder 1A3 is a transition IFV born of the upgrade program run between 1988 and 1998 that brought the A1/A2 series to a coherent standard for contemporary use.

It retains a two-man turret, commander right and gunner left, with a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 20 mm cannon (1,000 rpm, +65°/−17°, 2,500 m against ground targets and 1,600 m against aerial targets), a 7.62 mm MG3 coaxial, two banks of three 76 mm smoke grenade launchers, and on the turret’s right a MILAN post operated by the commander (one missile ready, six stowed, range to 3,000 m). The reworked crew compartment improves crew and troop safety, while the welded hull receives the A3 package offering resistance to 30 mm on the frontal arc, conformal add-on armor on turret and flanks, spaced roof plates against top-attack submunitions, and the deletion of firing ports in favor of armor layers and side stowage boxes. At the rear, six dismounts, up to seven, exit via a powered ramp.

For mobility, the A3 uses the MTU MB 833 Ea-500 diesel rated at 600 hp at 2,200 rpm with a RENK HSWL 194 transmission (4F/2R integrating steering and braking), reinforced torsion bars, and hydraulic dampers on roadwheels 1, 2, 5, and 6. Top speed 65 km/h, range 500 km, reference obstacles: 1.5 m fording without preparation, 2.5 m with kit, 60% gradient, 30% side-slope, 1 m vertical obstacle, 2.5 m trench. In unit service, the A3 yields a net gain in survivability and volume of fire versus legacy BMP-1/M113 fleets, remains compatible with modern BMS and radios to feed brigade COP, and delivers precise support out to 2.5 km, with an opportunistic anti-armor option via MILAN.

Tank modernization is the second pillar. Greece fields 183 Leopard 2A4s that the general staff is considering upgrading toward an A7 HEL-type configuration, combining protection, optronics, fire control, and digitization, with an active protection option. Previous industry proposals and modular kits unveiled by EODH describe a hybrid protection suite and improvements in optronics and battle management, aiming for a common COP and tighter EMCON discipline across armored and mechanized units. The current German package, referenced by Greek defense media during DEFEA 2025, again links the IFV purchase to a scale of Leopard 2A4 upgrades up to the A7 HEL level. Ranges published over the past two years indicate about €1.5 billion for a deep modernization of the 183 tanks, with less expensive variants for limited refreshes.

The offer is designed to flatten the transition curve. The Marder immediately gives battalions a step-up in protection and firepower compared with the BMP-1, while German industrial lineage simplifies support and training. The Lynx then introduces a digitized architecture favoring low-latency exchanges, a richer COP, and tighter EMCON through distributed sensors. In first-echelon entry, a mechanized brigade equipped with Lynx pushes infantry under armor for breaching and clearance, while delivering airburst 35 mm and Spike LR effects against IFVs, strongpoints, and MBTs from standoff. Mobility and protection sustain tempo in degraded terrain. In parallel, Leopard 2A4s brought to an A7-type standard restore overmatch at the decision point, with stabilized day-night fire control and graded survivability kits against long-rod penetrators and top-attack threats. The outcome is a more interoperable combined-arms team, with less heterogeneous interfaces and more straightforward logistics for NATO C4I norms.

Athens is also evaluating another path: refurbishing a large stock of M113s toward a pseudo-IFV configuration. The Rafael–METKA concept under study includes remote 30 mm turrets, new armor kits, uprated propulsion, and contemporary communications and optronics. The project emphasizes local industry and short timelines but is based on an APC hull with intrinsic limits in protection and growth. The German package supports a less constrained horizon and a more direct trajectory toward peer-level mechanized maneuver. Decision-makers also declined “free” M2 Bradleys due to high refurbishment costs, noting that life-cycle costs weigh as much as the headline price.

A Lynx–Leopard pairing places Athens within a predominantly German European armored ecosystem while allowing room for Israeli subsystems and Greek industrial content. Local assembly, whether Lynx modules or Leopard kits, adds resilience by shortening supply chains and maintaining skills domestically, a lesson drawn repeatedly from the war in Ukraine. For NATO’s southeastern flank, a re-equipped Hellenic Army complicates any opposing planning across the Aegean and the land corridors north of Thessaloniki. The message to partners is that European rearmament is not limited to air and sea; it aims at hard land mass on common standards. If Athens adopts a Marder bridge, a KF41 objective, and a Leopard A7-type upgrade step, the Alliance gains a heavier, more interoperable spearhead in the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean, with a regional industrial base better able to sustain it over time.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.