The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) has awarded Rheinmetall a new order for 30mm ammunition intended for its infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

This latest request adds to an existing framework agreement established between the Bundeswehr and Rheinmetall in December 2022.

While the precise financial details remain undisclosed, the value of the current order is reported to be in the range of several hundred million euros.

The original framework contract, which covers deliveries through to 2029, was set up for the supply of 30mm x 173 calibre ammunition specifically for the Puma IFV.

The contract has now been expanded to increase both the quantity of cartridges and the overall order volume.

According to Rheinmetall, this arrangement accounts for several hundred thousand cartridges valued at approximately €1bn.

In conjunction with the expansion, a medium six-figure quantity of ammunition has been retrieved under the agreement, with a corresponding order intake reported in the hundreds of millions of euros.

In addition to increasing its ammunition supplies, the Bundeswehr recently contracted Rheinmetall together with KNDS Deutschland to deliver an extra 200 Puma vehicles.

The Puma IFV is fitted with the MK30-2/ABM machine gun, produced by Rheinmetall, which supports programmable airburst munitions.

The MK30-2/ABM can operate effectively at distances exceeding 2,000 metres and is designed for use against a variety of land, air, and sea targets.

Rheinmetall manufactures two main types of combat ammunition for the Puma, KE-TF DM21 and KE DM33, both in the 30mm x 173 calibre.

The company stated that these munitions are developed and certified to current standards.

Of these, the programmable Kinetic Energy Time Fuse (KE-TF) round enables engagement of larger soft and semi-hard surface targets as well as drones.

This new procurement forms part of efforts by the German military to bolster its ammunition reserves.

In 2024, Bundeswehr contracted Rheinmetall, to produce and deliver several hundred thousand rounds of ammunition for its fleet of Puma IFVs.