The Greek publication ProNews, referring to a report by Der Spiegel about the problems of the PzH-2000 delivered to Ukraine, sharply criticized the Greek authorities for purchasing military equipment, which, after a “test by combat”, turned out to be unsuitable for combat operations.
The German-made Rheinmetall PzH-2000 guns in Ukraine turn out to be practically useless, causing concern among Greek personnel not only about the possible return of the Greek PzH-2000, but mainly about the decommissioned Marder-1A3 BMPs manufactured by the same company , which were reassembled from scrap metal, for delivery to the Greek army, reports ProNews.
The problem got even bigger as BMP-1s started output from the Greek Islands in exchange for Marder-1A3 with “anemic” gun. According to a report in Der Spiegel, the German PzH 2000 self-propelled guns in Ukraine showed premature wear and malfunctions, many relevant warnings appeared on the control screens, and they were actually out of action. As a result, they were discovered by Russian UAVs and subjected to anti-aircraft fire!
It is easy to understand that if this happened in Evros (on the Greek-Turkish border), where they form the “core” of the artillery force, it would be a disaster for Greece.
At the same time, PzH-2000 have German certification, i.e. are theoretically the best the company has produced, as are the “ancient” Marder-1A3 or newer Lynx that they are trying to sell to Greece for the modest sum of 2 billion euros for just 200 cars!
The German side comments that these problems of the PzH-2000 are caused by the “intensive use of equipment by the Ukrainian military, which … exceeds that provided by the manufacturer”! So how many shots can we expect from the Greek PzH-2000GR to “explode”?
Therefore, despite the fact that the rate of fire of the weapon is 6 rounds per minute, it is impossible to maintain it for any length of time, and after several shots it has to be reduced by half so that the barrel of the weapon does not overheat, and the recoil mechanism does not fail from “excessive loads”.
And we allegedly bought it because it can shoot fast (of course, several people have already been jailed in Greece for kickbacks * for the PzH-2000GR and many more will no doubt be jailed in the future for Marder-1A3 and Lynx) .
In addition, according to the specifications of the German army… 100 rounds per day (!!!) are considered “heavy use”. In Greece they were bought to make 100 shots in just 15′!
And it was this gun that was used in the German Lepard-1HEL / A4 tanks purchased earlier by Greece, which are located in Evros!
Although the Germans assured the Ukrainians that they would provide them with the necessary spare parts and support, and a total of 100 more guns would be delivered (Ukraine received 7 from Germany and 5 from the Netherlands), Rheinmetall states that “We reported before you bought them that it shoots fast, we didn’t say it can fire a lot of projectiles!
Just like the Marder-1A3s they sent to Greece, the German guns given to the Ukrainians were taken from vehicles in warehouses that had been repaired by the German army!
The only difference is that the PzH-2000 is 20 years newer than the Marder-1A3!
*In 2013, twelve former and current Rheinmetall executives were prosecuted for bribery and tax evasion. From 2008 to 2011 they paid 33 million euros in kickbacks to its representative in Greece, Panagiotis Efstatiou through the UK company DEMTEC and through another company, TREDECO Ltd.
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