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So what’s the difference between the two?

WW2 or Modern?

in WWII the SdKfz 123 "Luchs," or "Lynx" Pz IIL was a late war recon tank and the SdKfz 234/2 Puma
was an 8 wheeled armored car .

Interestingly enough in modern times the Spahpanzer Luchs is an 8 wheeled armored car and the Puma is a big honking tracked AIFV.

Cav Dog wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 20, 2022 11:42 pm

WW2 or Modern?

in WWII the SdKfz 123 "Luchs," or "Lynx" Pz IIL was a late war recon tank and the SdKfz 234/2 Puma
was an 8 wheeled armored car .

Interestingly enough in modern times the Spahpanzer Luchs is an 8 wheeled armored car and the Puma is a big honking tracked AIFV.

Don't forget that there is also a modern "Lynx", produced by Rheinmetall. Performance-wise, they're similar to each other, as far as engine performance, size, protection (passive and active), range, armament, weight-class etc... are concerned. The Lynx is way more flexible and can be configured for various roles, it's cheaper, has a more reliable and slightly more powerful engine, as well as fewer teething problems.

Just one example: the Puma is using a 10-cylinder MTU engine, specifically designed for it, while the Lynx is using a diesel engine, based on the Liebherr D976, which is used in construction equipment all over the world. Guess which one is cheaper to build and maintain?


In the end, the big difference is:

Puma: the German armed forces dumped their many and unique requirements towards KMS/Rheinmetall, who then came up with a concept, knowing that it wouldn't matter much if the whole project had cost-overruns, or if the system wasn't fully operational right from the get-go.

Lynx: Rheinmetall designed an APC, which is reliable, cost-efficient, easy to maintain and actually able to compete in an export market against the CV90, K21 or Ajax, which the Puma could never do, due to it's price tag.

Thanks for all info you ready know your stuff. To me they look so similar but devil is in the details I guess. Do you know if they are the same size? Puma is huge. I haven't found a pic of them next to each other yet.

It took about 1.5 to 2 years to get a picture of a Leopard 2 next to a Puma. A guy in Germany sent it. The modern Puma is large, wide and tall. Hope it does not need to go down narrow streets to support the infantry.

nash88 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:01 pm

Thanks for all info you ready know your stuff. To me they look so similar but devil is in the details I guess. Do you know if they are the same size? Puma is huge. I haven't found a pic of them next to each other yet.

It's huge. It comes in two sizes, but in a comparable configuration as the Puma, it's size and weight are almost identical. There is a video from Rheinmetall that shows it driving past a few US vehicles, from two years ago, which gives a good impression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6uBfvgUf9s

Nice Video. Wish there were more like this so you can compare vehicles and there sizes.