Dust, stony roads and temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius (120 F) have knocked out half of the Bundeswehr vehicles deployed to Mali as part of the UN's Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, German daily "Die Welt" reported Wednesday. The military has been unable to promptly ship the necessary replacement parts to the UN base at Camp Castor in Gao, Mali, where the facilities also aren't quite up to the German standards for maintenance.

"The mission fulfillment vis-a-vis the UN is guaranteed," a Bundeswehr officer deployed to Mali told the paper. "Operating conditions, however, regularly push us to the technological breaking point."

The Bundeswehr's Tiger combat helicopter, meant to be operational by May 1, has not been cleared to operate in temperatures exceeding 43.26 degrees Celsius, "Die Welt" reported. Daytime temperatures near Gao, in the West African desert, are projected to run 43-45 C for the foreseeable weeks, meaning the Tiger will stay mostly on the ground rather than flying stabilization sorties.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Defective helicopters Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Manufacturing fault The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restrictions on the plane's use.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center-left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Not making any tracks New Puma tanks for the German military came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Glitches at sea New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Headache for AKK? She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a "Future Combat Air System" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040. Author: Sven Pöhle / db



mkg/sms (AFP, dpa)