Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann formally handed over the Puma infantry fighting vehicle to the German Army on Wednesday.

The German Army, or Bundeswehr, has ordered 350 of the vehicles, which will be delivered by 2020 under a contract awarded to the companies' joint venture, PSM, in 2004.

"The Bundeswehr's fielding of the Puma IFV gives its mechanized infantry a new main weapons system that will gradually supersede the Marder, first introduced over 40 years ago," Rheinmetall said. "In joining forces to create the Puma ... KMW and Rheinmetall have produced a weapons system that represents an entirely new dimension in armored vehicle design."

The Puma is equipped with the newly developed MK30-2/ABM 30mm automatic cannon and programmable ammunition, effective against a wide range of targets. It also features a hydro-pneumatic chassis which makes the Puma highly maneuverable. It's speed enables it to operate on the battlefield in tandem with the Leopard 2 tank.

Other features include improved, modular protection system, digitized command-and-control technology, and advanced optics, optronics and sensors.

"Now that the Puma has entered active service with the German military, the first step is to train the trainers, just as planned," Rheinmetall said. "This process is already underway at a German Army training center in Munster, and runs to the end of this year."