I've watched probably a fifty man-hours of TV over the past year that went into the Russia-Ukraine war, and got deep into tank-chatter.
Continually, you see confusion from journalists and politicians (not just Germans, but to include Brits as well)....over what makes a tank into a 'tank', and why a vehicle like the German-made Marder...is not tank.
Heavy armor is meant to be a weapon against other heavy armor.
When you look at infantry fighting vehicles, or armored-personnel-carriers....they are built to be a bit faster, using lighter armor, using a 20mm (usually) cannon, and a 7.62 machine gun. In the 'shell', it hauls besides the crew of three.....six infantry guys.
There are different strategies to the two 'weapons'. You wouldn't send a Marder up against an actual tank. If you were on patrol status and knew a village was tank-less, the Marder makes perfect sense in getting control of the village, and getting six guys per Marder into a safe position, or out of a dangerous position.
Cost of a German-made Leopard II tank? Around 14-million Euro.
Cost of a US-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle (roughly the capability of the Marder)? Around $3.2 million.
So logically, the lighter Marder or Bradley would fit better in a landscape where Russian tanks are no longer a serious discussion.....adding to the fact that surveillance capability by the Ukrainians gives them the chance to leave a serious tank-threat area when the warning is given.
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