Manufacturer catalog

Maschinenbau Kiel

Maschinenbau Kiel, usually shortened to MaK, was a Kiel-based German manufacturer whose tracked-vehicle branch produced Bundeswehr armored vehicles while its marine-engine business later continued under Caterpillar.

4 weapons

Maschinenbau Kiel was founded in Kiel in 1948, but its industrial roots in the city reach back much further. The company moved through postwar ownership changes, entered the Krupp group, and eventually split its defense, marine-engine, and rail-vehicle activities into separate successor lines.

MaK's defense-technology work connected Kiel industrial production to a set of Cold War Bundeswehr armored-vehicle programs. Rheinmetall's historical material places MaK in the Leopard 1 consortium, records the first Bergepanzer 2 handover in 1966, and identifies Kiel as one of the Marder production handover sites in 1971.

tracked military vehiclesmarine diesel enginesdiesel locomotives

Notable Systems

Marder 1A3, Infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles

Marder 1A3

Infantry fighting vehicle

Rheinmetall says the first production Marders were handed over at Kassel and Kiel, the corporate seats of Thyssen-Henschel and Krupp MaK, and its product page describes Marder 1A3 among the variants still associated with the family.

Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy, Rheinmetall Marder product page
Bergepanzer 2, Armoured recovery vehicle, Support Equipment

Bergepanzer 2

Armoured recovery vehicle

Rheinmetall's MaK history records the first Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicle, developed with Porsche and Jung, being handed over to the Bundeswehr in 1966.

Sources: Rheinmetall Bergepanzer 3 legacy
BrPz-1 Biber, Armored vehicle-launched bridge, Support Equipment

BrPz-1 Biber

Armored vehicle-launched bridge

A Stadtarchiv Kiel image record documents Maschinenbau Kiel handing over the first Biber bridge-layer to the Bundeswehr in 1973; the Bundeswehr describes the Biber as a Leopard 1-based bridge-layer.

Sources: MaK Biber handover photo, Bundeswehr Biber

Manufacturer History

  1. Maschinenbau Kiel is founded

    Rheinmetall's legacy history says Maschinenbau Kiel AG was founded in 1948 in Kiel, drawing on an older industrial lineage in the city.

    Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy

  2. Stinnes and Flick take over MaK

    The same legacy source notes that the Stinnes and Flick groups took over MaK in 1954.

    Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy

  3. Krupp acquires MaK

    Rheinmetall's historical account says MaK was acquired by Krupp in 1964.

    Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy

  4. First Marder assembly begins in Kiel

    Rheinmetall says final assembly of the first Marder infantry fighting vehicles began at MaK in 1970.

    Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy

  5. First Biber bridge-layer is handed over

    The Stadtarchiv Kiel image record identifies a 29 November 1973 MaK event for the first Biber bridge-layer handover to the Bundeswehr.

    Sources: MaK Biber handover photo

  6. Defense technology is spun into Rheinmetall's land-systems line

    Rheinmetall says it acquired MaK's defense-technology section in 1990 and later merged that business into Rheinmetall Landsysteme.

    Sources: Rheinmetall MaK legacy

  7. Marine-engine business moves to Caterpillar

    Caterpillar's Germany history says it acquired the MaK business in 1997, and the MaK brand page describes the resulting marine-engine line as part of Caterpillar's portfolio.

    Sources: Caterpillar Germany History, Caterpillar MaK

Successors
Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KGRheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH
Website links
MaK brand pageCaterpillar history in GermanyRheinmetall Marder legacy storyRheinmetall Bergepanzer 3 legacy storyBundeswehr Brückenlegepanzer Biber page

Maschinenbau Kiel split across successor businesses in the 1990s; the historical MaK name covers the Kiel manufacturer while Caterpillar marine-engine continuity and Rheinmetall land-systems continuity are documented separately.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Caterpillar MaKPublisher: Caterpillar | Note: Supports MaK as Caterpillar's marine-engine brand, the current continuity of the Kiel-based marine-engine line, and the brand's role in premium marine engines and generator sets. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Caterpillar Germany HistoryPublisher: Caterpillar | Note: Supports the MaK lineage in Kiel and Caterpillar's 1997 acquisition of the business that became Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Rheinmetall MaK legacyPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports MaK's 1948 founding, the 1954 and 1964 ownership changes, the 1970 start of first Marder assembly in Kiel, and the 1990 defense-technology sale that fed Rheinmetall Landsysteme. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Rheinmetall Marder product pagePublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports Marder variant context and Rheinmetall's current land-systems continuity for the Marder family. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Rheinmetall Bergepanzer 3 legacyPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports MaK's Leopard 1 consortium role, the 1966 Bergepanzer 2 handover, later MaK armored-vehicle programs, and the 1990 transfer of MaK defense technology into Rheinmetall's land-systems line. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MaK Biber handover photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the 29 November 1973 Stadtarchiv Kiel record for Maschinenbau Kiel handing over the first Biber bridge-layer to the Bundeswehr. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Bundeswehr BiberPublisher: Bundeswehr | Note: Supports the Biber's role as a Leopard 1-based bridge-layer, its horizontal bridge-laying method, and current Bundeswehr equipment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MaK Marder handover photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the 1971 MaK/Bundeswehr factory-handover photo, its provenance at Stadtarchiv Kiel, and the CC BY-SA 3.0 DE licensing context for the image used on this profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

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Marder 1A3, Infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force +1 moreMarder 1A3Infantry fighting vehicleBuilt in: GermanyThe Marder 1A3 is a German tracked infantry fighting vehicle with a forward powerpack, rear troop compartment, 20 mm cannon, machine gun, smoke launchers, and anti-tank missile fit. First transferred to the German Army in 1971, the family was upgraded through the 1A3 armor retrofit and later service-life extensions, then documented in KFOR Kosovo service, German Afghanistan deployments, and German-supported Ukrainian service.

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

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Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs, Armoured engineer vehicle, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine WarPionierpanzer 2 DachsArmoured engineer vehicleBuilt in: GermanyThe Pionierpanzer 2 Dachs is a German Leopard 1-based armoured engineer vehicle built for protected route work, earthmoving, recovery, obstacle tasks, and water-crossing preparation. Bundeswehr sources describe it as a dozer, excavator, crane, winch and workshop platform for armoured engineers, while Germany's Ukraine aid accounting records Dachs vehicles with spare parts delivered to Ukraine during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.