Facing an increasingly defensive war, the German Army turned to larger and more powerfully armed Jagdpanzer designs, and in July 1944 the first "Jagdtiger" rolled off the production line; it was the heaviest German armored fighting vehicle to go into active service. The "Jagdtiger" featured a huge 128 mm PaK 44 cannon and heavy armor protection. Only 88 "Jagdtiger" vehicles were produced, barely matching the total number of the earlier Ferdinand/Elefant vehicles. They were first deployed to combat units in September 1944.