Czechia Orders 14 Leopard Tanks From Germany
The Czech Ministry of Defence has accepted the German government's proposal to order 14 additional Leopard 2A4 tanks, the ministry's website reports.
As part of these discussions, a contract was signed with Rheinmetall Landsysteme for a new supply of main battle tanks. The contract is worth $169.8 million.
The contract also includes the modernisation of the vehicles with the installation of appropriate radios to Czech specifications, spare parts and an initial supply of ammunition.
With this contract, the Czech Army will increase its fleet of Leopard 2A4 tanks to 42 units. The country will also receive two additional Büffel 3 armoured recovery vehicles.
The 14 tanks are expected to be delivered to the Czech Republic in full by the end of 2026. In addition, the Ministry of Defence is currently finalising discussions on the future maintenance of the tanks at facilities in the Czech Republic.
‘We continue to modernise not only our tank troops but the entire army. This is another step to get rid of old Russian weapons and at the same time increase our capabilities,’ said Czech Defence Minister Jana Černohová.
The procurement is part of the Czech Republic's strategy to strengthen its security and modernise its army, under which the country will replace upgraded Soviet T-72M4CZ tanks with Leopard 2A4s and supplement them with Leopard 2A8s. The Ministry of Defence noted that Soviet-style tanks do not meet the modern level, and their modernisation is difficult due to design limitations.
Currently, the Czech Republic is equipping the 73rd Tank Battalion with new tanks, which will eventually meet all NATO standards for equipment and technical capabilities of combat vehicles. The battalion will also have a support platoon equipped with Büffel armoured repair and recovery vehicles, which the Czech Republic is currently receiving from Germany.
As part of the upgrade of its armoured forces, the Czech Republic has included the purchase of Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks, which are scheduled to be delivered from 2027 to 2029, in the list of strategic projects of the national Armed Forces.
In addition, in 2022, the Czech Republic placed an order for 28 used Leopard 2A4 tanks, which previously belonged to the Swiss army but were refurbished by Rheinmetall. Subsequently, the country received an offer to purchase 14 more of these tanks from Germany, which is likely to bring the total number of Leopard 2A4s in the Czech army to 42.
The Czech Republic is also considering localising the production of Leopard 2 tanks on its territory, which should have a positive impact on the speed of fulfilling export orders in the future. Czech defence companies, including Excalibur Army, will be involved in the production of Leopard 2A8 tanks as part of a large European order.