The Czech military to buy 14 Leopard tanks from Germany in a $167 million deal
FILE - Armin Papperger, from left, CEO of Rheinmetall, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defense, stand in a hall with Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks in Unterluess, Germany, Feb. 12, 2024. (Philipp Schulze/dpa via AP, File)
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it plans to buy 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany in a $167 million deal that’s part of a major modernization of the country’s military amid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The ministry said it hopes the deal, worth almost 4 billion Czech crowns or koruna, would be signed with Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH by the end of the year, with the tanks to be delivered by the end of 2026.
Germany has already donated 28 Leopard 2A4 tanks to the Czechs in exchange for the weapons they gave to Ukraine. The Leopards will replace the obsolete Soviet-era T-72 tanks.
“We continue in the modernization of the tank forces, but also of the entire army,” Defense Minister Jana Černochová said. “It’s another step to get rid of the old Russian weapons and improve our capabilities.”
Earlier this year, the Czech government agreed to get up to 77 Leopard 2A8 tanks in a cooperation deal with several other countries led by Germany. Leopard 2A8 is the latest, most modern version of the tank while 2A4 is an older model.
Last year, the Czech government approved a plan to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets and 246 CV90 armored combat vehicles from Sweden, among other deals.