German tanks are in demand again
Although there is a constant debate among military experts about whether tanks have any chance on modern battlefields or not, many countries will continue to count on them in the upcoming decades. And this is the case primarily of German-made tanks. In recent weeks, in fact, several European countries have signed contracts to buy dozens of new German Leopard tanks in the latest version 2 A8 and Panther KF51 tanks.
Investing in the purchase of new land military equipment continues to be a priority for many NATO countries. This is driven, of course, by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but also by the general instability in the Eurasian area and the long-standing underestimation and underfunding of the defence sector of individual countries. There is therefore a huge demand for new military equipment at the moment. One of the hot items on the military market are German-made tanks. In recent weeks, several European NATO countries have opted for the main battle tanks from the German arms factories.
At the end of last year, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence approved the purchase of 44 Leopard 2 A8 tanks. The contract for the acquisition of these vehicles for the Lithuanian Armed Forces was signed on 16 December 2024 in Berlin during the official visit of the Lithuanian Minister of Defence Dovilė Šakalienė. Lithuania has thus officially confirmed its interest in Leopard tanks, which it has prioritised over the US Abrams tank and the South Korean K2 Black Panther in 2023 based on military trials. According to the head of the Lithuanian defence ministry, this purchase is the largest in the army's history and also deepens the interoperability between the Lithuanian and German armies in a fundamental way. In addition, the contract for the purchase of modern Leopard 2 A8 tanks is also significant because Lithuania currently has no main battle tanks in its arsenal.
There is also interest in Leopard 2 A8 tanks in Scandinavia, specifically in Sweden. For many years Sweden has been one of the users of Leopard 2 tanks, as it has Leopard 2A5 tanks in its arsenal, which are designated as Stridsvagn 122 within the Swedish army. The Swedish army has 66 of these tanks in its arsenal, and based on the information available, 44 new Leopard 2 A8 tanks will be added. But this is not the end of the modernisation of the tank forces in Sweden. While the new Leopard 2 A8 tanks will be introduced to the Swedish army under the name Stridsvagn 123B, the existing tanks will be upgraded to the Stridsvagn 123A version. The modernisation of the tank forces will cost the Swedish treasury about 1.8 billion dollars. The upgraded Stridsvagn 123A tanks are expected to be delivered to the army between 2027 and 2030, while the brand-new Leopard 2 A8 tanks, known as Stridsvagn 123B, will be delivered between 2028 and 2031.
The procurement of Leopard 2 A8 tanks is now also a hot topic in southern Europe, more specifically in Spain. According to Spanish news portal Infodefensa, Spain plans to replace Leopard 2A4 tanks with modern Leopards 2 A8. Currently, Spain operates approximately 80 Leopard 2A4 tanks, and about 30 Spanish Leopards in this version have been delivered to Ukraine. The main backbone of the Spanish land forces consists of Leopard 2E tanks. This is a modified version of the Leopard 2A6 tank in accordance with the specific requirements of the Spanish army. Plans to acquire new Leopard 2 A8 tanks were revealed by the Spanish Army at this year's International Armoured Vehicles Conference. It is not yet known how many of the latest Leopards are required by Spain.
In addition to the Leopards, another German tank, the Panther KF51, is beginning to make its way onto the market. According to the latest information, Italy, which currently operates C1 and C2 Ariette tanks, is interested in these tanks. Specifically, Italy would like to acquire up to 380 tanks based on the KF51 chassis, which will be modified according to the specific requirements of the Italian army. This plan was presented at this year's International Armoured Vehicles Conference, where, among other things, there was information about the acquisition of more than a thousand new Lynx KF41 tracked infantry fighting vehicles. The price for the 380 new tanks is expected to be around €10 billion. At the same time, most of the Panther KF51 tanks and Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles are expected to be manufactured in Italy. The local company Leonardo and the German Rheinmetall, which produces both the KF51 tanks and the KF41 infantry fighting vehicles, have established a joint venture in Italy, Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, in October 2024. This company is expected to be involved in the production of both types of required military equipment.
