Norway Orders 54 New Leopard 2 Tanks
The Norwegian Government announced its decision to procure 54 Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBT) from Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. The procurement has an additional option to purchase 18 more tanks if desired.
The Norwegian ministry of Defense says the purchase of the tanks represents a clear strengthening of Norway’s defense capabilities and preparedness. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said:
“New main battle tanks are of great importance to the Armed Forces, significantly strengthening the Army. In today’s security situation, European defence cooperation is becoming increasingly important. By procuring German tanks, we ensure that Norway has the same type of tanks as our Nordic neighbors and close allies. We are also forging closer security policy ties with Germany.”
Norway’s current Leopard 2A4NO fleet was acquired second hand in 2001 from the Netherlands. In the late 2010s it had been planned to upgrade and refit the tanks but Norway’s 2017 defense review found this upgrade would be inadequate. Instead a replacement was sought with more modern Leopard 2s and South Korean K2s under consideration.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense noted that the Norwegian Army had compared “two strong candidates, and tests confirm both are excellent” with both meeting all of Norway’s requirements for a modern MBT. Other factors, including: potential for industrial cooperation opportunities, operational cooperation, logistics and life-cycle support led, however, to the selection of Leopard 2.
“Securing Norway new tanks is an important part of this preparedness. This investment increases our combat power on land, will strengthen the Norwegian Army significantly,” said Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, while also noting it offers “great opportunities for Norwegian defence industry and work force through industrial cooperation.”
The Leopard 2 variant to be procured was not announced but Norway’s defense minister Bjørn Arild Gram said: “We have highly skilled and motivated personnel operating our current MBTs, and we are happy to announce that we have now chosen to buy a new modern version.” the 2A7 variant is anticipated to be the variant selected.
While long planned, the procurement comes as Norway confirmed it would provide tanks to Ukraine as part of the ongoing international effort. Gram said on 21 January, that Norway is “weighing and considering our own needs and preparedness. At this time it is the right thing to do to take some our own equipment in order to support Ukraine.” The new MBTs will be phased in from 2026 through 2031. The acquisition is said to be within the NOK 19.7 billion ($1.9 billion) budget set by Norway’s Parliament. The first of Norway new Leopards are expected to be delivered in 2026.