Czech Army Expands Combat Capabilities With $169 Million Leopard Tank Deal
The Czech Ministry of Defense continues to work to phase out Soviet-era T-72M4CZ tanks and bring the army’s capabilities in line with NATO standards. In line with this, a deal worth approximately $169 million was signed with Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme on December 3 for the supply of 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks. In addition to the tanks, the agreement also includes the installation of advanced communication and information systems, support equipment, and initial ammunition supplies.
According to the Czech Ministry of Defense, Rheinmetall expects to complete deliveries of Leopard 2A4 tanks by the end of 2026. They will complement the 28 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and two Büffel 3 armored recovery vehicles that Germany donated to the Czech Republic in exchange for military equipment previously provided to Ukraine. With this addition, the Czech Republic will finally upgrade the 73rd Tank Battalion to NATO standards and have enough modern tanks to retire the old Soviet-era equipment.
In addition to expanding its fleet of Leopard 2A4 tanks, the Czech Republic also aims to acquire the most advanced Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks. The government approved a plan in June authorizing the Ministry of Defense to conduct negotiations for the purchase of these modern tanks. Under the framework agreement, the Czech Republic plans to purchase at least 61 tanks, with the potential to acquire 16 additional tanks in the future. The estimated cost of the 61 tanks, including support systems such as simulators, training packages, and maintenance equipment, is set at CZK 39.8 billion ($1.67 billion). If the Czech Republic exercises the additional purchase option, the total cost of the deal will rise to CZK 52.1 billion ($2.29 billion).
“We are continuing the modernization of not just our tank forces but the entire army. This is another significant step toward phasing out outdated Russian equipment while enhancing our defense capabilities,” said Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová.
As Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová noted, the Czech Defense Ministry is not only acquiring tanks under the “Czech Armed Forces Development Concept 2030” program. As part of the modernization process, in addition to tanks, a variety of other military equipment is being added to the army’s inventory to increase its capabilities. These include 246 Swedish-made CV90 infantry fighting vehicles in seven variants, CAESAR self-propelled howitzers from the French company Nexter Systems, two Embraer C-390 Millennium medium transport aircraft, UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters, and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, more than 200 small unmanned aerial vehicles, ELM-2084 Air Defense and Surveillance Radars, four new SPYDER ground-based air defense missile systems from the Israeli state-owned company Rafael, and most importantly, 24 F-35A fighter jets.