At its meeting today, the government entrusted the Minister of Defense Jana Černochová with negotiations on the possibility of joining the purchase of Leopard tanks in the new version 2A8, which is planned by the Federal Republic of Germany.
This paves the way for the Army of the Czech Republic to acquire a top-of-the-line ground platform, which is also in use in a number of European armies and is compatible with other NATO armies. In addition, from the joint procedure with Germany, the Czech side promises a significant price reduction, shorter deliveries and the provision of adequate logistical support.
"When I took office, I made it clear that the heavy brigade was one of my priorities.
“In the case of the Leopards, these are tanks that combine the best of the battle-tested previous versions of the 2A4, 2A5, 2A6 and 2A7, and clearly belong to the cutting edge of technology. I believe that the negotiations with Germany will lead to success and our soldiers will get the modern equipment they deserve and which will contribute to the overall defense capability of our homeland," said Minister of Defense Jana Černochová after the government meeting.
The proposed version of the Leopard 2A8 tank will be among the best that can now be purchased on the world market. If the Czech army decided to buy tanks together with Germany, it would mean a huge shift compared to the existing ground technology (T-72M4CZ and Leopard 2A4).
The army praises the technical parameters and capabilities of the tank. "The Leopard tank best meets the ACR's requirements for a modern tank available on the current market, with sufficient destructiveness, mobility, and a high degree of crew protection. At the same time, it is a tank that is in use in several NATO armies, and it is not necessary to develop it further," says Colonel Ján Kerdík, director of the Land Forces Development Department.
The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic will now officially approach the representative of the German Ministry with a request to start negotiations on the conditions under which the Czech Republic could join the purchase that the Germans are planning. Available information suggests that other NATO member states are also considering a similar procedure.
A larger order will result in greater budget savings due to a higher quantity of tanks being purchased. Delivery times will also be reduced and sufficient logistical support will be ensured. The company KMW, which manufactures Leopard tanks, could increase its production capacity based on the size of the delivery, which would lead to speeding up production and thus shortening the delivery time.
In addition, this would be a model example of alliance cooperation in the field of joint procurement of technology, which the EU and NATO states are calling for even in the context of the war in Ukraine and the increased demand for military technology.
A huge advantage of joint procurement would be to ensure maximum interoperability within NATO. The tanks of the individual states that would participate in the joint purchase would differ practically only in the communication technology used by each state, otherwise they would be identical, which greatly facilitates joint exercises, maintenance and repairs of the equipment.
"The negotiations themselves have only just begun, so it would be tactless to give details. However, at least in rough terms, it can be said that there will be approximately 70 tanks and we expect the price to be in the order of tens of billions of crowns. We expect the delivery of the tanks by the end of this decade," concludes Colonel Kerdík.
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