Germany to reactivate Leopard 2 tanks
The program will be carried out by the
manufacturer Krauss-Maffel Wegmann and is expected to cost $832.7 million.
By Stephen Carlson |
May 9, 2017 at 4:17 PM
May 9 (UPI) -- The German military is
upgrading 104 Leopard 2 tanks that have been brought out of storage, government
officials said Tuesday.
The program will be carried out by the
manufacturer Krauss-Maffel Wegmann and is expected to cost $832.7 million.
"The geopolitical developments of the
past years have emphasized to us the importance of tank technology for our
defense capabilities," the German Defense Ministry told Defense News.
The contract includes delivery by KMW for 32
new chassis for the production of new Leopard 2 tanks, along with variants for
bridging capabilities and other operations.
The deliveries are expected to begin in 2019
and run through 2023. It will bring the number of active German tanks to 328, a
baseline set by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
The Leopard 2 tank is designed for heavy
ground combat, an increasing concern over fears with Russian military
assertiveness in recent years.
The Leopard 2 is an advanced battle tank
mounting a 120 millimeter smoothbore gun and several machine guns. Variants
have been produced since 1976, and have been widely exported.
Original post: upi.com
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