The Norwegian government has announced that it will buy 54 tanques Leopard 2 from new generation to Germanywith the aim of replacing its current armored vehicles of the same model and strengthening its defense capabilities, in a context of full escalation of the tensions in eastern europe.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storehas warned that the country is “in one of the most difficult security situations since the Second World War“, for what he sees as a priority to dedicate part of the defense budget to acquire more tanks, specifically, the German Leopard 2A7 model. The Norwegian authorities have so far ordered 54 vehicles, but reserve the right to purchase 18 more to replace older units in their arsenal.
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The Parliament of the Nordic country already endorsed the modernization of its tanks last year, but the head of the Armed Forces, Eirik Kristoffersen, advised against the purchase. A year later, however, the defense minister, Bjorn Arild Gram explained that, despite having taken all opinions into account, they have come to the conclusion that Norway needs more tanks to match the capabilities of its neighboring countries, Sweden y Finlandwho are waiting to join the I’LL TAKE.
According to the Norwegian Public Broadcasting Corporation, NRKthe first units of Leopard tanks will not arrive until 2026. Currently, the Nordic country has 36 units in service and plans to send some of them to Ukraine. Oslo has confirmed its military contribution with armored cars to the Ukrainian Armed Forcesbut has not given details about when or how many tanks it intends to send.