2024-06-24 15:44:02
The German Ministry of Protection plans to order 105 Leopard-2A8 tanks from the KNDS concern within the quantity of €2.93 billion. This was reported by Spiegel close to a secret doc with a corresponding proposal despatched to the Finances Committee of the Bundestag, Day.Az reviews close to TASS.
The committee should approve this ministry request earlier than the order will be positioned. Based on the publication, he’ll think about this concern earlier than the deputies go away for the summer season holidays, that’s, no later than July 5. If permitted, the tanks will enter service with the Bundeswehr by 2030.
It follows from the doc that the tanks shall be supposed, amongst different issues, to employees the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. As a result of the brigade acts as “one of many first ahead protection parts of the NATO alliance,” it requires “the perfect accessible and constant staffing,” it says. The remaining tanks shall be deployed in Germany as a part of the modernization of the Bundeswehr.
The publication considers it seemingly that the Ministry of Protection’s request shall be permitted by deputies, since final 12 months the Bundeswehr entered right into a framework settlement with the KNDS for the provision of 123 tanks of the identical sort, however has thus far ordered solely 18 automobiles to compensate for the switch of much less trendy variations of the Leopard to Ukraine. The military says it wants no less than 50 extra new tanks.
Tanks for the brigade in Lithuania shall be delivered earlier than 2028, we’re speaking about 35 automobiles, the remaining 70 shall be transferred to the troops by 2030. On the similar time, in a secret doc from the Ministry of Protection, the chance that the provider won’t fulfill the contract on time is assessed as “medium to excessive.” The Bundeswehr at present has 310 Leopard tanks of varied varieties. Thus, their whole quantity upon completion of deliveries will improve by a 3rd, if by that point the outdated machines should not written off or transferred to different international locations.