The Czech Ministry of Defense has announced his country is in talks with Germany to purchase Leopard 2 tanks in the newest 2A8 configuration.
According to a press release, the government of the Czech Republic has authorized Defence Minister Jana Cernochova to negotiate the possibility of joining the purchase of Leopard tanks in the latest version, planned by the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Since the beginning of my term, I have emphasized that the heavy brigade is among my priorities. In the case of Leopard tanks, they combine the best features of previous versions 2A4, 2A5, 2A6, and 2A7, proven in combat, and unequivocally belong to the technological forefront. I believe that negotiations with Germany will be successful, and our soldiers will receive modern technology they deserve, contributing to the overall defence capability of our homeland,” said Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová.
The Czech Republic is eying 70 of the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann-made tanks in the 2A8 variant.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius lauded the prospective Czech participation as a big step towards Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fabled “Zeitenwende” objective, a wholesale boost of German and European defense capabilities.