The Ministry of Defence will acquire 14 more Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one Büffel 3 recovery tank from the Federal Republic of Germany. This is the second compensation for the Czech Republic for its supply of military equipment to Ukraine, which is facing Russian aggression. The first tank from this delivery will be delivered at the end of this year, and the remaining tanks will arrive by early 2026. Preliminary market consultations have also been launched on the possible purchase of additional Leopard 2A4 tanks. This continues the modernization of the Czech tank force.

The final document of the series of contracts concerning the transfer of tanks was signed today by the Director of the Logistics Section of the Ministry of Defence, Major General Robert Bielený, and by Stefan Ives and Alexandra Cristea-Schmid on behalf of Rheinmetall.

"The modernization of our tank force continues. We are replacing structurally obsolete Soviet equipment with new, modern machines that are capable of standing up to the current war theater. This is an important leap forward for our tankers. I would also like to thank the German side for appreciating our assistance to Ukraine, which is facing brutal Russian aggression," said Defence Minister Jana Černochová, adding that the first tank will be delivered this year and the rest by the beginning of 2026. These deliveries represent compensation for the military material that the Czech Republic is supplying to Ukraine, and this is the second such shipment.

"For the Czech Armed Forces, this is another crucial step towards the construction of a heavy mechanized brigade. It is not only a step forward for the tank troops, but also for the entire heavy mechanized brigade, the building of which represents our commitment to NATO collective defence. It is a major step forward in that we are moving away from Soviet technology, where we had problems both with the production of spare parts and with modifications or servicing, and we are moving towards a platform that is in many ways superior to the T-72 platform," said Major General Bielený.

The Czech Republic has already received 14 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one Büffel 3 recovery tank based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis as a gift from Germany in 2022 and 2023. These machines are assigned to the Czech Army with the 73rd Tank Battalion. The Czech Armed Forces will have a total of 28 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and 2 recovery vehicles. In addition, the Ministry of Defence is launching preliminary market consultations for the purchase of 14 more Leopard 2A4 tanks.

Leopard 2A8

At the same time, negotiations are still ongoing between the Czech and German sides on the purchase of the latest version of the Leopard 2A8 tank. If these negotiations are successful, the Czech Republic could subsequently purchase 61 units of this machine in several modifications under a framework agreement, with a possible purchase of 16 more tanks in the future.

The Government authorized the Minister of Defence, Jana Černochová, to negotiate with the German Ministry of Defence for the delivery of the Leopard 2A8 Main Battle Tanks on 24 May 2023. Negotiations are now underway with the German Ministry of Defence on the specific method and timing of the delivery of these tanks, with the intention of securing the delivery of MBTs in the years 2024-2029, or by exercising the 2024-2030 option. The Army envisages the new equipment for the next three decades.

The material approved by the government explicitly states, "As MBTs for the needs of the Czech Armed Forces, it is planned to acquire Leopard 2A8 tanks with high tank crew protection, firepower, manoeuvrability, agility, penetrability and the ability to overcome water obstacles up to a depth of four metres. According to the Czech Army, six modifications of the tanks will be procured in the most up-to-date versions, introduced as standard in the German Army The national specifics concern only the communication equipment, camouflage paint and national markings of the tanks.

The tanks are to be procured through a Cooperative Procurement Arrangement (CPA), an agreement between several interested states. Negotiations focus on industrial cooperation on the project to ensure maximum security of supply, financing including possible advance payments, contracting for the delivery of individual tank modifications, and a model for guarantee and after-sales service. A deadline of 31 December 2024 has been set for the negotiations and, depending on the outcome, the government will then approve the accession to the existing German framework agreement(s).

The Army plans to procure a minimum of 61 Leopard 2A8 MBTs in six modifications (guaranteed delivery), with the option to procure a further 16 machines (maximum delivery). In total, therefore, up to 77 tanks will be procured in six modifications (combat, command, recovery, engineer, bridge, and driver training). According to the material, the possible use of the option would enable the creation of an additional tank company of the 73rd Tank Battalion: "Thanks to this, it would be possible to provide a heavy element (two tank companies) for both brigade task groups of the Czech Armed Forces and thus meet NATO requirements for the structure of a heavy and medium brigade."

The estimated price is given in the range of CZK 39.8-52.1 billion incl. VAT, depending on the rate of performance, and as payments will be made in euros, as with previous strategic projects, the funds set aside for this purchase will also have to include an amount for exchange rate risk. The final amount paid will also be affected by the spread of funding over time and inflation. According to information from the negotiations so far, the advance is expected to be around 30%.

Industrial cooperation will be ensured directly between the MoD and KNDS Deutschland

In the material submitted to the government, the Ministry of Defence emphasizes the importance of industrial cooperation and the interest in maintaining the capabilities, capacity development, and competitiveness of the domestic defence industry: 'It is planned to involve domestic industry in subcontracting and life cycle assurance on the territory of the Czech Republic for the MBT project in order to ensure the security of supply in support of the activities of the Czech Armed Forces in accordance with the essential security interests of the state.' At the same time, it states that, according to information from the MoD, it is not possible to include the area of industrial cooperation in an addendum to the framework agreement or framework agreements for the acquisition of tanks, and it intends to address this area in a separate arrangement with the tank manufacturer, which is KNDS Deutschland (formerly Kraus-Maffei Wegmann, KMW).

The service contract for the after-sales service of the Leopard 2A8 tanks is to be concluded, as in the case of the BVP CV90, until the delivery of the first vehicles (2027). "The procurement of ammunition to support training and stockpiling will be handled through separate contracts, following on from the upcoming contracts for the supply of ammunition for the already established Leopard 2A4 tanks" - both tanks are armed with a 120 mm caliber gun, differing in barrel length - the modern Leopard 2A8 has an Rh-120 L/55 gun of 55 calibers, the older Leopard 2A4 an Rh-120 L/44 gun of 44 calibers.