Norway will purchase 54 new-generation Leopard 2s, with an option to purchase an additional 18 of these German-made armored vehicles to replace the older tanks, the Norwegian government announced on Friday.
This order for Leopard 2A7 tanks, which has been under construction for several years, from the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, will renew the existing fleet of 36 ‘Leopard 2A4’, part of which will be donated to Ukraine.
Delivery of the tanks is scheduled for 2026 and the operation, which can be extended with the purchase of a further 18 units of the same model, took place following parliamentary approval for an amount of 19,700 million Norwegian kroner (1,802 million euros).
“The new tanks are of great importance for the defense and a big boost for the army. In the current security situation, military cooperation with Europe is even more important,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said at a conference at the military headquarters in Rena, in the south of the country.
Gahr Store stated that with this acquisition, Norway will have the same tank model as the other Nordic and allied countries, in addition to strengthening “security policy” ties with Germany and sending a “clear” signal to NATO of its commitment to the Alliance.
Norway, which borders Russia, currently has 36 older ‘Leopard’ tanks operational, of which it has pledged to donate an as yet unknown number to Ukraine.
The Norwegian parliament approved the purchase of new tank models in 2021 and the choice fell between the South Korean Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther and the German Leopard 2A7, which was chosen.
Source: DN
