The German army (Bundeswehr) has initiated plans to procure 18 Leopard 2A8 tanks as replacements for the previously donated Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine. This forms part of a larger initiative that could involve the purchase of an additional 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks, as revealed in the contract documents considered by the Bundestag (German Federal Parliament) on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
As part of the ongoing military aid to Kyiv, the German government transferred 18 of its most modern Leopard 2A6 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine. This decision was taken amidst escalated Russian aggression targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure earlier this year. The Bundeswehr now plans to replace these tanks with the advanced Leopard 2A8 models at a purchase price of 525.6 million euros.
According to the budget committee of the Bundestag (Geman Parliament), the decision to procure these tanks is a strategic one. Given that the Leopard 2 is regarded as the “main weapon of the German armored forces,” filling the gaps left by the donations to Ukraine is a priority for national defense capabilities.