Germany Bolsters Military Expansion With €2.9 Billion Tank Order
- Government exercising option to buy additional 105 Leopard A8s
- Tanks will be used to strengthen planned brigade in Lithuania
A German Army Leopard 2 battle tank during a NATO military exercise in Pabrade, Lithuania on May 29.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Germany plans to buy 105 additional Leopard 2 A8 battle tanks as part of the ruling coalition’s multi-billion euro program to modernize the armed forces triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has asked lawmakers to approve the purchase from Franco-German manufacturer KNDS in a deal worth €2.9 billion ($3.1 billion), according to people familiar with the planning and a government letter to parliament seen by Bloomberg.