Czech Republic wants Leopard 2A8

[Dawes]

Doe this have a good chance of going all the way through to delivery?

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/05/24/panzer-bonanza-czech-republic-joins-berlins-leopard-upgrade-push/

[Ssnake]

I can't think of a reason why Berlin might block such a sale. And generally, it's probably more ready for delivery in a few years than a number of potential alternatives.

[urbanoid]

Deliveries supposedly in 2027-2030.

[Helmutkohl]

is the Leopard 2 series the only European tank with an active production line or are these upgrades/re-models?

IRC, the LeClerc ended production some years ago, as did the Challenger 2.

Challenger 3 seems to be new build turrets but not chassis?

Not sure on the T series in Ukraine and Russia.

[Ssnake]

Technically, parts of Turkey are still on the European continent, so Altay...

Ariete seems to have been stopped as well, like Leclerc (you already mentioned it); PT-91 (Poland), and M-84 (Serbia) are also no longer in production as far as I remember. This would leave Russia and Ukraine as possible manufacturers; the Ukrianian factories were at least sufficiently damaged that no current production seems to be going on, which leaves Russia and its various models as the only other MBT production line. Switzerland and Sweden stopped their domestic tank programs during my childhood. 

[alejandro_]

Czech Republic to acquire more Leopard 2A4:

 

The army is acquiring another 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks. The 73rd Tank Battalion will thus have a total of 42 of them

The government will today discuss a public contract for the purchase of 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, including the installation of communication and information systems, workshop facilities, related material and an initial stock of ammunition. The supplier will be Rheinmetall Landsysteme, which will deliver tanks to the Army of the Czech Republic at a total price of CZK 3,979,791,670 excluding VAT during 2026. Together with the previous deliveries of Leopard 2A4 tanks, the 73rd tank battalion will have a total of 42 of these armored vehicles.

Photo: As part of our visit, we had the opportunity to see a dynamic demonstration of the Leopard 2A4 | tank Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENSEPhoto: With previous deliveries of Leopard 2A4 tanks, the 73rd Tank Battalion will have a total of 42 of these armored vehicles | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENSE
The Czech Republic received the first 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and one Büffel 3 recovery tank on the Leopard 2 chassis from Germany as a gift for our assistance to Ukraine in 2022 and 2023. The Ministry of Defense then announced at the end of this July that the Czech Republic will receive from the Federal Republic of Germany another 14 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one Büffel 3 recovery tank as a second compensation for the supply of military equipment to Ukraine, which is facing Russian aggression. The first tanks from this delivery should be delivered at the end of this year, while the remaining machines will arrive by April 2025. Now the Ministry of Defense plans to purchase another 14 "four" Leopards, so that the 73rd tank battalion will have a total of 42 pieces of these battle tanks. The third batch of armored vehicles is expected to be delivered in the course of 2026.

The expected value of the public contract was determined by the Ministry of Defense on the basis of financial costs, which are based on the data contained in the donation contract for the supply of Leopard 2A4 tanks between the Czech Ministry of Defense and Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH dated October 11, 2022.

In connection with the arrival of Leopard 2 tanks in our army, we were interested in what organizational changes had to be made at the 73rd tank battalion. The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Tomáš Suchý, told us that from July 1, 2024, the organizational structure changed (especially in the three tank companies) so that there are 14 tanks in the company in the so-called four-man formation with four tank crew members (the Leopard 2 tank has a four-man crew - tank commander, gunner, charger and driver - unlike the three-man crew of the T-72M4 CZ tank, where a charger is not required).

According to Lt. Col. Suchý, the Leopard 2A4 tanks are the ideal intermediate step before the planned acquisition of the Leopard 2A8, when there is a change in thinking as part of the transition from the Eastern to the Western tank school, in addition, the basic control elements (drivers, gunners, chargers) of the tank of both versions are the same, and differ only in optoelectronic systems and other assets. In response to our question about which version Leopard 2A4 tanks can be upgraded to, the commander of the 73rd tpr told us that the sensible solution is to upgrade to the 2A5 version, since the newer versions (2A6, 2A7, 2A8) are old chassis with a new turret . In order to acquire the basic skills of the crew as part of the training, however, the Leopard 2A4 tanks, or 2A5 great.

As part of the introduction of Leopard 2A4 tanks, according to Lt. Col. Suchý, the rest of the organizational structure of the 73rd tpr will also change, especially as regards the combat security and combat support units (logistics company and command company).

https://www.czdefence.cz/clanek/armada-porizuje-dalsich-14-tanku-leopard-2a4-73-tankovy-prapor-jich-tak-bude-mit-celkem-42