Status: 11.10.2022 2:20 p.m
The German group Rheinmetall has agreed to supply Leopard and Buffalo tanks with the Czech Republic. The first vehicle is scheduled to be delivered this year. The NATO partner, in turn, hands over military equipment to Kyiv.
The armaments group Rheinmetall is supplying combat and recovery tanks to the Czech Republic as part of a ring exchange to support the Ukraine. As the group announced, the NATO partner will receive Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and the Buffalo armored recovery vehicle. Rheinmetall did not name numbers. According to earlier government information, however, there are 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks and one Buffalo tank. For its part, the Czech Republic is providing military equipment to support Ukraine. According to Rheinmetall, a corresponding agreement has been concluded with the German and Czech governments.
Delivery is scheduled to begin in December
The contract value for the Leopard 2A4 and the Buffalo therefore includes “an ammunition package and an integrated service package for training services and the supply of spare parts”. The first vehicle is scheduled to be delivered in December this year, with the entire delivery to be completed by the end of 2023.
According to Rheinmetall, the Leopard 2A4s are “outdated” main battle tanks owned by the group and held in stock by various user states. The Büffel, for its part, will be built on an outdated Leopard 2 chassis and will correspond to “the latest state of the art”.
Germany does not directly supply Ukraine with tanks
The federal government has delivered heavy artillery and anti-aircraft defense directly to Ukraine, but has so far failed to meet Kiev’s demand for the delivery of modern Leopard and Marder tanks. Berlin points out that the NATO allies are not doing this either. Instead, the federal government is relying on ring exchange procedures with a number of eastern NATO allies such as the Czech Republic, Greece and Slovenia. These tanks of Soviet design will be handed over to the Ukraine, while Germany will provide modern replacements to the partner countries.