What You Need to Know: The Czech Republic plans to purchase an additional 14 German-made Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks (MBTs) in a deal worth 3.98 billion Czech crowns ($167 million).

-This move aims to modernize the Czech military and phase out old Russian equipment.

-Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced that by the end of 2026, the Czech Army's 73rd Tank Battalion will have 42 Leopard 2 tanks in service.

-The total number could reach 122 MBTs by 2030, including around 60 advanced Leopard 2A8 models.

-This acquisition will help the Czech Republic fulfill its NATO commitment to form a heavy brigade.

Czech Republic To Purchase Additional Leopard 2A4 MBTs

More than a dozen Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks (MBTs) could be rolling into the Czech Republic beginning next year – as Prague announced it seeks to modernization its military. The Czech Ministry of Defense will seek to buy 14 of the German-made tanks in a deal valued at 3.98 billion Czech crowns ($167 million).

Berlin had previously donated 28 Leopard 2A4 MBTs to the Czechs after Prague provided various weapons to Kyiv, including its Soviet-era T-72 MBTs to aid Ukraine's war effort.

"We continue in the modernization of the tank forces, but also of the entire army," Defense Minister Jana ernochová told reporters on Wednesday. "It's another step to get rid of the old Russian weapons and improve our capabilities."

The Czech Army is on track to acquire at least 77 of the modern German-made tanks, and by the end of 2026, the 73rd Tank Battalion will have 42 Leopard 2s in service. By 2030 that number could reach 122 MBTs – with around 60 being the far modern advanced Leopard 2A8 models.

The tanks will allow Prague to fulfill its NATO commitment to form a heavy brigade.

NATO's Favorite Tank

Developed in the 1970s to replace the older Leopard 1, the Leopard 2 was adopted by the West German Bundeswehr in 1979 and has been exported to nations around the world. The third-generation 55-ton Leopard 2 is armed with a 120mm smoothbore main gun and equipped with a digital fire control system.

The German-made Leopard 2 is now considered among the best MBTs in service today, and in various configurations has been adopted by nearly two dozen NATO members and partner nations around the world.

Though designed for a war in Western Europe against Soviet forces, the Leopard 2 was first employed in peacekeeping operations in the late 1990s in Macedonia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The German-made MBTs regularly participated in various operations and activities, and there are several accounts of the Leopard 2 coming under enemy fire. Yet, as the enemy soldiers didn't have serious anti-tank weapons, not a single one of the German tanks was lost.

The Leopard 2 wasn't really "proven" in combat until the War in Afghanistan and the Syrian Civil War – decades after it first entered service. The MBT has been steadily upgraded and is in active service with numerous NATO members, including those nations that directly border Russia.

According to German military sources, nearly all of the previous models were upgraded to the 2A4 standard, which is equipped with an automated fire and explosion suppression system, an all-digital fire control system able to handle a variety of new ammunition types. It is also outfitted with a new improved turret with flat titanium/tungsten armor.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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