The Swedish Army is set to become one of the strongest armored forces in northern Europe after an order for scores of main battle tanks. Last week, Stockholm publicized an order for 44 new Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks and the upgrade of its existing armor fleet.

With Russia at its doorstep, and as the newest member of NATO, Sweden is kitting up for a potential conflict.

The Newest Leopard 2 for Sweden

The Swedish Army has decided to purchase 44 new Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks. In addition, Stockholm will upgrade its existing Leopard 2 fleet of 66 tanks to the latest “2A8” version. All told, the Swedish Army will soon have 110 Leopard 2A8 tanks. Moreover, it will upgrade its existing fleet of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. The complete contract with KNDS is worth almost $2 billion.

“We are getting 154 modern tanks and refurbished combat vehicles with these orders, which strengthens our defense capability.” Defense Minister Pål Jonson said following the announcement.

The Swedish Army will designate its new and upgraded Leopard 2s as “Stridsvagn 123.” The order, one of the largest post-Cold War orders in Scandinavia, is set to increase the capabilities of the Swedish military and ensure that it has the numbers to deal with a potential threat from Russia. Moreover, Stockholm is looking to replace the Leopard 2 main battle tanks and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles that it has transferred to the Ukrainian military.

The Leopard 2 sports a 120mm main gun and is one of the most advanced main battle tanks in the world with comparable performance to the American-made M1 Abrams and French-made Leclerc main battle tanks.

Although many believed that the age of tank was over, the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has showcased that tanks and other armored vehicles are very much still at the center of ground operations. To be sure, artillery and other long-range fires have caused most of the casualties in the fighting. But it is main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers that carry troops into combat and achieve operational breakthroughs.

Stockholm’s decision to bolster its armor ground capabilities significantly strengthens NATO’s overall deterrence against Russia.

A Strategic Mistake

The large-scale invasion of Ukraine has proven to be a strategic mistake for Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin advisers sought to prevent Ukraine from moving toward the West by joining the European Union, or even NATO. However, the Kremlin’s illegal invasion of its neighbor pushed Sweden and Finland, two bastions of neutrality during the Cold War, to throw away their cloak of neutrality and apply to join NATO.

Despite the stalling of Turkey—all of NATO’s member states need to approve the admission of a new member—first Sweden and then Finland joined the transatlantic alliance. In the stroke of one pen, Russia increased its border with NATO, adding hundreds of additional miles. In addition, NATO is now stronger with addition of two reliable and well-equipped military forces with a lot of experience in winter operations.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.