The Czech Army has doubled down on its acquisition of German heavy armour with the delivery of 44 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from KNDS Deutschland, whilst retaining an option for an additional 14 units if required.
Detailed in an 11 September release, KNDS stated the Czech Ministry of Defense, Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) and KNDS Deutschland had signed a €1.34bn ($1.57bn) deal, which was agreed in parallel to a “country-specific adaptations” contract.
The Czech Republic also plans to purchase a further 19 Leopard platforms, modified as recovery, bridging, engineers, and training variants, to be agreed in the future.
As a per unit cost, the Czech Army will acquire each Leopard 2A8 MBT at an average price of around €34.4m ($40.3m), an approximate 20% increase in price compared to a 2024 German deal for 105 of the same model, which cost €27.6m per unit.
The Czech Leopard 2A8 acquisition follows a deal in 2024 to order another tranche of older Leopard 2A4 MBTs from Germany, which will number 42 by the end of 2026. Of note, the cost of the older Leopard 2A4 MBTs, at just over $11m per tank, is considerably lower than the latest A8 variants.
In German configuration, the 2A8 variant is similar to the Leopard 2A7V, but with improvements to increase the combat value, such a next generation of multi-layered armour composed of steel, tungsten, composite filler, and ceramic components, and a passive armour kit, as well as reinforcements to the underbelly to protect against mine detonation.
The new variant of the Leopard 2 can also be equipped with the Trophy Active Protection System (APS), procured by Germany from Rafael in February 2021.
Czech defence spending
The Czech Republic’s acquisition of Leopard 2A8 MBTs, following on from the deal for a near identical number of A4 variants, aligns with an uptick in defence spending following on from Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the 2019–22 period, the Czech defence budget increased by $0.9bn but subsequently jumped by almost that much in just one year in 2023, to a record $4.7bn.
The modernisation of the country’s land forces is notable, with the Leopard 2A4 and A8 fleets replacing old Soviet origin T-72M4 and T-55 MBTs.
Other recent procurements include extending the lease of Gripen fighters while preparing the way to introduce F-35 stealth aircraft from 2035, as well as land platforms such as the CV90 IFVs and special forces mobility vehicles.
