• Norway has received its first two Leopard 2A8 tanks; 54 will be bought in total
• 17 built by KNDS, with 37 built in Norway from autumn 2026 at Levanger
• Norway’s ‘NO’-variant adds upgraded electronics in collaboration with Kongsberg

The arrival of Norway’s first two Leopard 2A8 NO-variant main battle tanks (MBT) at the end of April marked a significant milestone for the country as it continues to modernise its armoured fleet.

A total of 54 Leopard 2A8 MBTs will be acquired by Norway, with 17 being manufactured by KNDS and the remaining 37 units to be built in-country at a newly opened production facility at Levanger.

Norway’s production of the Leopard 2A8 NO-variant MBTs is scheduled to begin in autumn 2026.

According to an early-May release from KNDS, the new Norwegian tank manufacturing facility will be able to integrate production and testing and will include specialised test sites such as a laser track, steep slopes, and a diving pool, with a capacity for up to 36 tanks per year.

The programme is being carried out by KNDS and RITEK, a Norwegian specialist in service and maintenance of vehicle systems. Uniquely, the energy requirements for the Norwegian tank site will be met by geothermal means.

Florian Hohenwarter, CEO of KNDS Deutschland, said the Levanger MBT production facility was “of great importance to us with regard to scaling our production capacities”.

The introduction of the Leopard 2A8 MBT into Norway’s forces follows a pattern of Leopard series tank usage, with the Norwegian Army already operating the Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A5 MBTs. In 2023, Norway donated eight of its Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine.

What is the Leopard 2A8 NO tank?

The Leopard 2A8 builds on the Leopard 2A7 MBT with the integration of Rafael’s Trophy active protection system (APS) as standard, considered to be a critical in modern combat operations as threats proliferate.

Both variants use Rheinmetall’s 120mm L55A1 smoothbore gun, the same weapon system being integrated onto the UK’s Challenger 3 programme.

An earlier 2025 KNDS release outlined how Norway’s 2A8 NO tank fleet might differ from other operators’, with the disclosure that the German company was “working closely” with Kongsberg on the “comprehensive modernisation of the [tank’s] electronic system”.

As such, the new electronics configuration would “redesign data transfer” within Norway’s Leopard 2A8 NO-variant MBTs, as well as communication with other combat systems. This is reference to the Cortex Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) to provide advanced battlefield networking.

The latest 2A8 variant counts Germany (up to 200 units), Norway (54), Sweden (44), the Czech Republic (44), and the Netherlands (46+6) as current customers.

In Europe, 18 nations already utilise the Leopard 2 MBT family, with a further five non-European users.