Czech Republic to Buy 44 Leopard 2A8 Tanks in €1.6 Billion Deal
The Czech Republic has formally approved a plan to purchase 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks as part of a sweeping military modernisation effort. Defence Minister Jana Černochová announced after a cabinet meeting on September 3, that Prague will join a framework agreement with Germany’s defence ministry and place a binding order in the coming weeks. She said the first batch of 44 tanks to be delivered in 2028–2031 will cost roughly €1.6 billion.
Officials have discussed joining the EU’s new SAFE loan programme, which could finance part of the deal with VAT exemptions. Since the Czech acquisition is part of a joint procurement led by Germany, it secures the same unit price as the Bundeswehr and Dutch orders, helping to lower costs. Prague has pledged to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. Under the framework agreement with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann/NEXTER in Germany, the Leopard 2A8s will be built in German facilities and shipped to the Czech Army beginning in 2028. An option exists to buy 14 more first-line tanks, for up to 58 in the initial batch. Prague is also negotiating a separate contract for up to 19 specialized support variants such as armored recovery, bridging, engineering and driver-training vehicles – bringing the total potential fleet to more than 70 units. The Czech deal also guarantees strong industrial cooperation, with at least 11 Czech companies set to make parts or perform upgrades.
The Leopard 2A8 itself is the most modern variant of the Leopard 2 series. It mounts a Rheinmetall 120mm L55A1 smoothbore gun with programmable ammunition and uses a fully digital fire-control and sensor suite for day/night targeting. Armour protection is greatly enhanced, featuring a new multilayer composite and reactive armour package along with active-protection modules and improved mine/blast resistance. With a 1,500-horsepower MTU diesel engine, the Leopard 2A8 can reach roughly 70 km/h on road and has an operational range of about 450km. The tank also features secure communications, integrated jammers and tactical datalinks so that it functions as a networked command platform in combined arms operations.
The purchase is a leap forward for the Czech Army and NATO. It replaces aging Soviet-era T-72s, many of which have been sent to Ukraine, with cutting-edge Western heavy armour. The deal represents a full-scale transformation of Czech armoured capability and the foundation of a modern heavy brigade. The €1.6 billion German tank deal is a cornerstone of Czech military modernization and strengthens Prague’s interoperability with NATO partners.