Norway Procures New Leopard Tanks From Germany Bringing Hot Arms Debate to a Close
In recent years, Norway has maintained a close military collaboration with Germany, including submarine cooperation. The bilateral engagements between Oslo and Berlin received a shot in the arm after the conflict in Ukraine began, as Norway replaced Russia as the EU's biggest supplier of gas. | Norway has decided to acquire 54 German Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks, bringing a bitter debate between the military and politicians over funding priorities to a close. ● The planned 19.7Bln NOK ($1.91Bln) package also includes an option to buy a further 18 vehicles. The new tanks will replace Leopard 2A4 vehicles and are due to be phased in between 2026 and 2031. Although the contract with manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMV) has yet to be signed, Norway's Defense Materiel Agency said it is expected to be in the near future. ● Justifying the procurement, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store enigmatically claimed that Oslo finds itself in "one of the most demanding security policy situations since the Second World War." He also stressed that the Leopard 2A7 acquisition will both lead to closer security ties with Germany and ensure that Oslo shares a common main battle tank with its Nordic neighbors and close allies. The choice of the Leopard follows Norway’s close military collaboration with Germany on a number of major defense and security related projects, including submarine cooperation.