Germany orders 18 new Leopard 2 tanks to replace the vehicles sent to Ukraine

BERLIN — The German army has ordered 18 new Leopard 2 tanks to replace the vehicles sent to Ukraine earlier this year, a leading defense company said on Friday.

Kraus-Maffei Wegmann said that a contract for Leopard 2A8 tanks has been signed with the Federal Office of Military Equipment. He did not provide financial details, but the budget committee of the German parliament approved about 525 million euros ($563 million) in aid on Wednesday.

According to the company, the delivery of the new tanks is planned for 2025, and the agreement includes an option for an additional 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks.

Kraus-Maffei Wegmann will also produce 12 new self-propelled howitzers for the German army as part of the option accepted in March, the company said.

Germany’s defense minister called for new tanks to be procured as soon as possible after the government agreed in late January to deliver 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine.

That number rose to 18 a few weeks later, when Berlin and others assembled two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks for Kiev.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have also agreed to supply Ukraine with refurbished Leopard 1 tanks, an older model that has not been used by the German military for two decades.