PRAGUE (Reuters) -The Czech government on Wednesday gave its approval for army plans to buy Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany as part of its modernisation efforts, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said.
The NATO member Czech Republic will agree a framework agreement with the German defence ministry for the purchases, Cernochova said. A binding order could be sent in the coming weeks, she said.
In the first phase, the country will buy 44 tanks for 34.2 billion crowns ($1.63 billion), to be delivered in 2028-2031, with an option to buy 14 more.
It is also in talks to buy up to 19 specialised version 2A8s under a separate deal to have up to 77 of the 2A8 tanks overall.
“Tanks are an essential part of a heavy brigade,” Cernochova said after a government meeting, adding that the country was meeting NATO commitments with the purchases.
The Czech Republic has been modernising its armed forces with new western equipment, including purchases of helicopters and radars, and ordering tracked fighting vehicles and F-35 jets, as it increases spending on defence in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
The country last year approved buying older Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany’s Rheinmetall, and received others from Germany under a back-fill programme compensating it for equipment the Czechs had sent to Ukraine.
Cernochova said on Wednesday the defence ministry will also go ahead with plans to continue buying small arms from Czech gunmaker Ceska Zbrojovka, of the Colt CZ Group, as part of a framework deal until 2031 worth up to 4.26 billion crowns.
The army will also purchase 18 Supacat Extenda light armoured vehicles, supplied by LPP, for 32.6 million pounds ($44.04 million).
($1 = 20.9570 Czech crowns, 0.7402 pounds)
(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
