The Norwegian government publicly declared that they are in the process of buying 54 battle tanks of the type Leopard 2A7 from Germany in the coming years, with an agreement to be able to buy an additional 18 more at a later date.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre tells NRK that Norwegian is currently facing one of the most tense geopolitical situations since WWII, and that this purchase of battle tanks are an important part in increasing Norway’s ability to protect itself.
The purchase is believed to be among the biggest investments into military equipment Norway has ever done. The total cost of the battle tanks are not known, but the budget was set at a whopping 19,000,000,000 Norwegian kroner (which is roughly $1.9 billion USD).
The first tanks arrive in 2026
The first tanks are set to arrive and be ready for operations as early as 2026, but the full order is believed to take several more years to complete.
The German weapon producer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) is manufacturing and delivering the tanks, which will be used as part of the Norwegian army called Brigade Nord.
The 54 new tanks will vastly improve the quality of the Norwegian army’s tanks, seeing as the current tanks were produced back during the cold war in the 1970s.
Norway is sending older tanks to Ukraine
Norway currently have around 36 battle tanks, mostly of the Leopard 2A4 type. These are beginning to be difficult to maintain, and while they are good for now, they not are made for the future.
The Norwegian government had promised to send some of these older tanks to Ukraine to give to the Ukrainian army, so it’s not like the older tanks are going to be rusted away and wasted.
We currently have no idea how many tanks the Norwegian government will send to Ukraine, and it might even be kept a secret to prevent the opposing forces to be able to keep tabs.