German Army To Buy Back 100 Leopard 2 Tanks For $23 Million

German military will buy back Leopard 2 main battle tanks from the defense industry for $23.2 million (22 million euros), German Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff was quoted as saying by the Associated Press Friday.

The move will bring to 328 the number of "Leopard 2" tanks the German army has at its disposal, up from 225 at present, a ministry spokesman told AFP, confirming a report in the weekly magazine Der Spiegel.

The tanks will have to be updated to integrate the latest technology, with the modernisation process due to start in 2017.

The decision follows the creation of a new "spearhead" force of about 5,000 troops able to deploy anywhere within a couple of days.

The unit agreed in September 2014 by NATO leaders stung into action by the Ukraine crisis is due to be operational by 2016, with command centers being set up in NATO's east European members.