KMW Awarded €760M Contract To Upgrade 104 German Leopard 2 Battle Tanks

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has received a contract from the German defense ministry to upgrade 104 Leopard 2 battle tanks for the German Armed Forces from the A4 configuration to the newest A7V standard.

Under €760 million (U.S. $832.7 million) contract, KMW will also deliver 32 tank chassis frames that can later be turned into additional vehicles of the Leopard 2 series, such as variants capable of launching bridges across rivers and other chokepoints, Deutsche Presse-Agentur press agency reported.

The German Army is slated to receive the upgraded tanks beginning in 2019, with deliveries finished by 2023. The new tank deal will bring the number of German tanks to 328, in line with a goal set by Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

After signing the contract last Friday with the representatives of KMW, Armin Schmidt-Franke, Vice-President of Bundesamt für Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) said: "The security policy developments of the past years have impressed us on the importance of armored technology for our ability to defend ourselves." With this procurement project "the defense technology foundation for The necessary reinforcement of the armored group".