Italy to Buy Leopards 2A8s, Upgrade Ariete Tanks
Italy will buy over a hundred German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, and has drawn up a plan to upgrade its old 125-strong Ariete fleet.
Italian junior defense minister Isabella Rauti announced this in the parliament while seeking their approval in hope to refresh the country’s tank fleet. She said only 50 of 200 home-built Ariete tanks are currently operational, while Italy needs more than 250 battle tanks to meet NATO requirements.
Rauti said €4 billion ($4.49 billion) would be budgeted for the new buys from 2024, with a total outlay of €8 billion envisaged. Ariete upgrade project could cost 900 million.
She did not quantify the number of Leopards to be purchased, but media reports say it could be around 130.
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