Rheinmetall becomes subcontractor for the production of Leopard 2A7 tanks for Norway

The Rheinmetall defense concern has become a subcontractor for the production of components for the new Leopard 2A7 tanks, which were ordered for the Norwegian army.

The German manufacturer made a corresponding announcement on its website on Friday.

On 17 February 2023 the Norwegian procurement agency NDMA contracted with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to supply the Norwegian armed forces with 54 of the latest version of Leopard 2 main battle tank, the A7 NOR.

The order also provides for the possibility of purchasing an additional 18 tanks.

Rheinmetall has now made a statement that it would produce equipment and components for the new Leopard 2A7 tanks under the said order.

“In its capacity as subcontractor to KMW, the Düsseldorf-based tech enterprise Rheinmetall has been tasked with supplying key components. Among other things, these include the tank’s 120mm L55A1 main armament, fire control technology and parts of the sensor suite,” the press service of the German concern reported.

For Rheinmetall, the total value of the order reaches €129 million.

The tank guns, fire control technology and sensors for the Leopard 2 will be delivered to KMW during a period of approximately four years.

After completion and commissioning of the tanks at KMW, the vehicles will be transferred to the Norwegian procurement agency NDMA.

Previously, Norway announced a tender for the purchase of new tanks between two suppliers of armored vehicles: the K2 Black Panther from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem and the Leopard 2A7 from Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).

It should be noted that the Norwegian military has been operating German-made Leopard 2 tanks for a long time and is well acquainted with this combat equipment.

The purchase of Leopard 2A7 tanks from KMW was announced at the beginning of February by the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Finance and Defense of Norway. It was then confirmed that the contract would involve the production of new tanks.