Two more German Leopard 2A4 tanks arrived in the Czech Republic. This is a compensation for the assistance that the Czech Republic provides to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic announced this.

These tanks are part of a donation of 14 tanks and one Büffel armored recovery vehicle, which Germany committed to transfer to the Czech military.

The first tank already passed military tests in the Czech Republic a month ago. The test consisted of 16 trials.

It is reported that the military checked the accuracy of firing with the cannon, the maneuverability of the tank, and the possibility of using rescue devices introduced in the Czech military.

Thus, the Czech army currently has three Leopard 2A4 tanks. The remaining 11 should be delivered to the Czech Republic by the end of this year. The Büffel armored recovery vehicle will be prepared for handover in mid-2024.

Along with 14 tanks and one recovery vehicle, Germany is providing an initial package of spare parts, ammunition, and three years of service support from the supplier, which also includes training for the Czech military.

The Czech Republic received tanks from Germany as partial compensation for defense assistance to Ukraine.

The supply is conducted through the circular exchange program implemented by the German government, under which NATO member states provide Ukraine with Soviet-made heavy equipment in exchange for Western models.

In May 2022, the Head of the Czech Defense Department reached an agreement with the German Defense Minister on the free supply of 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks to replace the Soviet-made T-72 tanks previously supplied to Ukraine by the Czech government.

The cost of armored vehicles is about CZK 4 billion. These tanks were in service with Switzerland and Germany and were purchased by Rheinmetall.

In October 2022, the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic officials signed a number of supply contracts with German partners.