Rheinmetall To Supply Tanks To Czech Republic In Ukraine Swap Deal
German defence giant Rheinmetall will supply more battle tanks and armoured recovery vehicles to the Czech Republic as part of a German government drive to support Ukraine.
The firm, which has its headquarters in Düsseldorf, is the fifth-largest arms manufacturer in Europe and produces a variety of tracked and wheeled armored fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.
As per a news release on the firm's website this week, Czech armed forces will be receiving 14 Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) and one Buffalo Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) from Rheinmetall. It put the monetary value of the deal at "in the low three-digit-million-Euro range."
The deal is part of the Ringtausch swap process commissioned by the German government to support Ukraine. In turn, the Czech military will be transferring some of its military equipment to Ukraine.
The agreement was signed at the end of July 2024 in Prague; the first vehicle is due to be shipped to the Czech Republic at the end of 2024. The rest of the tanks will follow by April 2025 and the ARV 3 Buffalo will arrive by the start of 2026.
The Rheinmetall vehicles being supplied are upgraded Leopard 2A4 MBTs formerly in the inventories of various user states; the ARV 3 Buffalo armoured recovery vehicle is mounted on an enhanced Leopard 2 chassis.
A similar Ringtausch deal was struck between the firm and the Czech military back in 2022.
Read more on this story on the Rheinmetall website