Austrian Army Modernizes its Tank Fleet in Germany

PeoplePoliticians ♦ Published: September 11, 2023; 23:35 ♦ (Vindobona)

In the presence of the Minister of Defense, Klaudia Tanner the first "Leopard" main battle tank from Wels was handed over to the European armaments company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter Defence Systems (KNDS). The aim of this initiative is to modernize the tank so that it meets current technological and military requirements.

The Austrian Leopard 2A4s were bought from the Dutch Army in 1996 and were produced in 1984. / Picture: © Austrian Armed Forces Photograph / Ali Schafler

The Austrian government planned a comprehensive modernization of the Leopard 2 main battle tanks starting in 2021. This modernization was publicly announced in February 2023. All existing Leopard 2A4s are to be upgraded to the A7 version. In the course of the "Mission Forward," 58 examples of the "Leopard" 2A4 main battle tank are to be modernized. A budget of around 240 million euros…