Rheinmetall Supplies Czech Republic with Leopard 2 and Büffel

Under the German government’s ‘Ringtausch’ equipment exchange programme, Rheinmetall will soon be supplying the Czech Republic with main battle tanks and other military hardware.  This has now been contractually agreed in Prague between representatives of both countries and Rheinmetall.

The Czech armed forces will be receiving Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles. In turn, the Czech military will be transferring military equipment to Ukraine. The order includes ammunition as well as a service package encompassing training and spare parts. The first vehicle is due to be shipped in December 2022, with delivery to be complete by the end of 2023.

The ‘Ringtausch’ is a procedure developed by the German government in cooperation with Germany’s neighbours and NATO allies to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Specifically, NATO member states are providing Ukraine with Soviet-era heavy equipment in exchange for readily-available Western military systems.

Working in close cooperation with German and Czech authorities, Rheinmetall swiftly negotiated the necessary contracts. These were signed on 11th October 2022 at the MoD in Prague. Work on the vehicles has already begun. The property of Rheinmetall, the vehicles now being made available are upgraded Leopard 2A4 MBTs formerly in the inventories of various user states. The state-of-the-art ARV 3 Buffalo armoured recovery vehicle is mounted on an enhanced Leopard 2 chassis.