Defense Minister Boris Pistorius plans to purchase 105 Leopard 2A8 battle tanks for almost three billion euros. The arms company KNDS is to deliver the vehicle to the German army by 2030, according to a budget proposal that the Reuters news agency was able to see on Thursday. The “Spiegel” was the first to report on the matter.
Some of the tanks are intended for the brigade in Lithuania, which the Bundeswehr plans to build up by 2028. It is intended to protect NATO’s eastern flank from a Russian attack. The rest are to be stationed in Germany. The Bundeswehr currently has around 300 battle tanks. However, the submission to the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag points out that the majority of the order has not yet been financed.
The 100 billion euro “special fund” for the troops in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has already been earmarked. So far, only 18 Leopard 2s have been ordered to offset the corresponding payments to Ukraine.
“As welcome as the decision is in this matter, the questions regarding the financing of the Bundeswehr are becoming greater,” said CDU budget politician Ingo Gädechens, who is also a member of the Bundestag committee.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already announced the purchase of additional Eurofighters for around three billion, and two more frigates have just been ordered for over three billion euros. “All three projects have one thing in common: the government is refusing to answer how these purchases will be paid for,” said Gädechens, stressing: “The Bundeswehr is racing straight towards the financial abyss.”