This is my "
Ba-Humbug" concerning the Czech Republic. I would respectfully disagree about the status of the
LEOPARD 2A4.
Those tanks were given to them as they donated
40 T-72M1 tanks to the Ukraine. The U.S. and Netherlands effectively bought (
90 UNITS) the rest of
both the leftover active and stored T-72M1 for as yet an unknown modernization program.
For all intents and purposes, the
T-72M1 is no longer a
viable unit of the Czech Republic.
The
LEOPARD 2A4 is to fill the
armor gap, because the Czech Republic hasn't completed the modernization of all the T-72 tanks to be upgraded to the
T-72M4CZ/30 UNITS currently and some say this is all they'll have period.
Those
LEOPARD 2A4 tanks will eventually be
modernized by the Czech Republic (Part of the current negotiations.) to the
LEOPARD 2A7/or 2A7+ (Urban Pkg. think
TUSK here.).
The
LEOPARD 2A7/7+ tanks
WILL NOT get there anytime soon.
Part of the reason is...
1. Germany and the Czech Republic are still negotiating the deal for
50 of those tanks as of this writing.
2. Germany just in the last couple of weeks passed one of its biggest defense budgets in years. To add more weapons systems tanks etc. (Only has
~250-280 operational tanks of all types to include their
LEOPARD 2A5 tanks (20-25).
That pushes out those Czech Republic tanks at least
1.5 - 2 years minimum.
I would recommend
either of the following German
LEOPARD 2A4 units to be the
STANDARD for countries getting that tank,
UNIT 268 or
UNIT 269, with
START JAN 2023.
https://www.czdefence.com/article/th...-2-tanks-users
https://www.overtdefense.com/2022/12...leopard-tanks/
http://tank-masters.de/?page_id=264
http://tank-masters.de/?page_id=280
Which one? We won't know until the contracts are signed as there are some slight differences between the above two.
I'm off to bed long day yesterday playing in the strong winds and "
balmy" very cold temps (Though I enjoyed watching some of my coworkers wishing they were elsewhere.
) and Santa has
been flying around waiting for me to get this done-or else it'll be a "
BAG OF COAL" for sure.
So have a good whatever, wherever and
Merry Christmas however you celebrate it!
Regards,
Pat
