Croatia moves to buy 50 German Leopard tanks under Ukraine discount

Oct 29, 2024

WARSAW, Poland — The government of Croatia has signed a letter of intent with Germany under which Zagreb aims to acquire up to 50 new Leopard 2A8s tanks for the country’s armed forces.

The tanks are to be purchased under a reduced price to compensate the Croatian Army for its planned transfer of used M-84 tanks and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

The agreement was signed during an official visit by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić to Germany during which the official met with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, on Oct. 28.

“This is one of the largest and most significant modernization projects of the Croatian military, along with all the modernization projects of the Croatian Air Force and the Croatian Navy. We have reached the point of strengthening our armored forces, our tank battalions,” Anušić was quoted in a statement released by his ministry.

The talks in Berlin were accompanied by various initiatives to tighten the cooperation of Germany’s and Croatia’s defense sectors. On Oct. 29, Rheinmetall announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture with Croatian company DOK-ING, a manufacturer of unmanned ground systems (UGS).

“The agreement provides for joint development and subsequent marketing of the new DOK-ING Komodo platform. Rheinmetall AG is contributing various capability modules/upgrade kits … as well as its international market access and industrial capacities,” the German vendor said in a statement.

Croatia is joining a growing number of NATO’s Eastern European member states that plan to buy German-made tanks. The Croatian ministry’s decision to purchase tanks made by KNDS follows Lithuania’s announcement last week that it also intends to acquire Leopard 2A8s for its military.

On Oct. 22, the Lithuanian State Defence Council approved the Defence Ministry’s plans to purchase the weapons. The Baltic state aims to establish a new division within the country’s military in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The unit will comprise infantry fighting vehicles and a tank battalion, among other elements.

Lithuanian officials have suggested they are eying a purchase of up to 54 Leopard 2A8s.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.