From tanks to space, Norway and Germany forge ahead with ‘Hansa’ defense pact

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Soldiers and guests look at a Leopard 2 A8 tank for the Norwegian armed forces at a KNDS plant near Munich on Nov. 19, 2025. (Michaela Stache/AFP via Getty Images)

VIENNA — German tank maker KNDS and Norway’s Ritek have begun producing Leopard 2A8 tanks in Norway, adding a land-based industrial foothold to a security partnership spanning submarines, missiles and military operations in Europe’s north.

Production started Oct. 15 in Levanger, where the companies will build 37 of the Norwegian Army’s 54 new tanks, KNDS said in an email. The facility took 18 months to establish and has a stated capacity of up to 36 tanks annually.

The production launch follows the partners’ inauguration of the manufacturing and testing infrastructure in late April. October’s milestone caps an existing procurement arrangement rather than marking a new tank purchase.

The industrial tie-up forms part of a broader mutual embrace that the two governments formalized in February through the sweeping Hansa Arrangement. Its priorities include maritime operations, combined-arms land warfare, rapid reinforcement, defense industry, and space-based surveillance, targeting and communications, according to a readout by Norway’s Defense Ministry.

An ongoing submarine partnership offers the clearest example of how equipment purchases can bind the countries’ armed forces and security strategies together. Both plan to operate six identical Type 212CD submarines, supported by cooperation on personnel training and new maintenance facilities at Haakonsvern, near Bergen, the Norwegian ministry said. Berlin and Oslo are also collaborating on the next-generation 3SM maritime strike missile.

Although industry cooperation forms the bedrock, the relationship is moving beyond mere procurement questions. Germany contributed approximately 1,800 troops to Norway’s Cold Response exercise in March, according to the German government. Norway said in February that discussions were underway about German equipment pre-positioning on its territory.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 accelerated a longstanding partnership, researchers at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs concluded in a December 2024 assessment. Germany’s growing dependence on Norwegian gas also strengthened its interest in protecting offshore infrastructure, researcher Øyvind Svendsen explained .

Germany’s military is undergoing a distinct shift toward a bigger role in the North Atlantic. Its new P-8A Poseidon aircraft, for example, are covering the so-called GIUK gap between Greenland, Iceland and the UK, a crucial area that Russian nuclear submarines must pass through to reach the open Atlantic. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the aircraft would operate from Norwegian and Icelandic air bases for this mission, Defense News previously reported .

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway, sit next to each other at the Andøya Space Visitor Center during the “Round Table on Space Cooperation” in Andenes, Norway, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Space cooperation offers another avenue for growing collaboration. During a March visit to Andøya, Pistorius identified a joint imaging-reconnaissance satellite constellation as a project he wanted to pursue, according to his ministry.

In April, Oslo and Berlin agreed to create a bilateral space working group, with priorities including launch capabilities, space-based surveillance and secure communications. Norway is home to a valuable spaceport on the island of Andøya, which is particularly well situated for launching satellites into polar orbits, which are preferable for spy satellites.

The two North Sea countries are also cooperating in a number of other formats, including under the Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Fleet, which pools access to Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft for aerial refueling, strategic transport and medical evacuation, and EU HYDEF, where Germany and Norway are among five co-funders working on phase one of a European hypersonic interceptor missile.

Linus Höller is Defense News’ Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

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2025年11月19日，在慕尼黑附近的KNDS工厂，士兵和来宾正在参观挪威武装部队的豹2 A8坦克。（Michaela Stache/AFP via Getty Images）

维也纳——德国坦克制造商 KNDS 和挪威 Ritek 公司已开始在挪威生产豹 2A8 坦克，为双方在欧洲北部涵盖潜艇、导弹和军事行动的安全伙伴关系增添了陆基工业立足点。

KNDS公司在一封电子邮件中表示，位于莱万格的工厂已于10月15日开始生产，该公司将为挪威陆军建造54辆新型坦克中的37辆。该工厂历时18个月建成，年产能可达36辆坦克。

此次生产启动是在合作伙伴于4月下旬启用制造和测试基础设施之后进行的。10月份的这一里程碑标志着现有采购协议的完成，而非新坦克的采购。

这项工业合作是两国政府今年2月通过全面的《汉萨协议》正式确立的更广泛合作的一部分。挪威国防部发布的消息称，该协议的重点领域包括海上行动、陆上联合作战、快速增援、国防工业以及天基监视、目标定位和通信。

正在进行的潜艇合作项目最能体现装备采购如何将两国的武装力量和安全战略紧密联系在一起。挪威国防部表示，两国计划共同运营六艘相同的212CD型潜艇，并在人员培训和位于卑尔根附近哈康斯韦恩的新建维护设施方面开展合作。柏林和奥斯陆还在下一代3SM海上打击导弹的研发方面进行合作。

尽管产业合作是两国关系的基石，但双方关系正超越单纯的采购范畴。据德国政府称，德国于3月份向挪威的“寒冷反应”演习派遣了约1800名士兵。挪威在2月份表示，双方正在就德国在其境内预先部署装备的问题进行磋商。

挪威国际事务研究所的研究人员在2024年12月的一份评估报告中得出结论：俄罗斯在2022年初对乌克兰的全面入侵加速了双方长期存在的伙伴关系。研究员厄于温·斯文森解释说，德国对挪威天然气的日益依赖也增强了其保护海上基础设施的意愿。

德国军方正经历着向北大西洋地区更加强势的显著转变。例如，其新型P-8A“海神”反潜巡逻机正在巡逻格陵兰、冰岛和英国之间的所谓“GIUK缺口”，这是俄罗斯核潜艇进入大西洋的必经之地。据《防务新闻》此前报道，德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托瑞斯表示，该型飞机将从挪威和冰岛的空军基地起飞执行这项任务。

2026年2月20日，在挪威安德内斯举行的“太空合作圆桌会议”上，德国总理弗里德里希·默茨和挪威首相约纳斯·加尔·施特勒并肩而坐于安德亚太空游客中心。（图片来源：Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images）

太空合作是拓展合作的另一途径。据皮斯托瑞斯所在部门透露，皮斯托瑞斯在3月访问安德亚岛期间，明确表示希望推进联合成像侦察卫星星座项目。

今年4月，奥斯陆和柏林同意成立一个双边空间工作组，其优先事项包括发射能力、天基监视和安全通信。挪威在安德亚岛拥有一个重要的航天发射场，该发射场地理位置优越，尤其适合将卫星发射到极地轨道，而极地轨道是间谍卫星的理想选择。

这两个北海国家还在许多其他方面开展合作，包括多国多用途加油运输机队，该机队汇集了空客 A330 MRTT 飞机，用于空中加油、战略运输和医疗后送；以及欧盟高超音速拦截导弹项目 (EU HYDEF)，德国和挪威是该项目的五个共同出资国之一，致力于欧洲高超音速拦截导弹的第一阶段研发。

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。