Netherlands buys 46 Leopard tanks from KNDS for more than $1 billion

PARIS — The Netherlands signed a contract to buy 46 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from French-German defense firm KNDS for more than €1 billion (US$1.1 billion), following through on a plan to re-establish a heavy armor component for its land forces.

The Dutch are buying the tanks from KNDS Deutschland through the framework contract established by Germany’s Bundeswehr equipment office, with an option for an additional six tanks, according to statements from the Ministry of Defense and KNDS on Wednesday. The first tank will be handed over in 2028, with deliveries finalized in 2031, according to the Netherlands.

“With the current threat of large-scale conflict, the tank is an indispensable tool,” Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said. “A force that, combined with smart tactics, is difficult to stop. The Leopard remains the king of the battlefield.”

The Dutch disbanded their last tank battalions in 2011 during an era of defense cuts, selling their remaining Leopard 2A6 tanks to Finland in 2014. The Netherlands have been leasing 2A6 tanks from Germany since 2015, providing one of the four companies in the mixed German-Dutch 414 Tank Battalion based at Germany’s Bergen-Hohne military training area.

The new fully Dutch battalion will remain based at Bergen-Hohne, where the Dutch says there is enough space for realistic training, something that is lacking in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s most densely populated countries.

The Leopard 2 is used by 15 European countries, according to KNDS. The Netherlands said the fact that other countries such as Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have ordered the Leopard makes international cooperation easier.

The Leopard is “the best tank available,” Tuinman said, describing the tracked vehicle as “pure combat power,” with advanced systems and sensors creating a unit with “formidable firepower.”

The 2A8 features significant improvements compared to the version operated previously by the Dutch, with an improved barrel, better protection against improvised explosive devices, superior sensors, active protection and an upgraded transmission, according to the ministry.

The 2A8 version of the Leopard will be fitted with an active protection system, the MoD said, without providing details. In Germany’s case, that’s the EuroTrophy system developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and designed as a hard-kill measure against anti-tank missiles.

The Dutch plan to include an unmanned component in the future tank battalion, which will still have about 500 troops, according to the ministry. The Netherlands will decide in 2027 whether to exercise the option for an additional six tanks.

The total budget, including spare parts, specialized tools, factory training and documentation amounts to between €1 billion and €2.5 billion, the Dutch MoD said. The Netherlands is also buying four Leopard 2A8 driver training vehicles.

The Netherlands had announced its tank-buying plans in September, as part of increased defense spending , providing details on the future tank fleet the next month. The country increased its 2025 defense budget to €22 billion from €21.4 billion last year, with plans to go to around €24 billion a year.

The Netherlands also signed a contract for Saab’s Carl Gustav M4 anti-tank weapon, with first deliveries planned by the end of this year and continuing through to 2028. The M4 will replace the Panzerfaust-3 in service with the Dutch forces, which the MoD says has a maximum range of 600 meters and has become obsolete.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰与法国-德国国防公司KNDS签署了一份价值超过10亿欧元（11亿美元）的合同，购买46辆豹2A8主战坦克，以落实其重建陆军重型装甲部队的计划。

荷兰国防部和KNDS Deutschland公司周三发表声明称，荷兰将通过德国联邦国防军装备办公室制定的框架合同，从KNDS Deutschland公司购买坦克，并可选择增购六辆坦克。荷兰方面表示，首辆坦克将于2028年交付，所有坦克将于2031年全部交付完毕。

荷兰国防国务秘书吉斯·图因曼表示：“在当前大规模冲突的威胁下，坦克是不可或缺的工具。它与巧妙的战术相结合，是一支难以阻挡的力量。豹式坦克依然是战场上的王者。”

2011 年，在国防预算削减时期，荷兰解散了最后一支坦克营，并在 2014 年将剩余的豹 2A6 坦克卖给了芬兰。自 2015 年以来，荷兰一直从德国租赁 2A6 坦克，为驻扎在德国卑尔根-霍恩军事训练区的德荷混合 414 坦克营的四个连队之一提供装备。

这支全新的全荷兰营将继续驻扎在卑尔根-霍恩，荷兰方面表示，那里有足够的空间进行真实的训练，而这正是欧洲人口最稠密的国家之一——荷兰所缺乏的。

据荷兰国防研究局（KNDS）称，豹2坦克已被15个欧洲国家使用。荷兰方面表示，立陶宛、挪威和瑞典等其他国家订购豹2坦克，将使国际合作更加便捷。

图因曼表示，豹式坦克是“目前最好的坦克”，他将这款履带式车辆描述为“纯粹的战斗力”，其先进的系统和传感器使其成为拥有“强大火力”的单位。

据该部称，2A8 与荷兰之前使用的版本相比有显著改进，包括改进的炮管、更好的防简易爆炸装置能力、更先进的传感器、主动防护和升级的传动装置。

德国国防部表示，豹2A8型坦克将配备主动防护系统，但未透露具体细节。德国使用的该系统为以色列拉斐尔先进防御系统公司开发的“欧洲战利品”（EuroTrophy）系统，旨在有效防御反坦克导弹。

荷兰国防部表示，荷兰计划在未来的坦克营中加入无人作战单元，该营仍将拥有约500名士兵。荷兰将于2027年决定是否行使增购六辆坦克的选择权。

荷兰国防部表示，包括备件、专用工具、工厂培训和文件编制在内的总预算在10亿至25亿欧元之间。荷兰还将采购四辆豹2A8驾驶员训练车。

荷兰于去年9月宣布了其坦克采购计划，作为增加国防开支的一部分，并在次月公布了未来坦克部队的细节。该国已将2025年的国防预算从去年的214亿欧元增加到220亿欧元，并计划最终达到每年约240亿欧元。

荷兰还签署了一份萨博公司卡尔·古斯塔夫M4反坦克武器的合同，计划于今年年底前首次交付，并将持续到2028年。M4将取代荷兰军队现役的铁拳-3反坦克火箭筒，荷兰国防部称铁拳-3的最大射程为600米，已经过时。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。