Slovakia considers CV90120, Leopards to replace Soviet-era tanks

WARSAW, Poland — As Slovakia readies to acquire new battle tanks for its military, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák has announced his ministry is considering the CV90120, a light tracked vehicle, as one of the options.

Meanwhile, local opposition politicians say that, while the vehicle could be an alternative to purchasing main battle tanks, the Slovak defense budget is already strained, and funding for the acquisition is at risk.

Last year, Bratislava unveiled plans to buy new tanks, and local observers say the nation intends to purchase up to 104 such vehicles . Made by BAE Systems Hägglunds, the CV90120 would compete against other tracked vehicles considered by the Slovak ministry, which are said to include new Leopard 2A8 tanks from German manufacturer KNDS or used 2A4s, an older Leopard variant that would be modernized by Slovakia’s defense industry.

Kaliňák claims that buying CV90120s would be significantly less expensive than acquiring Leopard 2A8s, which are pursued by neighboring Czech Republic . Slovakia has not bought new tanks since declaring independence in 1993, and it needs to replace its outdated Soviet-designed T-72M1s. Germany transferred 15 2A4s to Slovakia after the nation donated its BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

Jaroslav Naď, Slovakia’s former defense minister who chairs the opposition Demokrati (Democrats) party, told Defense News that, during his term at the ministry, a deal to buy 152 CV90 MkIV vehicles was signed, and Bratislava started to analyze the potential benefits of using the same platform to cover light tank needs.

“The CV90120 is an interesting offer because it uses the same platform as the CV90 that Slovakia will operate, but has a different cannon. However, it is a light vehicle, as opposed to the heavy Leopard tank which weighs around twice as much,” Naď said.

“The CV90120 would be cheaper than new Leopard 2A8s, but not by as much as Kaliňák claims,” he added. “Slovakia’s defense budget is already undermined by cuts and inefficient spending on construction projects outside the ministry’s scope.”

The cuts could amount to €700 million, or $718 million, in 2025, Naď said, citing documents released by the government’s Finance Ministry.

Defense News has contacted the Slovak Ministry of Defence for comment.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——斯洛伐克正准备为其军队采购新的主战坦克，该国副总理兼国防部长罗伯特·卡利尼亚克宣布，国防部正在考虑将轻型履带车辆 CV90120 作为选项之一。

与此同时，当地反对派政治人士表示，虽然这种车辆可以替代购买主战坦克，但斯洛伐克的国防预算已经捉襟见肘，采购资金面临风险。

去年，布拉迪斯拉发公布了采购新型坦克的计划，当地观察人士称，该国计划采购多达104辆此类坦克。这款由BAE系统公司哈格隆德分部制造的CV90120坦克将与斯洛伐克国防部考虑的其他履带式车辆展开竞争，据说这些车辆包括德国KNDS公司生产的新型豹2A8坦克，以及由斯洛伐克国防工业进行现代化改造的旧款豹2A4坦克。

卡利尼亚克声称，购买CV90120坦克比购买邻国捷克共和国正在采购的豹2A8坦克要便宜得多。斯洛伐克自1993年宣布独立以来就没有购买过新坦克，它需要替换其老旧的苏制T-72M1坦克。在斯洛伐克将其BVP-1步兵战车捐赠给乌克兰之后，德国向斯洛伐克转让了15辆2A4坦克。

斯洛伐克前国防部长、反对党民主党主席雅罗斯拉夫·纳德告诉《防务新闻》，在他担任国防部长期间，签署了一项购买 152 辆 CV90 MkIV 战车的协议，布拉迪斯拉发开始分析使用同一平台满足轻型坦克需求的潜在好处。

“CV90120是一款很有意思的产品，因为它和斯洛伐克即将使用的CV90坦克使用相同的平台，只是火炮不同。不过，它是一款轻型车辆，不像重型的豹式坦克，重量大约是它的两倍，”纳德说道。

“CV90120的价格会比新型豹2A8坦克便宜，但不会像卡利尼亚克声称的那样便宜那么多，”他补充道。“斯洛伐克的国防预算已经因为削减开支和在国防部职权范围之外的建设项目上低效支出而捉襟见肘。”

纳德援引政府财政部发布的文件称，到 2025 年，这些削减可能达到 7 亿欧元，即 7.18 亿美元。

《防务新闻》已联系斯洛伐克国防部征求意见。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。