Germany offers Greece Lynx and Marder combat vehicles in €2 billion defence proposal

By Defence Industry Europe

From May 9 to 11, 2023, the DEFEA defence exhibition will be held in Athens, Greece. Rheinmetall will present its Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a strong contender for the modernization of the mechanized brigades of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The Lynx KF41 is Rheinmetall's answer to the requirements of future battlefields and offers superior capabilities in terms of survivability, lethality, mobility as well as command and control. The Lynx KF41 is one of the most advanced infantry fighting vehicles on the market and is attracting considerable interest worldwide. Hungary is currently the first NATO country introducing Lynx KF41 into service with first deliveries taken place in 2022.
Photo: Rheinmetall.

Germany is preparing to offer Greece the purchase of over 400 infantry fighting vehicles, including 205 new KF41 Lynx units and 200 used Marder 1A3 vehicles from surplus German army stock. The proposal will be presented to the Greek Prime Minister and Defence Minister, with an estimated programme value of more than €2 billion.

 

The offer includes substantial involvement of the Greek defence industry in the production and supply of the vehicles and components. According to unofficial information, the local industrial participation is expected to exceed 25 per cent.

EODH, a Greek defence company already cooperating with German partners, is set to become Rheinmetall’s main partner for the deliveries. Germany is also expected to offer attractive financing conditions with long repayment terms to support the deal.

 

 

Greece currently operates a small batch of 40 Marder 1A3s, which were transferred by Germany in exchange for Greek BMP-1s delivered to Ukraine. The KF41 Lynx has been offered to Greece for several years, but without success so far.

Germany is also proposing joint cooperation on tank modernisation, with KMW and Rheinmetall competing for a contract to upgrade Greece’s Leopard 1A5 and Leopard 2A4 tanks. For the Leopard 2A4s, multiple options are being considered depending on the depth of the upgrade.

 

lwe 300 x 600 px 1

 

A basic upgrade of the entire fleet of 183 Leopard 2A4 tanks is estimated at around €700 million. A full modernisation to the Leopard 2A7 HEL standard would cost approximately €1.5 billion.

 

 

Tags:

Related news & articles

Latest news

Featured