All of the remaining 13 Leopard 2A4 MBTs are expected to have been delivered to Slovakia by the end of this year. Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď noted that the MTBs are comprehensively repaired and serviced by Rheinmetall Landsysteme before their handover to the Slovak military.
Trials of the first Leopard 2A4 MBT to verify some of its technical specifications and tactical performance parameters have been completed on the test tracks and firing range at the Military Technical and Testing Institute (VTŠÚ) Záhorie. The results of the trials are currently being analysed and evaluated by the Ministry of Defence.
As the MBTs undergo trials before entering service with the Slovak Army, it is also necessary to get Slovak tank crews trained on the Leopard 2A4 tank platform. Towards this end, training in all aspects of operating the Leopard 2A4 MBT will be led by Bundeswehr instructors at the Training Centre Lešť as early as this summer.
The “Ringtausch” is a procedure developed by the German government in cooperation with Germany’s neighbours and NATO allies to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Specifically, NATO member states are providing Ukraine with Soviet-era heavy equipment in exchange for readily available Western military systems.
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