At the conference Future Armored Vehicles Central & Eastern Europe held in Prague, the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia announced its plan to purchase more than 100 new main battle tanks. This is reported by Defence Industry Europe.
Details of the agreement
According to the arms exchange agreement with Germany, Slovakia transferred 30 BVP-1 BMP to Ukraine in exchange for 15 Leopard 2A4 tanks. These tanks were donated to Slovakia by the German government as part of the "Ringtausch" initiative. to compensate for the military equipment provided to Ukraine.
Modernization of the armed forces
The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia also announced plans to reorganize the structure of its ground forces, continuing the modernization of the armored vehicle park. In particular, it is planned to create two new tank battalions, each of which will be equipped with 52 new main battle tanks. Currently, the selection of tanks for these battalions has not yet been finalized, and proposals from the industry are being considered by the ministry.
Prospects until 2030
By 2030, the Slovak Armed Forces plan to have 45 main battle tanks in service as part of the 14th Tank Battalion, a unit of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade of the Ground Forces. Of these tanks, 30 are Soviet T-72s. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia considered the possibility of modernizing these tanks, but decided to abandon this course.
Conclusion of the agreement
The agreement for the purchase of new main battle tanks is planned to be signed this year or next year. Once acquired, the new armored vehicles will become a key component of Slovakia's strategic efforts to ensure national security and defense capability.