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Following the publicised donation of Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks to Ukraine by the Dutch and Danish governments in April, Rheinmetall confirmed that it had recently entered into an agreement for the delivery of the program.
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Under the contract, the Netherlands, with joint financial support from the Danish government, engaged the prime contractor to supply 14 Leopard 2A4 MBTs to Ukraine.
The current program schedule outlines that the tanks would be delivered throughout 2024, with the first vehicle scheduled for delivery in January.
The acquisition was made shortly prior to confirmation that the global defence contractor would deliver an additional 20 refitted Marder fighting vehicles to Ukraine at the request of the German government.
The delivery of the 20 infantry fighting vehicles followed an announcement made in March for the delivery of the first batch of 20 Marder IFVs to Ukraine by Rheinmetall on behalf of the German government, with a further 20 provided from Bundeswehr stockpiles.
According to the prime contractor, they can deliver 10 of the systems per month. The systems are “overhauled” Marder 1A3s, formerly in use by the German Bundeswehr and being restored by Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH.
An additional 20 units from the most recent agreement are scheduled for delivery over the coming months, with the value of the May contract valued in the low €2 million digit range.
According to the contractor, the delivery of Marders to Ukraine is part of a larger modernisation program for NATO partners.
“Under the German government’s ‘Ringtausch’ program, Greece will also be receiving 40 Marder IFVs. These, too, are to be shipped this summer. The ‘Ringtausch’ is a multilateral equipment exchange program designed to support Ukraine’s war effort in the face of Russian aggression,” a Rheinmetall spokesperson confirmed.
“In cooperation with Germany’s European neighbours and NATO partners, Soviet-era heavy equipment is being transferred to Ukraine in exchange for surplus Western-made systems.
“Rheinmetall is taking part in various ‘Ringtausch’ exchanges involving the armed forces of Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.”
