Taking a lesson from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict right next door, several NATO member states in Eastern Europe are eyeing the purchase of new tanks after years of neglect.

German, South Korean and US manufacturers are competing fiercely to win orders from the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, among others, amid a surge in demand for the heavy weapons platform across the region.

Slovakia has recently revealed plans to purchase a new series of tanks, with local observers saying Bratislava wants to buy up to 104 of the vehicles. The potential purchase could significantly boost the capabilities of the Slovak infantry force, which currently relies on around 30 outdated Soviet-designed T-72M1 tanks as well as second-hand German-donated Leopard 2A4 tanks.

Germany has supplied 15 Leopard tanks to Slovakia after the Eastern European country transferred 30 BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

“The Slovak Ministry of Defense plans to purchase tanks – main battle tanks,” a Slovak Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Defense News, noting that “an internal analysis of the market and possible procurement methods is underway.”

The spokesman said the ministry “has not yet received any offers as it has not yet announced any public tender or selection process for the purchase of tanks”.

The information was released when one of Slovakia's close neighbors, the Czech Republic, is negotiating with Germany to jointly purchase Leopard 2A8 tanks.

Last December, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced that the government was looking for more affordable prices and faster delivery times from KNDS, the Franco-German arms manufacturer.

On June 12, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that his government had approved a plan to purchase up to 77 Leopard 2A8 tanks for the country's armed forces.

“The Czech Army could have a heavy brigade equipped with more than 120 Leopard 2A4 and 2A8 tanks after 2030. The government has approved the Defense Ministry's intention to purchase 61 Leopard 2A8 tanks with an option for an additional 16 tanks,” the Czech Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

“In addition, the Czech Army already has 15 Leopard 2A4 tanks, the same number will be received as a grant from Germany in the near future, and the Czech Republic plans to purchase 15 more on favorable terms,” the statement noted.

For Slovakia, joining the planned German-Czech Leopard 2A8 purchase could offer potential benefits over buying individual tracked platforms. Local media reported that Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák has discussed involving his country's defense industry in the production of the tanks.

Meanwhile, Romania is preparing to purchase M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks for its ground forces after the US State Department approved the sale to foreign militaries of 54 such tanks, manufactured by US company General Dynamics Land Systems, along with related recovery vehicles, assault mine clearance vehicles (ABVs) and other equipment.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the purchase was worth about $2.53 billion, but observers in Romania expect the final value of the plan to be significantly lower.

In April 2022, Poland signed a deal worth about $4.75 billion to buy M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams and related equipment. They plan to buy a total of 250 of these tanks.

In addition to the Abrams, Romania is also considering purchasing K2 Black Panthers made by South Korea's Hyundai Rotem. Poland has also purchased these tanks.

Bucharest-based security and defense analyst Alexandru Georgescu told Defense News that it is likely that Romania will decide to purchase South Korean tanks following recent tests of the vehicle.

“Romania tends not to put all its eggs in one basket – that is, to spread its orders out rather than concentrate them in one place. Ultimately, it depends on the outcome of the development of the requirements of the country’s armed forces and how the various entities meet them. We recently had demonstrations at the Smârdan shooting range near the city of Galați,” said Georgescu.

“The K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) was tested on May 17. Romania’s trend is to follow in Poland’s footsteps as a form of coordination to improve synergy in logistics,” the analyst added .

Minh Duc (According to Defense News)