Tankers from the 14th Tank Battalion in Trebišov, logistics personnel from the 42nd Supply Base in Martin, and a team of specialists from the Ministry of Defence’s Modernization Department have taken delivery of the second Leopard 2A4 main battle tank.
Slovakia has exchanged 30 BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles with Germany in exchange for 15 Leopard 2A4 MBTs. The remaining 13 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks are expected to be delivered to Slovakia by the end of the year.
The tanks are comprehensively refurbished and serviced by Rheinmetall Landsysteme before being handed over to the Slovakian military. The first Leopard 2A4 main battle tank has undergone trials on the test tracks and firing range at the Military Technical and Testing Institute Záhorie to verify its technical specifications and tactical performance parameters.
The Ministry of Defence is currently analyzing and evaluating the results. Slovakian tank crews will receive training from Bundeswehr instructors at the Training Center Le to operate the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank. The live-firing test for the first Leopard 2A4 main battle tank included firing the 120mm Rh120 L/44 gun and the 7.62mm MG3 machine gun while the tank was in motion or stationary. The smoke grenades also underwent testing to determine their effectiveness in generating a smoke screen to mask the tank’s location and movement.
No issues with the main battle tank have been reported so far, and further testing is scheduled to be conducted over the next two weeks. The trials are scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2023, before the tanks are accepted into service with the SVK Army.