Leopard 2A7 (Press photo: KNDS)

Sweden buys 44 new Leopard 2 A8 battle tanks and will modernise its 66 existing Leopard 2 tanks to a similar standard. The Swedish government announced this EUR 1.9 billion investment this week, emphasizing that by 2031 the Swedish Armed Forces should therefore have 154 state-of-the-art battle tanks. The new version will be dubbed Stridsvagn 123 in Swedish military service.

Ten of the 44 new-to-build tanks by German manufacturer KNDS are to augment a similar number donated by Sweden to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the rest is to expand Sweden’s military capabilities. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson explicitly named the strategic island of Gotland as one of the destinations for the new and modernised equipment.

Jonson also announced upgrades of the cavalry/infantry fighting vehicle Stridsfordon 90 (CV90), of which Sweden has purchased almost 500 in the past decades. Recently, Denmark and Sweden jointly announced to buy new CV90s as well. | © 2025 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Featured image: Leopard 2 A7 main battle tanks (Press photo: KNDS)