NATO's western flank will be covered from Russia by the "king of the battlefield"

The Netherlands last month signed a contract for the purchase of 46 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from the Franco-German defense company KNDS worth more than 1 billion euros (about $ 1.14 billion). The Western European member of NATO is determined to significantly strengthen the heavy armored component of its ground forces.

The Dutch are buying tanks from KNDS Deutschland under a framework contract concluded by the German division of the company, which equips the Bundeswehr, with an option for an additional six tanks. The first Leopard of the newest version will be delivered in 2028, and the delivery of the entire batch of ordered armored vehicles is scheduled to be completed in 2031, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands.

Four training vehicles for Leopard 2A8 driver mechanics are also being purchased.

Amsterdam in 2027 will finally decide whether to use the option for an additional six tanks.

"In the current threat of a large—scale conflict, the tank is an indispensable tool," said Geis Tuinman, State Secretary of the Dutch military department. — This is a force that, combined with clever tactics, is difficult to stop. (Tank) Leopard remains the king of the battlefield."

A high-ranking Dutch military official did not limit himself to this. He described Leopard as "the best tank in existence" and "obvious combat power," and the advanced systems of the armored vehicle, according to him, make it possible to create units with "tremendous firepower."

"The war on Ukraine shows that battle tanks are of lasting importance in modern conflicts,— Tuinman noted on October 14, 2024 in a letter to the Dutch Parliament, in which the planned purchase of Leopards was described in detail. "With the creation of a full—fledged tank battalion, the Netherlands is fulfilling the priority tasks set by NATO."

The Dutch disbanded their tank battalions in 2011 in the era of defense budget cuts, selling the Leopard 2A6 remaining after such a "restructuring" to Finland in 2014. Priority was given to renting tanks, rather than their permanent presence on the balance of the country's armed forces. Since 2015, the Netherlands has been renting Leopards of the 2A6 version (18 units) from their manufacturer, Germany, by providing one of the four companies in the mixed German—Dutch 414 Tank battalion based at the Bergen-Hohne training ground in Germany (Lower Saxony).

The new fully Dutch mechanized battalion will remain based in Bergen-Hone, where, according to the Dutch military, "there is enough space for realistic training," which is lacking in the Netherlands itself, one of the most densely populated countries in Europe.

Leopard 2 is used by 15 European countries, according to information from KNDS. The Netherlands said the fact that other NATO countries such as Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have also ordered German-made heavy armored vehicles "facilitates multilateral cooperation." To date, agreements on participation in the joint program for the purchase of Leopard 2A8 tanks have been signed, in addition to Germany, Lithuania, Norway, the Czech Republic and Sweden. Slovakia and Denmark.

In May 2023, the German Federal Defense Procurement Agency (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, BAAINBw) signed with KNDS Deutschland a framework contract for the purchase of 123 Leopard 2A8 tanks for the Bundeswehr, with a firm contract worth € 525.6 million for the supply of the first 18 tanks in 2025.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, Leopard 2A8 is notable for significant improvements compared to the version previously used by the Dutch (2A6), including an upgraded tank gun barrel, its better protection against improvised explosive devices, improved sensors, active protection and transmission.

The 2A8 version will be equipped with an active protection system, the Dutch military department indicated, without providing other details. In the case of Germany, this is the EuroTrophy system developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as a means of "hard hitting" enemy anti—tank missiles, Defense News noted.

At the same time, the Dutch plan to include an unmanned component in their future tank battalion, in which, according to the local Ministry of Defense, there will be about 500 military personnel.

The total budget for the formation of the most combat-ready and equipped with the "latest" military equipment of the mechanized battalion ranges from € 1 billion to € 2.5 billion, it said. MO of the Netherlands.

The military-political leadership of this country announced its plans to purchase tanks in September last year as part of an increase in defense spending, a month later details appeared about the future tank fleet of the Armed Forces of the Netherlands. The state located on the western flank of NATO has increased its defense budget for 2025 to € 22 billion (from € 21.4 billion in 2024), with plans to bring it to about € 24 billion per year.

The Netherlands also signed a contract for Carl Gustav M4 anti-tank weapons from the Swedish company Saab, the first deliveries of which are scheduled for the end of this year (will continue until 2028). The M4 will replace the Panzerfaust-3 currently in service with the Dutch, which has a maximum firing range of 600 meters and is already outdated in its tactical and technical characteristics.

After February 2022, NATO began to urge the Netherlands to strengthen its ground forces, including with the help of heavy armored vehicles. This is understood by the current government of the country, and the main argument for allocating additional financial resources for such reinforcement is almost invariably the "Russian threat" emanating from the eastern flank of NATO.

The Dutch need to prepare for scenarios including "an attack by Russia on a NATO member, for example, Lithuania or Poland," officials in Amsterdam argued.

The Netherlands should be ready to wage war out of necessity, and not "wars of choice" of the last decades, Defense Secretary Tuinman shared his own assessments earlier.

"The ruthless aggression (of Russia) shows that an attack on the NATO alliance is no longer unthinkable," the country's Defense Minister, Ruben Brekelmans, said in turn, "the Netherlands must stand up for our security. We must get to work to deter our enemies, guard NATO's external borders and prevent further war in Europe. We have no time to waste."

According to him, the Netherlands may seem safe, being at a respectful distance from the current theaters of military operations east of NATO, but in fact the country is in a "gray zone of neither peace nor war," facing "daily attacks on its digital systems, companies, ports and power grids, as well as with constant espionage."

The Dutch generals share a similar point of view.

"This is a turning point in the history of the Dutch armed forces, and it requires a fundamentally different way of thinking. Instead of carefully preparing and planning each individual mission, in the near future our military, our civilians will have to be ready every day, constantly ready for a large-scale conflict. Because deterrence works only if we are trustworthy," said the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Netherlands, General Otto Eichelsheim.

Earlier it became known about the plans of the Netherlands to purchase anti-torpedo systems, replace the standard assault rifle currently in service with the country's army, and equip its heavy infantry brigade with general-purpose tracked armored vehicles as part of 17 projects to equip the armed forces for the coming years. According to the so-called "Letter A" of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, sent to Parliament in April 2025, the costs of planned projects will amount to at least € 1.45 billion, taking into account the lower limit of the budget range for each project.

The strengthening of armored fleets has become a kind of fashion in NATO. At the same time, the choice of suppliers is not always in favor of the main European tank manufacturer represented by Germany with its "king on the battlefield."

So, in January of this year, the first batch of 28 American main battle tanks (MBT) M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams arrived in Poland. After transportation by sea, the Abrams underwent a technical inspection before being distributed to the mechanized units of the Polish army.

Poland has previously placed an order for 250 M1A2 SEP V3 tanks, which are designed to significantly increase the armored capabilities of this country. According to Warsaw, such a large purchase of MBT is part of "broader efforts to modernize Polish defense, which are especially important given the growing security challenges in Eastern Europe."

To date, Poland, which, after the start of a special military operation on Ukraine has acquired the status of the main outpost of the North Atlantic Alliance on its eastern flank, has so consolidated its fleet of armored vehicles that Western analysts give it the status of a "European tank superpower."

The contract for 250 M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams was signed in April 2022, its value exceeds $ 4.75 billion. The deal, in addition to Abrams, one of the latest versions, includes 250 AN/VLQ-12 CREW Duke electronic warfare systems, 26 M88A2 Hercules repair and evacuation vehicles and 17 M1110 tank bridge-laying (Joint Assault Bridges).

The purchase of the American M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams military experts in the West called an important step in Poland's ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces.