The Netherlands has purchased 46 Leopard 2A8s, but has not found a firing range to store them
The Netherlands has ordered 46 of the latest Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany after a break of almost 16 years, worth €2.5 billion, but there have been problems with the location of the equipment.
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Due to the lack of appropriate infrastructure on its territory, this unit will be deployed not in the Netherlands but in the German city of Bergen-Hon (Saxony).
The location was not chosen by chance: it is already home to a leased tank company with 18 Leopard 2A7s, which the Dutch army has been operating since 2016 as part of the joint 414th Battalion with the Bundeswehr. A new memorandum between Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, signed on 11 April 2025 in Brussels, formalised these agreements.
The formation of the new battalion is due to begin in 2027, and it will be fully staffed by 2030. The unit will have 46 tanks and a staff of 500 soldiers. It is not yet clear whether the Netherlands will continue to lease a company of 18 Leopard 2A7s from the Bundeswehr.
Although official statements emphasise the lack of manoeuvre ranges for tank units in the Netherlands, the country has simply decided not to spend resources on building new infrastructure. The deployment of equipment in Bergen-Hon, which already has everything it needs, avoids unnecessary costs and at the same time maintains integration with German NATO partners.
Source: Opex360
