Lithuania will not buy either M1 Abrams or K2 Black Panther, but will favour the German Leopard 2 tanks instead

It looks like there is a new buyer for the Leopard 2. Lithuania has decided on the German tank, choosing from three options.

Here's What We Know

The Lithuanian government plans to formalise its intention to purchase Leopard 2 tanks for the land forces. This was announced the day before by the Minister of Defence of the Baltic country Arvydas Anušauskas (Arvydas Anušauskas).

The Latvian Ministry of National Defence decided on the Leopard 2 because the German tank meets all the criteria. To evaluate the candidates, the military took into account cost, maintenance costs, operating conditions, mobility, safety, firepower, defence, adaptability and compatibility.

At the same time, the defence ministry has not yet disclosed the value of the potential contract or the number of tanks. Moreover, the Lithuanian Defence Minister refused to name even the Leopard 2 version. But it is known that the competitors of the German tank were the American M1 Abrams and the South Korean K2 Black Panther.

It should be noted that in spring Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupšys (Valdemaras Rupšys) announced the need to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the Lithuanian land forces. At that time, it was said about the intention to purchase up to 54 tanks.

Source: Defence News