Lithuania may begin assembling Leopard tanks domestically

Lithuania is considering assembling the Leopard tanks it ordered from Germany on its soil.

The country’s Defence Minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, told the Estonian news agency that representatives from the tank manufacturer are expected to visit Lithuania in the coming weeks, Caliber.Az reports.

“We are planning to finalise the details for organising the assembly of these vehicles at our domestic facilities,” she said.

Šakalienė added that Lithuania will pay an advance on the armoured vehicle contract this summer, which will accelerate delivery by nearly four years.

Previously, the first tanks were expected to arrive after 2031.

Now, the minister said deliveries are planned to start in 2028, with the main batch arriving in 2029 and the remainder in 2030. 

Lithuania is purchasing 44 Leopard tanks from Germany for a tank battalion that will form the backbone of a newly established mechanised infantry division in its armed forces.

Until now, the Baltic state has not possessed such heavy military equipment.

By Aghakazim Guliyev