Czech industry could soon play a vital role in the production of the latest German Leopard tanks, an unnamed source familiar with ongoing negotiations told news outlet Echo24.
Excalibur Army in Šternberk, which belongs to the Czechoslovak Group (CSG) holding company owned by arms manufacturer Michal Strnad, is expected to be largely involved in a new contract with the Czech army and militaries from several other countries.
Andrej Čírtek, a spokesperson for the group, told the Czech outlet it was ready to participate in the project but stressed that intensive negotiations are still ongoing.
According to a well-informed source from the security community, the preliminary plans envisage that both the Šternber Excalibur Army and other companies of the Czech defense industry would participate in the production of the latest 2A8 Leopard tank on Czech soil. Specifically, a new assembly line for the German tanks’ turrets would be built at the Excalibur Army plant in Šternberk in Olomouc.
It would not only be a contract for the Czech military but also for many other countries that are or will be interested in procuring the tanks.
The Czech Republic is seeking to purchase at least 77 2A8 Leopard tanks, the first of which, according to the Ministry of Defense, are to be delivered in 2027 and the remaining tanks by 2030.
Čírtek confirmed the information about Excalibur Army’s planned involvement without further details, but at the same time added that the company continues to conduct intensive negotiations with a German tank manufacturer, the Bavarian armory Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
“We are ready to get involved in the Leopard tank production project for the AČR. At Excalibur Army, we are expanding our production capacities and are intensively negotiating with German industrial partners not only about the project for the AČR, but also about other possibilities of cooperation. This would not only concern the company Excalibur Army, but also other companies both from the CSG group and outside it,” he stated.
The tank production project could help create new jobs not only in Šternberk. Even now, Excalibur Army is looking for around 100 new employees for its production departments, a figure that could rise considerably should it secure this Leopard contract.
The Czech defense industry has unique capacities within Europe from which Ukraine is now also benefiting. Kyiv already ordered heavy equipment from the Czech Republic before the outbreak of war two years ago and is currently using artillery ammunition from Czech companies, as well as sending older equipment to Czechia for repair.
PBS from Velká Bíteš, which produces auxiliary power units, and Ray Service, which deals with the production of cable harnesses, could also be involved in the Leopard project. These parts are already being used in the Lynx combat vehicles manufactured by Germany’s Rheinmetall and the Puma vehicles made by KMW.
