Tankmen of 14 Tank Battalion Trebišov, logisticians of 42 Supply Base Martin, and a team of experts from the Ministry of Defence’s Modernization Department have taken delivery of the second Leopard 2A4 main battle tank. Under the arms swap deal with Germany, Slovakia has gifted 30 BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in exchange for a 15-strong fleet of Leopard 2A4 MBTs. All of the remaining 13 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks are expected to have been delivered to Slovakia by the end of this year. Defence Minister Jaroslav Na? noted that the MTBs are comprehensively repaired and serviced by Rheinmetall Landsysteme before their handover to the Slovak military.
Trials of the first Leopard 2A4 main battle tank to verify some of its technical specifications and tactical performance parameters have been completed on the test tracks and firing range at the Military Technical and Testing Institute Záhorie. The results of the trials are currently being analyzed and evaluated by the Ministry of Defence. As the main battle tanks undergo trials before entering service with the Slovak Army, it is also necessary to get Slovak tank crews trained on the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank platform. Towards this end, training in all aspects of operating the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank will be led by Bundeswehr instructors at the Training Center Le as early as this summer.
The first Leopard 2A4 main battle tank delivered to Slovakia under an equipment exchange program with Germany in exchange for gifting its BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, is underway on the test tracks and firing range at the Záhorie Military Technical and Testing Institute. The trials of the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks are taking place to verify some of the main battle tank’s technical specifications and tactical performance parameters as the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank, along with tank ammunition, is being accepted into service with the SVK Army. The first Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank (MBT), delivered to Slovakia under an equipment exchange program with Germany in exchange for gifting its BVP-1 IFVs to Ukraine.
As part of the live-firing test, the 120mm Rh120 L/44 gun as the main armament and the 7.62mm MG3 machine gun as the secondary armament on-board the main battle tank platform were fired, both from a static vehicle and while on the move. In addition, the smoke screen test showed how the smoke grenades would generate a thick smoke screen to mask the main battle tank’s location and movement. Test procedures to check the tank’s technical specifications, mobility, ammunition, and ergonomics are still scheduled to be conducted over the next two weeks. So far, no problems with the main battle tank have been reported. The trails are due to be complete on March 31, 2023.
