As of: April 5, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Patrick Mayer
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An ARD documentary shows how few Leopard 2 tanks are built in Munich. And: Before it's the Bundeswehr's turn, it's also Hungary's Viktor Orban's turn.
Munich - These are spectacular insights that the secret services of Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin from Russia would probably give a lot for in the middle of the Ukraine war. The pictures come from Munich-Allach in the northwest of the Bavarian capital.
Leopard 2 tank from Germany: Limited capacities at KNDS in Munich
In the documentary “NATO – who will protect Europe?”, ARD has published exclusive recordings from the factory halls of the German-French arms company KNDS, in which the infamous Leopard 2 main battle tank is being screwed together. The article shows one thing above all: that the annual number of “Leopards” that are manufactured is very manageable, while the demand in the NATO states is huge.
KNDS managing director Ralf Ketzel also addressed uncomfortable truths about the Leopard 2 production in a remarkably open manner in the ARD interview. For example: It takes around two years from the order to the delivery of a single battle tank. And: Only 40 to 50 tanks can be built per year in the production facilities on the outskirts of Munich.
KNDS Germany managing director Ralf Ketzel stands in front of a Leopard 2 tank that is under construction in the production halls in Munich. © Screenshot ARD media library
Leopard 2 from Munich: Bundeswehr has to wait a long time for new tanks
“We are only allowed to produce what is permitted. Weapons of war may not be stockpiled. It is not an economic asset. But we work on government contracts. To do this, there must be approvals for manufacturing, as well as approvals for export and delivery. You can’t expect us to build tanks on a dump,” explains mechanical engineering graduate Ketzel, who has headed the Germany division of KNDS in the Isar metropolis since 2021. This is the legal hurdle that stands in the way of faster production of more tanks, says the former artillery officer in the German Bundeswehr.
“The time limitation arises from the fact that the main battle tank product is of high quality and has a complex supply chain, for which many suppliers have to produce complex products beforehand. It takes time for this chain to get started. Then you could produce more,” he explains. According to the report, for example, two thousand suppliers are involved in the production of a Leopard 2A7 for the Bundeswehr. It was all easier than that. “I came to the company in 1990,” says Ketzel: “The company was founded to build the Leopard 1 fleet. We made the Leopard 2 here. We had a real belt assembly over at the factory. And we were able to deliver around one tank per day.”
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Leopard 2 tank: Hungary and the Bundeswehr are served at the same time
Not only does production take a very long time these days. KNDS boss Ketzel would also welcome more uniformity between the Leopard tank types of the various NATO members. “The important advantage is that you can exchange vehicles and do the training in the same way. People can switch. We can supply you with the same spare parts. There is no complexity. “It would really be a big step forward if we could do that,” he says.
Because: Depending on the NATO state, the “Leos” have different weapons systems or protection systems, which is why the type names also differ. And the report shows one more thing: Although the arms company produces in Germany, the Bundeswehr has to wait longer because other NATO states are being served at the same time. Explosive: This currently includes Hungary in particular, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban repeatedly blocks arms deliveries to Ukraine in particular and NATO and the European Union (EU) in general. And he is the only head of government from the defense alliance who still has good contacts with Moscow.
A Leopard 2 A7+HU for the Hungarian Army is in the KNDS factory halls in Munich. © Screenshot ARD media library
Leopard 2 main battle tank: orders from Germany, Hungary and Norway
In Munich there is obviously a long traffic jam during the production of the “Leo” replenishment. In May 2023, the Federal Ministry of Defense announced on its website that it had ordered 18 Leopard 2A8s to replace the same number of Leopard 2A6s that had been delivered to Kiev. The tanks should therefore be delivered between 2025 and 2026.
In the ARD documentary, several Bundeswehr “Leos” as well as a new Hungarian 2A7+HU and at least one Leopard 2 for the Canadian Army can be seen in the KNDS factory halls. Budapest ordered a total of 36 Leopard 2 A7+HUs from KNDS in December 2018. According to the Magazine for
European Security & Technology,
as of January 11, 2024, only eight of these “Leos” had been delivered to the Hungarians. The last Hungarian tanks should (actually) be ready in 2025. In February 2023, Norway also ordered a total of 54 Leopard 2A8 NORs from the Munich tank builder. However, according to information from Oslo, the first copies cannot be received until 2026.
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