Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), the prime contractor for the delivery of 54 Leopard 2A7NOR main battle tanks (MBTs) to Norway, has commissioned Rheinmetall to supply key components for the tanks, Rheinmetall announced on 14 April 2023.
These include the 120 mm L55A1main gun, fire control technology and parts of the sensor system. The order value is stated as EUR 129 M, with the subsystems to be supplied over a period of five years.
Regarding the production process, Rheinmetall has noted that the MBTs will be completed and commissioned at KMW. After that they will be handed over to the Norwegian Defence Procurement Agency (NDMA).
The NDMA contracted KMW to supply 54 latest-variant Leopard 2A7NORs for the Norwegian armed forces on 17 February 2023, with an option for an additional 18 MBTs. If Norway orders the extra 18 tanks, the order value of Rheinmetall’s subcontract will increase to EUR 173 M.
The Norwegian parliament had set a cost framework worth the equivalent of EUR 1.7 Bn for the Leopard 2A7NOR acquisition. The deliveries are to take place between 2026 and 2031.
Gerhard Heiming