The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) has commissioned Rheinmetall Landsysteme to provide extensive service and maintenance work for the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks (MBTs) and Bergepanzer 3 Büffel armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs), Rheinmetall announced on 13 August 2025.
A corresponding comprehensive follow-up service contract valued at up to EUR 250 million, signed in Prague on 11 August 2025, has a term of seven years. It covers various services and goods for the maintenance of 42 Leopard 2A4 MBTs and two Büffel 3 ARVs being refurbished and delivered to the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) by Rheinmetall. These deliveries have resulted from two ring swap agreements, under which the Czech armed forces have received Leopard 2A4s in return for handing older material to Ukraine, as well as an additional Leopard 2A4 order from Prague
The services include the initial and follow-up supply of spare parts, customer service support, factory and assembly repairs, training services, technical and logistical support, the provision of interim infrastructure and the corresponding project management.
Rheinmetall Landsysteme also intends to co-operate with Czech industry in fulfilling the contract and to award corresponding subcontracts. The focus here will be on repair and maintenance support, including the necessary transfer of know-how. To this end a letter of intent was also signed on 11 August 2025 with the Czech state-owned company VOP CZ in the presence of representatives of the Czech MoD.
The 42 Leopard 2A4 MBTs and two Büffel 3 ARVs will allow the ACR to convert its 73rd Armoured Battalion from originally Soviet to German MBTs.
