The Material and Technical Support Department of Lithuania has sent a letter to the German Ministry of Defense outlining its intentions to purchase Leopard 2 tanks, Lithuanian news outlet LRT reported on July 28.
According to the Ministry of Defense, this step allows the country to gain information and engage in discussions about the specifics required in the case that Vilnius decides to sign a contract to buy Leopard tanks.
However, the estimated value of the planned procurement and the number, or variant, of Leopard 2 tanks to be purchased has not been disclosed by Lithuania.
Earlier, the Lithuanian military evaluated the German Leopard, the American Abrams and the South Korean Black Panther tanks.
Notably, the key evaluation criteria the military used to select its preferred vehicle included the price and maintenance costs, operational environment, mobility, safety, adaptability, protection, firepower, and interoperability.
And, ultimately it selected Leopard 2 tank to arm its armed forces that met all the mentioned requirements.
The other two tanks reportedly did not meet all the operational requirements raised by the Defense Headquarters of the Lithuanian Army or met them in part.
Noteworthy, the Abrams’ cost to operate is one and half times higher than that of the Leopard tank.
Further, the latter is operational with the armed forces of 23 countries, including 14 NATO countries.
And, this will ensure high interactions and compatibility with military units of Lithuanian partner countries, especially allies deployed in Lithuania.
In comparison, the Abrams is operational with the armed forces of the US, Poland, Taiwan and some Middle Eastern countries.
While the Black Panther is used by the South Korean and Polish militaries.
