The last of the 42 German Leopard 2A4 tanks planned for transfer have been delivered to the Czech Armed Forces. Thus, the country has completed the process of replacing the T-72s transferred to Ukraine and the emergence of a "transitional" solution until the new Leopard 2A8 tanks enter service.
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Leopard 2A4 tanks have entered service with the 73rd Tank Battalion of the Czech Army. There they will be used, among other things, to train crews and equipment for the delivery of new Leopard 2A8s in 2028-2030.
Defense Express notes that only a part of these Leopard 2A4 tanks was transferred to the Czech Republic by Germany in 2022 and 2024 as part of military aid to Ukraine. Then, according to the "circular scheme", Soviet equipment was transferred to the Ukrainian military, while Western equipment was supplied to replace it.
However, the Czechs decided to purchase part of the 42 German tanks independently, which allowed them to significantly increase their defense capabilities. Perhaps this is equipment of Swiss origin that could not be supplied to Ukraine due to the peculiarities of Swiss legislation.
In general, the Leopard 2A4 is far from the most modern vehikle, but this tank is much more effective than the outdated Soviet T-72 tanks. At the same time, the Czech army gains experience working with Western models of heavy armored vehicles, which not only lays the foundation for future upgrades, but also improves unification with NATO allies.
Recall that the Czech Republic also ordered 44 new Leopard 2A8s for 1.34 billion euros. The project was implemented as part of a joint procurement with Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania, which together purchased 257 such tanks.
In total, as of April 2025, the Czechs had transferred 86 T-72 tanks to Ukraine. At the same time, the last 20 tanks sent to Ukraine belonged to the same 73rd tank battalion, which has now received the last Leopard 2A4 tanks.
Currently, 30 T-72M4CZ tanks remain in the Czech arsenal. The Czechs tried to modernize these tanks, but this project was unsuccessful due to the inability to qualitatively improve the vehicle's fire control system.
Defense Express reported earlier on how many russian airborne threats Czech Mi-24V destroyed in Ukraine. We also wrote on how many Czech DITA howitzers were really in Ukraine.
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