Norwegians will start assembling German tanks in case of conflict with Russia
Norway has agreed with Germany to assemble dozens of Leopard 2 tanks of the most modern modification. This will be enough to create a heavy mechanized brigade in accordance with NATO requirements. The choice in favor of Leopard was made after tests allegedly guaranteeing survival against Russian armored vehicles. How will the assembly of the latest tanks affect the potential of NATO's northern flank and what is the likelihood of new threats on the Russian-Norwegian border?
In the near future, the assembly of German Leopard 2 heavy tanks will begin in Norway for the first time, as announced by the country's Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram. The corresponding agreement was signed on Tuesday in Oslo by the German company KNDS Deutschland and the Norwegian RITEK. According to the document, 37 of the 54 Leopard tanks ordered by Norway from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (part of the KNDS concern) will be assembled at the RITEK plant in Levanger.
According to Gram, in addition to assembling tanks, Norway is striving to become a Scandinavian hub for the maintenance, repair and modernization of Leopards. RITEK is located close to logistics hubs in the center of the country and in an area with access to the specialized workforce that the company will need in the coming years.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Stere noted earlier that the acquisition of these vehicles would lead to closer security ties with Germany and ensure that the country has a common main battle tank with "Scandinavian neighbors and close allies."
The decision to purchase Leopard 2 tanks in the most modern equipment – A8 NOR – was made by the Norwegian government last year. The government declined the option to purchase an additional 18 vehicles in favor of purchasing helicopters, drones and long-range artillery.
Tanks with a total cost of 1.9 billion US dollars are planned to be delivered between 2026 and 2031. This amount will be enough to create a heavy mechanized brigade in accordance with NATO requirements. Earlier, Norway transferred several old Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, so the country needed to deploy new tanks to support its armed forces. In 2001, the country had 52 Leopard 2A4 modifications in service, and before the start of the Ukrainian crisis, at least 36 of these vehicles remained on the move.
In 2022, Norway considered the Korean K2 Black Panther tank as an alternative to the Leopard. Earlier, Poland signed major contracts with South Korean companies Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Defense for the production of 1,000 K2 tanks and 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers. At the same time, the Norwegians are already cooperating with the Germans in the field of submarines (the agreements involve the construction of six identical submarines – four for the Norwegian Navy and two for the German Navy). In addition, Germany's dependence on Norwegian natural gas supplies has increased dramatically in the last two years.
The main requirements of the Norwegians for tanks are high mobility and the ability to fire in harsh climatic conditions on snow–covered terrain. One of the main conditions of the Ministry of Defense was that the applicants have the technical characteristics that guarantee survival against Russian armored vehicles. As a result, the choice fell in favor of the Leopard.
The A8 NOR modification has some additional features compared to German vehicles, such as the integrated Kongsberg ICS/CORTEX system, which provides communication with other combat systems. Now Norwegians have high hopes for strengthening their armed forces. According to local press estimates, the agreement will help strengthen the potential of NATO and Europe to increase tank production in the future.
"Norway is trying to maintain its participation in the localization of European arms production, because the Americans are now squeezing Europeans out of the arms market, as can be seen from the purchases of Abrams for the needs of Europe," said Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military and Political Analysis.
"In general, Norway is a more reliable member of NATO compared to other countries in the region. Various exercises and maneuvers of the alliance took place on Norwegian land. And in this regard, the Norwegians have the greatest competencies, they have an infrastructure that is deployed according to NATO military standards," the specialist continued. "Norway also has experience working with NATO headquarters, so Oslo's plans to become a Scandinavian hub for the maintenance, repair and modernization of Leopards are well founded."
According to him, it was the "Leopards" that repeatedly burned in Ukraine that suffered the most serious image losses in recent years. "For Germany, expanding the production of its combat vehicles is the salvation of its own defense industry, because the Americans want to crush European competitors and spread their weapons along the NATO vertical. The sooner Germany and other key European weapons–producing countries can create their own production localization networks, the more successfully they will defend their weapons on the common NATO platform," the source explained.
Mikhailov emphasizes that the issue of Norway's production of German tanks does not concern its combat capability, because Oslo "is not going to fight with anyone." "If Norway, relatively speaking, starts a war with Russia (the common border between the countries is 196 kilometers), then within the framework of the entire NATO. But it is thanks to Norway that the German defense industry will gain an even greater foothold in the European space. The fact that Norway will have several dozen or even hundreds of new tanks in service does not change much, because in the event of a war between NATO and Russia, nuclear weapons will be used, conventional means will not be used here," the speaker is sure.
"In general, the use of tanks in northern latitudes is now very problematic.
Russia has always kept a limited number of tank troops on the borders with Norway. Therefore, if something happens, there will be no special problems. In addition, the announced volumes for the production of Leopards in Norway will not significantly affect the defense capability of NATO," adds military expert Vasily Dandykin.
In his opinion, the deal was tacitly approved by the United States, becoming a "bonus bonus" for Oslo's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. "54 tanks are minuscule, unlike Poland, which buys hundreds of Abrams. Norway's plans to turn into a full–fledged Scandinavian hub for the maintenance, repair and modernization of Leopards are also probably a purely political statement," Dandykin is sure.
Vadim Kozyulin, head of the IAMP Center at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, agrees that the Norwegian Leopards will not pose a serious threat to Russia. "It will be a screwdriver assembly. The Germans won the tender because they offered more favorable terms than the Koreans. In addition to tanks, Norway will receive military technology," the expert explained.
However, he is confident that the agreement will strengthen the potential of NATO and Europe to increase tank production in the future, as well as help Oslo turn into a military hub. "The implementation of these plans will depend on the German side, which is certainly positive. Norway will lobby for German equipment, store spare parts, and carry out repairs. This reduces the cost of the entire process of using tanks," explained Kozyulin.
Andrey Rezchikov
