Portuguese Army Receives First Leopard 2A6 Tanks

Portuguese Army Receives First Leopard 2A6 Tanks (NSI News Source Info) October 25, 2008: The Minister of National Defence, Nuno Severiano Teixeira, will preside at 11 o’clock this morning the reception ceremony for the first eight Leopard 2A6 tanks delivered to the Portuguese Army. The ceremony will be held at the Santa Margarida army base in Constancia.

Leopard 2A6 tanks

The Leopard acquisition program, part of the Military Program Law, is intended to equip the army with modern vehicles, with a high degree of operational capabilities and versatility, and adequate levels of security and protection. With the acquisition of the Leopard 2A6 tanks, the Portuguese Army will obtain technical innovations that will place it on a par with Allied armies, and will reinforce the capabilities of the Mechanised Brigade, whose capabilities in terms of mobility and firepower will be significantly improved. In addition, this program will contribute to the modernization of the armed forces and to the rationalization of their equipment and will improve their effective combat capability for all types of missions. It will allow Portugal to participate in joint operations with its Allies, with similar levels of technology and of operational capabilities. To equip the Army, Portugal acquired from the Netherlands 37 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks, manufactured in Germany, to replace the M-60A3 tanks in service. The Leopard 2A6 is one of the most successful tanks of the latest-generation. More than 3,200 Leopard tanks have been produced and are in service in a large number of countries which operate them in a wide range of organizations and operational doctrines. These include Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Canada, Chile and Singapore.