Italy to buy Leopard combat tanks, upgrade Arietes
By Tom Kington Thursday, Jul 13
A Leopard 2A7 main battle tank of the German Armed Forces participates.
Italy to Purchase German-Made Leopard 2 Tanks globalsecurity.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globalsecurity.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ROME (Reuters) -Italy is planning to buy German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to boost its ground forces in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a defence undersecretary told parliament on Thursday. Isabella Rauti, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, told the lower house defence committee that buying the tanks was part of a drive to significantly upgrade the country's army. The administration aims to include the programme in the multi-year defence budget for 2023-2025, setting aside initial funds worth 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) from 2024 to purchase the new tanks and upgrade other military hardware, Rauti said.