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 Rome needed a “significant upgrading” of its land forces and buying the Leopard 2 tanks was part of the strategy.
The move marks the first formal Italian initiative to upgrade its armoury since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
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) in 2024 out of an estimated total expenditure of 8 billion, Rauti said.
However, she said no specific procurement process for the tanks had been triggered and the government would seek parliamentary approval before implementing the plan.
The Leopard is jointly manufactured by German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
The Italian army at present relies on some 200 Ariete tanks, of which only around 50 are fully operational, a defence source told Reuters.
Along with buying the new Leopards, the government is planning to modernise the Ariete fleet to improve their efficiency and safety, Rauti said.
“Buying the Leopards and modernising the Ariete will ensure a number of units sufficient to meet NATO requirements,” she said.
($1 = 0.8954 euros)
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
