Armasuisse and Rheinmetall seal tank sale
Published: Thursday, Nov 23rd 2023, 15:20
Updated At: Thursday, Nov 23rd 2023, 15:23
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The Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) and the German manufacturer Rheinmetall signed the contract for the sale of 25 Leopard 2 battle tanks on Thursday. The Federal Council granted the export license on Wednesday.
The 25 Leopard tanks are among the 87 tanks that have been decommissioned without any value retention. German Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius requested the resale of some of these decommissioned tanks in February.
Germany assured Switzerland that the battle tanks would not be transferred to Ukraine. The German government guaranteed that they would remain in Germany, with the NATO defense alliance or with EU partners. They are intended to fill gaps there.
Parliament approved the decommissioning of the 25 combat vehicles on this condition and the Federal Council approved Armasuisse's export request, as the Federal Office announced on Thursday.
Extensive offsetting transactions
In the sales contract, Armasuisse and the armaments group Rheinmetall Landsysteme agreed on a purchase price and offsetting transactions for Swiss industrial and technology companies in the same amount.
Rheinmetall has also agreed to work on the fire control computers of the 134 active Leopard 2 tanks in the Swiss Army. According to Armasuisse, this will increase their endurance. These tanks were modernized as part of the 2006 armament programme.
According to Armasuisse, Rheinmetall will transport the 25 tanks to Germany by rail "promptly". During the overhaul, the German armaments company will remove parts that can still be used in the active tanks in Switzerland and send them back free of charge. This speeds up the purchasing process and at the same time relieves the Swiss Army's logistics base.
Neutrality-compliant resale
The export of tanks abroad is subject to the licensing criteria of the War Material Act. The export of these tanks to the original manufacturer in Germany is in line with these licensing criteria, as the Federal Council ruled on Wednesday.
Defense Minister Viola Amherd assured that the sell-back is correct in terms of neutrality law and makes sense in terms of neutrality policy. Switzerland was thus making a contribution to Europe's security. It is in its interest if partner countries can strengthen their defense capabilities.
©Keystone/SDA
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