Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain sign agreement to develop new tank

Germany has signed agreements with Italy, Spain, and Sweden to develop the next generation of the Leopard 2 tank, Handelsblatt reports.

Report informs, citing RBC-Ukraine, that the development of the tank will be undertaken by the companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall. However, Rheinmetall and KMW have declined to comment on the contract. The German Ministry of Defense has also not provided any comments on the information regarding the agreement.

The project will also involve the Swedish company Saab and the Italian company Leonardo. The company representing Spain is not yet known.

A similar agreement could affect France-Germany relations, as both countries signed a similar contract in 2017. Furthermore, in July of this year, both sides expressed a desire to "reinvigorate" the signed agreement. However, the countries could not agree on the tank's specifications.