Austrian Bundesheer receives first upgraded Leopard 2 tanks and Ulan IFVs
Austria's Bundesheer has taken delivery of the first upgraded Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Ulan infantry fighting vehicles under a modernisation contract with KNDS Deutschland. The upgrades were pursued as a budget-constrained alternative to new vehicle procurement. No quantities or contract value were disclosed.
Sweden receives first upgraded Leopard 2 tank under Stridsvagn 123A modernisation programme
Sweden's FMV procurement agency has received the first upgraded Leopard 2 main battle tank from KNDS Deutschland under the Stridsvagn 123A programme. The system has arrived in Sweden and represents the start of deliveries for a broader fleet modernisation. Sweden operates older Leopard 2 variants and is upgrading them to improve firepower, protection and digital battlefield integration. Additional deliveries are expected through 2027.
KNDS Deutschland takes final assembly of Bundeswehr CAVS 6×6s
Patria and KNDS Deutschland Maintenance signed a framework for montage and end-integration of Patria 6×6 vehicles under the Common Armoured Vehicle System programme for the Bundeswehr. Serial deliveries are due to ramp from early 2027 as German industrial capacity builds; Germany’s 2025 buy covered up to 876 vehicles across troop, engineer, recce and NEMO mortar variants worth over €2bn, against a stated overall need of about 4,000 Fuchs replacements.
Why it matters: CAVS only becomes a European industrial story when German yards finish the hulls — this is that handoff.
PatriaKNDS DeutschlandBundeswehrGermanyFinland Hartpunkt (DE) →Soldat & Technik (DE) →
Austria breaks up firm supplying Russian missile and jet engine kit
Defence24 reports Austrian authorities dismantled a Vienna-based company that supplied equipment used to make engines for Russian missiles and fighter jets, circumventing European sanctions.
Why it matters: Sanctions bite only as far as the last dual-use machine shop in a quiet EU capital.