The Greek Army plans to modernize about 170 of its Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, put into service in 2005, reports the Kathimerini newspaper. quoted by BTA.
The Army General Staff has decided to replace the tanks' fire control system with a modern version and add systems to strengthen active protection, complementing existing measures adapted from the lessons of the war in Ukraine, the newspaper said.
The modernization will be carried out by the Greek company METKA. This has been planned for several years, as the current fire control system is inferior not only to the newer Leopard 2A6 HEL tanks, but also to the Leopard 1A5 models, which entered service in 1993 after modernization, notes Kathimerini.
The Leopard 2A4s are central to the army's presence along the Evros River (Maritsa River) border. Greece operates a total of over 850 Leopard tanks, as well as around 1,200 other models, including US-made M48 variants. Greece has the largest tank fleet in Europe, formed from past tensions with Turkey, which is modernizing its Leopard tanks through the local military industry, the newspaper said.