Amusing Hobby 1/35

The Leopard 2A8 Main Battle Tank (MBT) represents the newest modernized variant in the Leopard 2 family of tanks manufactured by the German companies KMW (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann) and Rheinmetall. This tank is equipped with a cutting-edge armor protection system, believed to incorporate multi-layered armor from the newest generation. It is an improved version of the Leopard 2A7. A demonstrator showing the idea of the Leopard 2A8 was displayed in May 2023 during IDET, an international defense exhibition that was held in Brno, Czech Republic. On May 24, 2023, the German government confirmed the purchase of 18 Leopard 2A8 to replace Leopard 2A6 donated to Ukraine with an option for an additional order of 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks. In a statement published on May 24, 2023, the Czech Ministry of Defense announced that it has authorized Defense Minister Jana Černochová to negotiate the possibility of joining Germany in the purchase of 70 Leopard 2A8 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). On February 21, 2024, the Italian government approved the purchase of 132 Leopard 2A8 tanks.