Pfreimd (dpa/lby) - The Bundeswehr Panzer Battalion 104 in the Upper Palatinate town of Pfreimd is gradually being equipped with Leopard 2 A7V main battle tanks. The suffix 2 A7V stands for the seventh development stage of the Leopard 2 and the "V" for "improved". A symbolic key handover took place on Friday at the barracks in the Schwandorf district. Nine new tanks have already arrived since December, and five more are to follow in March, said Lieutenant Colonel Marek Krüger.
Soldiers have been training on the new tanks for a few weeks now. In his own words, Krüger hopes that the new introduction will lead to a leap in quality in terms of training and the battalion's ability to fight. Taking over the new tanks is both a pleasure and an obligation - because the battalion has the most experience with the new weapon system in training and practice. In close cooperation with the industry, identified weaknesses in the weapon system could be remedied quickly and unbureaucratically. The training in March is to be evaluated.
