Switzerland joins the LeoBen community

Following a decision by the Swiss Federal Council on December 8th, the Swiss Army is joining the Leopard tank operator group, LeoBen. Switzerland had been part of the technology and utilization working groups for the Leopard 2 tank since 1985.

The Community of Leopard User States (LeoBen) was founded in 1969. In several working groups, the members exchange ideas about logistics and further development in order to improve the efficiency of the battle tanks and reduce costs on a common basis. LeoBen is controlled by a steering committee led by Germany.

By joining the operator group, future improvements and further developments can be tackled together with other Leopard users, writes the Federal Council. Through active participation, user experiences can be shared and shared more broadly. Among other things, this also strengthens the negotiating position of users vis-à-vis the manufacturing companies. Participation gives Switzerland increased rights to have a say and opens up the possibility of taking part in further joint projects with systems based on the Leopard 2 tank.

Particularly of interest to Switzerland at the moment is participation in the subordinate working group on the Leguan bridge-laying system (note: Switzerland currently has twelve Leguan bridge-layers based on the Leopard 2). The aim of this working group is to create a uniform configuration status of the Leguan bridge laying system and to maintain a common design standard.

According to information from armasuisse, Switzerland currently operates 134 87 Leopard 2 A4 WE main battle tanks, which were modernized as part of the 2006 armaments program. In addition, it has 96 decommissioned 87 Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks that have not undergone any preservation. The 87 Leopard 2 A4 WE main battle tanks are designed for a service life until 2025/203.

Gerhard Heiming

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