Finland upgrades Leopard 2 FCS

The Finnish MoD announced on 7 December that it had authorised the FDF to sign a contract with KMW to upgrade the FCSs of the army's Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A6 (pictured) MBTs. (FDF)

The Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 7 December that it had authorised the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) to sign a contract with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to upgrade the fire-control systems (FCS) of the army's Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs). The ministry valued the procurement, including options, at EUR10 million (USD11 million), excluding value-added tax.

Installation of the FCSs will be carried out by FDF strategic partner Millog of Finland starting in the beginning of 2022 and to be completed during 2026, the Finnish MoD said. A ministry spokesman told Janes on 10 December that all Finnish Leopard 2s would be upgraded. He expected the contract with KMW still to be signed this month.

The upgrade will allow Finland's Leopard 2 fleet to fire high-explosive (HE) fragmentation rounds, significantly improving the tanks' firepower, employment possibilities, and their ability to support army troops, according to Inspector of Infantry Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi of Finland's Army Command.

The MoD spokesman confirmed to Janes