Update: Leopard 2A8 production begins in Norway

Production of the Leopard 2A8NOR MBT has begun in Levanger, Norway. (KNDS)

Production of the Leopard 2A8NOR main battle tank (MBT) began on 15 October 2026. KNDS announced in a press release later the same day.

The company noted that it and Norwegian vehicle service and maintenance company Ritek opened a new production facility for the Leopard 2A8NOR in Levanger, Norway, in April 2026, after taking 18 months to set it up. The facility has a capacity to produce up to 36 tanks per year and will build 37 of the Norwegian Army's 54 Leopard 2A8s.

On 4 May 2026, the German company announced that the first two Leopard 2A8NOR MBTs were delivered to the Norwegian Army on 30 April 2026.

The integrated production and testing facility in Levanger has test tracks such as a laser range, with steep slopes and an immersion pool. The facility is supplied by energy from geothermal sources, according to KNDS.

Seventeen Leopard 2A8s are being produced by KNDS Deutschland at its site in Munich and 37 in Norway. Planning calls for the tanks to enter Norwegian Army service starting in 2027 after testing and verification.

Asked if all 37 Leopard 2A8NOR MBTs being built in Levanger will be completed by the end of 2027 and how many had been completed in Germany, a KNDS spokesperson told Janes on 20 October, “We expect to have delivered all systems, including the 37 Leopard 2A8NOR units being manufactured in Levanger, by 2028.” He declined to answer how many Leopard 2A8NOR had been built so far in Germany.