OSLO (dpa-AFX) - NATO member Norway is buying 54 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany. The Norwegian government has decided to purchase the main battle tanks from German arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced Friday at the Rena military base about 150 kilometers north of Oslo. He said there was also an option to buy 18 more such tanks.

Støre emphasized his country's close and good relationship with Germany. The Federal Republic is playing an increasingly important role in security policy in Europe. Støre said that he had informed Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the purchase in the morning.

The first of the new Leopard tanks are expected to be delivered in 2026, Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said. According to government sources, the purchase is within a cost framework of 19.7 billion Norwegian kroner (about 1.8 billion euros) set by parliament. This framework thus covers more than the actual purchase of the tanks. The negotiated purchase price was kept secret.

The Norwegian parliament had approved the procurement of new battle tanks in 2021. The Scandinavian non-EU country then considered several different tank models. According to Norwegian media reports, the decision was ultimately made between the Leopard 2A7 and the South Korean Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther.

Norway currently has 36 Leopard tanks of the older 2A4 type. Støre's government has announced that it will supply some of them to Ukraine - how many remains unclear./trs/DP/mis