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Italy to buy Leopard combat tanks, upgrade Arietes

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Italy to buy Leopard combat tanks, upgrade Arietes​

By Tom Kington
Thursday, Jul 13

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A Leopard 2A7 main battle tank of the German Armed Forces participates in an October 2016 exercise at the Bundeswehr training grounds near Bergen, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Koerner/Getty Images)

ROME — Italy is planning to buy 133 new German-built Leopard tanks and upgrade 125 of its ageing Ariete tanks as the Ukraine war brings high intensity land warfare back to Europe.

Announcing the plan in parliament, Italian junior defense minister Isabella Rauti said Italy wanted the Leopard 2 A8 combat version tank and upgraded Arietes to achieve a “radical and significant” improvement in its land capabilities as the Ukraine conflict makes tanks once again “fundamental” to warfare.

Italy has 200 home-built Ariete tanks of which only 50 are still operational. Rauti told parliament that the country needs more than 250 battle tanks to meet NATO requirements. Four billion euros ($4.49 billion) would be budgeted for the new buys from 2024, with a total outlay of eight billion euros envisaged, she said, adding that the plan would need approval from parliament before being enacted.

Rauti did not quantify the number of Leopards to be purchased, but a source knowledgeable of the plan said 133 of the combat tanks built by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann are needed. Four billion euros would cover that acquisition between 2024 and 2037, with further funds being spent on other variants of the Leopard, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak on the record.

The upgrading of 125 Arietes, would cost around 900 million euros, extending their life to 2034, the source added. In her address to the defense commission of the lower house of the Italian parliament, Rauti said the purchase of Leopards would not rule out Italy’s entry into the envisaged Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) initiative.

The acquisition of the German tank would help Italy become more closely involved with German industry and actually facilitate Italian involvement in the MGCS program, she added.Italy is also hoping to replace its ageing Dardo fighting vehicles, with Germany’s Rheinmetall pitching its Lynx fighting vehicle.

About Tom Kington

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

 
European Forces as a whole are a joke. They can't fight a big power. They can only go and bomb countries which hardly have proper forces.
Im curious. Can you name those big powers european forces as a whole cant fight?
 
Im curious. Can you name those big powers european forces as a whole cant fight?
Let say one day China or Russia has a faceoff with France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Norway and other such countries. Don't count USA or Turkey in it. And you would see withing few weeks these countries will lose the war. For past 70 years they have become too relaxed.
 
Let say one day China or Russia has a faceoff with France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Norway and other such countries. Don't count USA or Turkey in it. And you would see withing few weeks these countries will lose the war. For past 70 years they have become too relaxed.
I thought you would mention those two countries. Given you are right, its not exactly many powers of the world ready to face the european joke, isnt? Besides that, you are wrong. Russia wouldnt stand a chance moving against Europe, and a conventional war with China is practically impossible.
 
Ukraine war is a great pleasure for military industry in west
If you group the German military industry with the American military industry, you are joked. The American military industrial complex and politicians make sure Germans are not allow nuclear weapons or other types of weapons. Germany is only allowed junior partner role, if that, the lowest of the junior partner roles. The entire reason for two world wars waged on Germany was so London and then Washington can have their thumb on Germany to keep it down. (The loss of the British Empire in India and Africa was worth keeping the Germans down, for the UK and later joined by the US, to control the globe.)

If you don't believe me ask the Brits.

NATO's first secretary general, Hastings "Pug" Ismay, famously declared that the organization's mission was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down."

The Russians were not controlled by the USA during the cold war, were the real enemy of Washington. Since 1991, the cia has controlled the Kremlin, chose Putin.

Boris Yeltsin had entourage of ‘hundreds’ of CIA agents


You believe once the cia owned the Kremlin that they would give that up easily.

Tony Blair said it was "my job to like Mr Putin". Supported the genocidal Russian war on Chechnya.

cia Bush said could see the soul of Putin and was thrilled Putin visited the Bush Ranch in Texas for personal and private meetings.

The truth hides in plain sight. Putin's role is handler of the anti-Washington side. For the cia to control your side with your leader Russia and Putin.

So your conclusions about Germany are wrong. German rearmament is the greatest fear of Washington for the Ukraine conflict. There is a massive difference between Germany rearming with own industry and Americans arming with own industry. Day and night.

If Europe does a full rearmament using its own industry, the cia would collectively sh*t their pants and chimp out.
 
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European Forces as a whole are a joke. They can't fight a big power. They can only go and bomb countries which hardly have proper forces.
Europe only bombed countries the UNSC gave cause to bomb. We did not do rouge attacks without the UN or global support. China gave full support to Bush in the War in Afghanistan. Those getting the UNSC to be fooled to support the cia wars planned in boardrooms regardless of attacks on the US are the US and UK.

The Bush administration's first major national security directive, NSPD-9, a full-scale battle plan for the invasion of Afghanistan, including command and control, air and ground forces, and logistics, was drafted and sitting on the President's desk to be signed off on September 4, 2001, seven days before the 9/11 attacks. The invasion proceeded as planned in October.


The cia stages the crisis after crisis, that lead to the war to keep down rivals - EU, Middle East nations, China. Since the cia controlled Russia since 1991 with Yeltsin, the crippling defeat of Russia is never on the table. Why destroy the thing you spent the whole cold war to own, and you owned it since Yeltsin years.


Putin is connected to cia linked Chabad. Putin is connected to cia linked Russian mafia. Putin is connected to cia linked Russian Jewish Oligarchs. Netanyahu loves friend Putin. Putin is linked to cia linked Wagner, which is the Russian version of ISIS - destabilizing enemies of Washington for perpetual war. US has ISIS to destabilize enemies. Russia and the cia have Wagner.

War in Afghanistan: Former President Hamid Karzai Claims There Is No Difference Between ISIS and America​


Ex-PM Malki Divulges Hot Secrets of How US Supported ISIS to Gain Power in Iraq​


The cia and mi6 are a criminal war racket. Anglo Wall Street is a criminal financial racket. Working for the same agenda. Anglo dominance. And Europeans are blind to this. US has Europeans as either pro-Russia or pro-Anglo-American. Pick a cia side. You can't defend Europe if you seek security from either of these players.

The plans for war originate in Washington and London. If the war requires UN approval via UNSC resolutions, then the UN approves of the war, including Russia and China. Why did Europe (x UNSC France) not bomb Syria, because there was no UNSC approval for it. France, UK, US, China, Russia believe themselves to be the global government because they can decide in the UNSC which nations to bomb. China gets bribed or threatened to support or abstain from voting on UN Wars. Russia lets the Chabad and Russian Jewish Mafia run the government. It is a criminal enterprise. And US and UK rule the UNSC with the most privileged junior partner - France. A racket, a criminal war racket.

Yes, European forces are a joke. No they cannot fight a big power. They were designed to rely on the US, after the end of the cold war.

Take for instance Germany. They have set aside 100 billion euros to have more spending for defense.

The commissioner called for additional funding to be earmarked for the armed forces, beyond the €100 billion ($107 billion) already supplied as part of a one-off fund.

"The 100 billion euros won't be enough in order to compensate for all the deficiencies, military experts estimate that a total sum of 300 billion euros is necessary," she said.


To make Germany an effective fighting force, Germany has to repair or replace old equipment and parts, along with add vital equipment to make Germany an effective fighting force. The German commissioner said military experts have the figure at 300 billion euros to compensate for all the deficiencies in equipment, parts and ammo.

None of this would make Germany at par with Russia. This would take Germany out being a joke of a military and Germany would be stronger than say Pakistan in terms of army. Germany would have a real fighting force with 300 billion spent. Could it defeat Russia. Not sure.

If I were Germany I would not spend the money to turn a joke of a military into an effective fighting force. I would keep that joke of a military and spend the entire 300 billion needed on the weapons that would totally destroy cia Russia/Chabad Putin. 25-50 billion on ballistic missile defense, air defense, AA guns. 100 billion on ammo. And 150 billion on mortars, towed artillery, rocket, SPGs, and cruise missiles. Get 50K towed howitzers with economy of scales - less than 2 million euros each. Spam Europe with targets. Spam Europe with air defense. Then from there spend more to make the rest of the German military less of a joke. This next war would decide the fate of Europe for over 100 years. MAGA cia Washington is not going to save Europe. Russia is not going to save Europe. China is not going to save Europe. Israel is not going to save Europe. Brexiters are not going to save Europe. UK fought WWI and WWII for the only purpose of keeping down Germany. Period. End of Story. Russia occupying Europe and UK patriot Nigel Farage would cheer for Mother Russia. Europeans are delusional. Russia does not care about Europe. UK/US do not care about Europe, the US supplies to Ukraine are there only to get hegemony, to get the stupid to wave stupid American flags.

Europe having enough military equipment and non-joke militiaries in Europe would prevent the war Russia and cronies want.

Imagine living in Pakistan and Pakistanis either support enemy India or US to save Pakistan from Indian invasion. Save Pakistan daddy USA! I suggest a full military rearmament of Pakistan, yet Pakistani say spend only a bit and rely on Washington to save Pakistan. Wimpy weak jokes.
 
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Let say one day China or Russia has a faceoff with France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Norway and other such countries. Don't count USA or Turkey in it. And you would see withing few weeks these countries will lose the war. For past 70 years they have become too relaxed.

These sorts of comparisons are dumb IMO, wars aren't fought on paper, they are fought on geography. I for the life of me cannot imagine how china is going to be fighting Norway or Italy for example. Like where does this fight even take place? lol Is China going to move its army to Norway or Italy to fight a land war in europe?

If the chinese managed to get to the Mediterranean to fight a land war in Italy, they are getting clobbered, If the Italians were fighting off the coast of china, they are getting clobbered. So these comparisons are nonsense. You build your army depending on realistic needs and outlooks.
 
European Forces as a whole are a joke. They can't fight a big power. They can only go and bomb countries which hardly have proper forces.
Europe's militaries are relatively underfunded because, in actuality, the Europeans found more effective ways to pursue their national interests -- i.e., leveraging economic ties with the U.S. and longstanding political relationships with Africa and the Middle East. They don't fight for fighting's sake, but to pursue their interests. However, as those two pillars erode, the Europeans will gradually increase their investment in their armed forces, and they'll be quite powerful again.
 

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