{"id":66663,"date":"2023-10-03T18:37:32","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T18:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/03\/to-maintain-or-replace-that-is-the-question-for-canadas-tank-fleet\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:58:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:58:04","slug":"to-maintain-or-replace-that-is-the-question-for-canadas-tank-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2023\/10\/03\/to-maintain-or-replace-that-is-the-question-for-canadas-tank-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"To maintain or replace? That is the question for Canada\u2019s tank fleet."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VICTORIA, British Columbia \u2014 Canada is deploying tanks on an overseas mission for the first time in more than a decade, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/outlook\/2021\/12\/06\/canadian-defense-minister-we-will-always-ensure-our-military-is-ready-willing-and-able\/\" target=\"_blank\">the future for the country\u2019s armored fleet<\/a> remains uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first of 15 Canadian Leopard 2 tanks are expected to arrive in Latvia in mid-November as part of efforts to shore up NATO\u2019s presence in that Eastern European nation. While that is taking place, work is underway in the Canadian Army to determine how best to maintain and support the aging tank fleet while trying to decide whether to replace the platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An estimated CA$1.5 billion (U.S. $1.1 billion) will go toward the new Leopard long-term support contract, according to Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande. That contract will see maintenance and support services for the Leopard 2 fleet in place until the tanks\u2019 forecast end of life, currently scheduled for 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe scope of work will include key services such as maintenance support, upgrades as required, supply chain management, engineering support and technical support for the Canadian Leopard 2 fleet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Canadian Army had 82 Leopard 2 main battle tanks, but donated eight to Ukraine amid its fight against a Russian invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canada has identified German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann as the sole-source provider for the long-term contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe expect a contract award by spring 2024,\u201d Lamirande said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, the Canadian Army briefed industry representatives on April 3 in Ottawa about a proposed plan to modernize the Leopard fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Lt. Col. Chloeann Summerfield noted the tank life extension would cost more than CA$850 million and deal with obsolescence issues as well as technology improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project is in its early stages but would prioritize improvements to the Leopard 2\u2032s protection, surveillance, target acquisition, firepower and mobility, Summerfield told industry officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army would also seek cooperation and a common configuration for such upgraded vehicles with other users of the Leopard, according to the presentation, obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A request for bids from industry for the life extension effort is to be issued around 2028, with the first fielding of the upgraded tanks starting in 2030, the presentation noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the considerations is a \u201climited budget\u201d for the project, Summerfield said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Financial barriers will also impact Canada\u2019s decision on whether to buy new tanks to replace the Leopard 2 fleet, according to Canadian defense observers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Martin Shadwick, a professor of Canadian defense policy and the military at Toronto\u2019s York University, said the Army has had a contentious relationship with tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In October 2003, Lt. Gen. Rick Hillier, then-commander of the Army, announced Canada was retiring Leopard tanks from service and would purchase the U.S.-made Stryker Mobile Gun System, a wheeled vehicle, Shadwick noted. At the time, Hillier said the Army\u2019s Leopards had served their purpose but were of limited use in warfare, as the enemy was no longer Russia but rather terrorists in austere environments like Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, several years later, the Army\u2019s new leadership reversed course, instead sending Leopard tanks to Afghanistan in 2006. Canadian military leaders fighting in that country had requested the tanks, as their heavy armor provided more protection against improvised explosive devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the end of the war in Afghanistan, Canadian tanks have been limited to training exercises at home. The Canadian government has committed to buying a limited number of new tanks to replace the eight Leopards it donated to Ukraine over the past two years. In February 2023, then-Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the acquisition plan, but it\u2019s yet to move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4437\" height=\"2847\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg 4437w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg?resize=300,192 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg?resize=768,493 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,657 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,986 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20230317AKAK0001D007.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1314 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4437px) 100vw, 4437px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177 Globemaster delivers a Leopard 2A4 tank to Poland on March 17, 2023, as a part of Canada&#8217;s commitment to donate the platforms to Ukraine. (Master Sailor Valerie LeClair\/Canadian Armed Forces)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The office of Bill Blair, the current defense minister, would not provide specific details about that potential purchase. Daniel Minden, Blair\u2019s press secretary, pointed out that \u201ccapability requirements are being reviewed by the Army to ensure capability replenishment and interoperability. Plans and timelines remain to be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For his part, Shadwick doesn\u2019t expect the government will buy new tanks in the near future, including those meant to replace the Leopards now in Ukraine. \u201cThere is a real lack of funding for procurement, and new tanks are way down the list of priorities for the Canadian forces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former defense procurement chief Alan Williams agreed, noting major military purchases, such as F-35 fighter jets and the new Canadian Surface Combatant ships, leave little funds left over for tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The annual budget for defense equipment acquisitions is CA$5 billion, but much, if not all, will be earmarked for the fleet of surface combatants, Williams told Defense News. The surface combatants are estimated to cost CA$100 billion over the next 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canada has also committed to spending CA$40 billion to modernize North American Aerospace Defense Command \u2014 a figure that includes the purchase of F-35s \u2014 and another CA$6 billion on new P-8 patrol aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can\u2019t see how the Army can even contemplate the acquisition of new tanks,\u201d Williams said. \u201cA lot of potential equipment projects will be seriously affected by programs already committed to by government.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada is deploying tanks on an overseas mission for the first time in more than a decade, but the future for the country\u2019s armored fleet is uncertain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":118444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,14,36,48],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3445],"class_list":["post-66663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-land","category-newsletters","category-the-americas"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BV6JH55455HJHDPAR3FYOBXDE4","arc_canonical_url":"\/land\/2023\/10\/03\/to-maintain-or-replace-that-is-the-question-for-canadas-tank-fleet\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>To maintain or replace? 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