Switzerland sells back 25 main battle tanks to Germany
Germany has given the Swiss government assurances that the tanks will remain either in Germany, with NATO or with its EU partners
Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
The Swiss government has approved the export of 25 main battle tanks to their German manufacturer, Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, it said on Wednesday.
“Germany has given assurances that the tanks will remain either in Germany, with NATO or with its EU partners,” the statement said.
They will be used to supplement their armaments. The tanks cannot be sent to Ukraine, not even indirectly.
In September, parliament agreed to decommission this equipment on condition that it be sold back to the company that manufactured it. Following this decision, armasuisse submitted an export application to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
The resale of these tanks will not prevent the Swiss army from meeting its needs. The army currently has 134 Leopard 2 tanks in service and 96 in depot. The 25 tanks concerned will be taken from the latter.
Leopard 1 survey
These tanks have nothing to do with the Ruag machines stored in Italy, which have been in the news a lot recently. At the beginning of 2023, the German company Rheinmetall asked Ruag MRO if it could buy the 96 Leopard 1 tanks and then send them to Ukraine.
A contract was signed, subject to approval by the government. But the government refused the sale. It considered the operation incompatible with the law in force, particularly with regard to neutrality. An external investigation was opened at the request of the defence ministry and Ruag followed suit.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
This content was published on
A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.
Sharp rise in reports of suspicious sports betting in Switzerland
This content was published on
Last year the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority received 184 reports of suspicious activities in connection with 166 sports competitions.
Swiss fencers apologise for diplomatic scandal with Israel
This content was published on
Two days after causing a diplomatic scandal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, the Swiss fencers responsible have published a jointly signed apology on Instagram.
Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
This content was published on
The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.
Switzerland’s first padel court on water built in Arosa
This content was published on
Switzerland's first padel tennis court on water will open on the Obersee in Arosa, canton Graubünden, for the 2025 summer season.
This content was published on
Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.
Jackie Chan to be honoured for life’s work at Locarno Film Festival
This content was published on
Martial artist Jackie Chan will receive an Honorary Leopard, a lifetime achievement award, from the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland in August.
Novartis raises forecast again after strong Q1 results
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has continued the strong pace of growth of recent quarters in the first three months of 2025.
Swiss canton holds first general meeting on winegrowing
This content was published on
More than 250 professionals attended the first general meeting of the Valais wine industry on Monday in Conthey, western Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.