Lithuania fast-tracks Leopard 2A8 tank assembly project

VILNIUS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian government on Wednesday eased conditions to begin assembling German-made Leopard tanks in the country as quickly as possible.

The Lithuanian Cabinet on Wednesday recognized the planned Leopard 2A8 tank assembly plant in Lithuania as a project ensuring urgent national security and defense needs. The decision will simplify procedures related to territorial planning, construction permits, and other administrative processes.

In December 2025, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas and representatives of the German defense industry companies KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme, together with Epso-G Invest, signed three agreements on industrial cooperation and ensuring the combat technical readiness of Leopard tanks.

To ensure a faster delivery schedule for the tanks and support the expansion of Lithuania's defense industry capabilities, the parties agreed that part of the tanks would be assembled in Lithuania.

The Leopard assembly project in Lithuania is planned to be implemented by Lithuania Defense Services (LDS), a company controlled by KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme. The company plans to invest about 50 million euros (58.23 million U.S. dollars) in the project. Enditem