Canada looking to expedite purchase of armoured fighting vehicle and a new tank
A Canadian Leopard 2 tank taking part in an exercise in Latvia; there is a contract to support the army’s platform through to 2035. (Photo: Corp Bryan Bodo, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician)
Canada is improving its Leopard main battle tank fleet but before this is fully completed, it is expected to begin looking for new vehicles.
Canada is looking to buy more than 250 armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) which could be fielded as early as before the end of the decade, according to sources at Defence IQ’s International Armoured Vehicles conference this month.
The original objective had been to field the vehicles in 2035 but, under details revealed at the conference, Canada is aiming to expedite the process to have the vehicles in the hands of soldiers by 2029-31.
The AFVs are for the Canadian Army’s armoured cavalry forces with a focus on STANAG Level 6 blast protection and high tactical mobility.
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It is believed the force is looking for modular vehicles to provide direct fire through gun and/or mortar, loitering munitions fire, munitions carrier and C2 operations.
Bridging the gap for the Canadian Army
At the same time, Canada expects to complete the upgrade of its current Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs) to a new Leopard 2A6M standard by 2033. The country’s 103 Leopard 2A4, 2A4M and 2A6M vehicles are being supported through a contract awarded in 2024 and these are expected to remain operational until 2035.
Parallel to this, Canada plans to “identify and begin procurement” of a new platform by 2030. Under the plan, the upgraded and new MBTs will likely form the basis of an additional armoured battalion and companies, which will be fully operational by 2037.
Canadian Army staff are currently developing a warfighting concept for 2040 with one source noting: “The force design may require additional armoured or armoured cavalry battalions but it is just too early at this point to say how many.”
The source continued: “We recognise that the army we have is not the army we need, and we are taking the necessary funded steps to bridge that gap.
“We are changing our structure, we are modernising our fleet, we are growing our armoured capability. We are not no longer just talking about the future; we are actively building it.”
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