NATO member Slovakia is rethinking its plan to replace its thirty Soviet-era T-72M1 tanks, which it inherited from the Czechoslovakian military at the end of the Cold War, with additional German-made Leopard 2s. Bratislava already operates fifteen of the Leopard 2A4 variants, which it received from Germany as compensation for sending its retired Warsaw Pact military hardware including 30 BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine in 2022.

The Slovakian Ministry of Defense has sought to retire the last of those T-72s, and replace them with more modern tanks—and the Leopard 2A8, the latest and most advanced variant, was originally on the table. According to recent reports, Bratislava had plans to purchase 104 modern main battle tanks (MBT). This is the first major acquisition of armored vehicles the country has obtained since it obtained independence in 1993.

However, as the Central European nation is seeking quantity as much as quality, it is now considering other options, and Defense News reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák has signaled that instead, Slovakia is now considering the CV90120 light-tracked vehicle.

Others in Slovakia suggested the country's military needs to weigh the pros and cons of selecting the light tank over a tried and true main battle tank (MBT).

"The CV90120 is an interesting offer because it uses the same platform as the CV90 that Slovakia will operate, but has a different cannon. However, it is a light vehicle, as opposed to the heavy Leopard tank which weighs around twice as much," Jaroslav Nad', Slovakia's former defense minister who chairs the opposition Demokrati (Democrats) party, told Defense News on Wednesday.

"The CV90120 would be cheaper than new Leopard 2A8s, but not by as much as Kaliňák claims," Nad' added "Slovakia's defense budget is already undermined by cuts and inefficient spending on construction projects outside the ministry's scope."

The Swedish-Made Light Tank

The CV90120 is essentially a light tank on the CV90 IFV chassis—made so by the addition of a 120mm main gun. According to its maker, BAE Systems, it was developed to provide firepower that is comparable to an MBT, while the 120mm smoothbore gun can fire all standard NATO ordnance of that caliber. It requires just a three-person crew as it employs an autoloader, while it also incorporates "AI-assisted threat identification."

Purchasing the light tanks could seem cost-effective for Bratislava, but this may be a case of being penny-smart and pound-foolish. IFVs are capable platforms, but they're not tanks regardless of the size of the main gun or other weapons.

As Defense Express also warned, the CV90120 "fundamentally cannot perform the same functions on the battlefield as a classic main battle tank," while it added, "No NATO country has purchased the CV90120-T light tanks at the moment, a factor that only exacerbates the existing problem with interoperability between the other Alliance members' armies on the battlefield. Therefore, a logical question: why really buy this kind of vehicle, especially when there is already a problem of a short defense budget?"

Fewer Leopard 2A8s may be a better solution than trying to boost the number of vehicles. As Russia has seen in its futile war, all tanks can be destroyed on the modern battlefield, but the crews are more likely to survive in a larger more heavily armored vehicle. Less capable vehicles are simply metal coffins.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image: Wikimedia Commons.