Details not availableĭetails of the proposed long-term maintenance program were not available Thursday night, but a spokeswoman for the minister, Isabelle Bouchard, confirmed the existence of the support plan. "The total project cost of the loaned tanks, the acquisition of 100 surplus tanks from the Netherlands, the requisite upgrades and enhancements to this new Leopard 2 fleet, and an initial acquisition of spare parts is $650 million, which will be funded from existing departmental allocations," said a National Defence background paper released at the minister's Quebec City announcement. In order to bolster Canada's fighting forces in Afghanistan, O'Connor announced on April 12 that the army was going to borrow 20 modern Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and purchase 100 slightly used tanks of the same variant from the Dutch.īut there was no mention at that time of a support contract, only the purchase of spare parts and cost of modifications. "The capital acquistion is $650 million and the support for 20 years is about $650 million about the same range," he said in reply to an opposition question during debate over Defence Department estimates. Canada's purchase and long-term support of 100 slightly used Leopard 2A6 battle tanks will be $1.3 billion- roughly double the Conservative government's initial public estimate last month.Īs he detailed a laundry list of military hardware the Conservative government plans to buy over the next few years, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor surprised the Commons Thursday by announcing there will be a 20-year, $650-million service contract attached to the tank deal.
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