On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the Swedish Army’s Land Warfare Centre (Markstridsskolan) in Skövde announced on social media that it had received the first of 110 modernized Strv 123A (Leopard 2 SWE) tanks, delivered from the Federal Republic of Germany.
Photos: Markstridsskolan
The vehicle was formally handed over on June 22 this year to the customer, Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration FMV (Försvarets materielverk), operating under the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden, by the contractor, German company KNDS Deutschland, part of the Franco-German joint venture KNDS, in Munich.
The shipment from Germany was received by FMV last Friday, and at the beginning of this week the tank arrived at the garrison in Skövde, in the Västra Götaland region in southern Sweden. It will initially be used to train instructors, who will subsequently train tank crews, as well as technicians.
The modernization program, referred to by the manufacturer as REMO (Renovation Modernization), began on October 10, 2023, when FMV signed a contract worth approximately 3.5 billion SEK with then Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, now KNDS Deutschland, to modernize 44 Stridsvagn 122 (Strv 122) tanks, based on the Leopard 2A5, to the Strv 123A standard.
Later, on January 9, 2025, another contract worth more than 22 billion SEK was signed with German company KNDS Deutschland for the delivery of 44 new Leopard 2A8 tanks, designated Strv 123B, as well as depot-level overhauls and modernization of 66 Strv 122 tanks to a similar standard, the aforementioned Strv 123A. This means that the Swedish Army (Svenska Armén) will ultimately operate a total of 154 of the most advanced Leopard 2-family tanks. The new order will also more than compensate for the loss resulting from the transfer of 10 Strv 122 tanks to Ukraine, of which the majority (nine) have been lost: two destroyed, five damaged and two captured by Russian forces.
Modernization to the Strv 123A standard includes, among other things, replacement of virtually all electronic components in the vehicles, integration of a new 55-caliber Rh-120 gun (L55) with improved capability to use programmable ammunition, replacing the currently used Rh-120 L44, new night sights for the gunner and commander, a new thermal imaging camera for the driver, an auxiliary power unit (APU), and finally new tracks with rubber pads. It also involves removing dedicated Swedish solutions and standardizing the tanks with the latest Leopard 2 variants used, or planned for future use, by NATO countries.
Deliveries of all 110 modernized tanks are scheduled to be completed by 2030. In the meantime, between 2028 and 2031, the new Strv 123B tanks are to be delivered.
The Stridsvagn 122 was developed to meet Svenska Armén requirements through cooperation between Germany’s KMW, now KNDS Deutschland, and Sweden’s Land Systems Hägglunds AB, now part of BAE Systems, on the basis of the Leopard 2A5. Compared with the original design, the vehicle received a new fire-control system, new Akers modular special armor and launchers for French Galix smoke grenades. Swedish company Saab Defence and Security supplied the AGDUS laser firing simulation system. It is considered the best-protected member of the Leopard 2 family.
A total of 121 tanks were produced and delivered in successive development variants: Strv 122A, Strv 122B and Strv 122B Int., while in recent years modifications to the Strv 122C and Strv 122D standards have been carried out. In 2010, a Strv 122B+ Evolution prototype was also built. As recently as 2017, Svenska Armén operated three frontline companies with a total of 42 tanks.
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