Update: Sweden purchases new simulators for Leopard tanks

The Land Warfare School in Skövde is one of the various centres receiving the new Leopard 2A5 MBT simulators. (Swedish Armed Forces)

The Swedish Armed Forces is procuring new Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2A5) tank simulators from KNDS to improve crew training.

KNDS – a joint venture between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter – will be supplying the new simulators, replacing all current turret trainers as well as the “full mission simulator” at the Land Warfare School, a spokesperson from the Defence Material Administration told Janes on 23 January.

The new crew trainers will be supplied to the l19 Norrbotten and P7 South Skåne regiments, as well as a new full mission simulator for the P18 Gotland regiment.

In total 18 simulators are being procured under the contract, the spokesperson said, with deliveries occurring continuously until 2029.

The army’s Stridsvagn 122 main battle tanks (MBTs) are undergoing a major modernisation programme following a contract signed with KMW in October 2023, which will see the company replace all the tanks’ electrical components as well as install a new L/55 120 mm gun, gunner and commander sights, night-driving cameras, and running gear, including tracks.