Pre-owned, one user, tanks for Army?

This would be quite a shift in doctrine.

Canadian army officers are negotiating the purchase of as many as 100 surplus tanks from the German and Swiss armies, CTV News has learned.

The deal may yet fall through but, even if it does, the fact that army officers are contemplating a purchase that could more than double the number of tanks in the Canadian Forces represents a significant strategic shift, military analysts say.

As recently as 2003, military planners were proceeding to sell, dismantle and mothball Canada's tanks. The Liberal government of the day approved a $3-billion plan to replace Canada's fleet of 66 Leopard 1 tanks with lighter, faster and more mobile armoured vehicles...

...industry sources say the Canadians are considering the purchase of either or both the A4 and A5 variant of the Leopard 2 from the Germans and the Swiss. The Leopard 2 is an updated and improved version of the Leopard 1s already in operation in the Canadian Forces...

The asking price for the tanks may be too good to pass up. While a brand new Leopard 2 can cost up to $6 million each, the Canadians may be able to purchase them for as little as $350,000 each. European armies, who once thought they would need thousands of tanks to counter a possible Russian threat now find themselves with too many tanks as that threat has largely evaporated. Consequently, there are many more vendors of tanks than buyers and surplus tanks can be purchased at fire-sale prices.

The money for the tank purchase could be diverted from the $3-billion project approved by the Liberals to buy lighter, faster armoured vehicles. CTV News has learned that one of those projects -- the Stryker Mobile Gun System -- has effectively been cancelled after problems were identified with the Stryker's gun turret system...

But note:

Defence sources stress there is no formal requirement or procurement project at this point and that the army is only examining various future options to ensure it has the firepower and protection available to support ground troops...

Information about what nations have used Leopard 2s for sale and how many are available has been gathered by Canadian military planners. If the army decided to go ahead with a purchase, at least 50 tanks would be needed. Sources said the work is part of prudent military planning...

Information about what nations have used Leopard 2s for sale and how many are available has been gathered by Canadian military planners. If the army decided to go ahead with a purchase, at least 50 tanks would be needed. Sources said the work is part of prudent military planning...

... it is believed some senior officers raised concerns that future war zones would require better protection than that offered by the Mobile Gun System. Insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs, have been successful in knocking out lighter armoured vehicles. In Iraq, even tanks have been destroyed in such attacks, but those heavier armoured vehicles are generally seen as being more capable of surviving such strikes.

The army's request to cancel both programs has yet to be approved by Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor. The government's decision on whether to cancel the MGS program is expected to be in its soon-to-released defence capabilities plan.

Good thread at Army.ca--CTV reporter David Akin (first story above) is taken to task and responds.