The National Guard General Staff (GEEF) is reportedly dissatisfied with the condition of Greek Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, which had been proposed as a potential solution to reinforce the National Guard’s armored fleet. A delegation from Cyprus traveled to Greece to conduct a firsthand inspection of the vehicles Athens was prepared to hand over.
The on-site inspection revealed that these specific tanks cannot meet the operational requirements of the National Guard, even as an interim solution.
Any potential agreement between Athens and Nicosia was strictly conditional on the tanks being deemed operationally fit to fill the strategic gaps left by Cyprus’s obsolete fleet of 126 EE-9 Cascavel wheeled armored vehicles, which the National Guard originally received back in 1980.
Given these findings, no agreement exists between Cyprus and Greece for the transfer of Leopard 1A5 tanks, contrary to recent reports circulating on Greek websites.
Despite this setback, efforts by the Ministry of Defence and GEEF to bolster the National Guard’s armored capabilities remain ongoing. Israeli Merkava tanks continue to feature prominently at the top of the priority list. However, ongoing Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon and the subsequent heavy deployment of armor by the IDF are understood to have put any further developments on that front on hold for the time being.