The Czech army received the first of 15 tanks to be sent from Germany, which will replace those sent to Ukraine to boost its defences.
German arms maker Rheinmetall will deliver Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles to the Czech Republic as part of an international swap scheme to allow the flow of weapons to Ukraine, agreed upon in May by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany has done similar deals with Slovakia, Greece and Slovenia – providing Western equipment to these countries, who handed their own Soviet-era stock to Ukraine.
The Czech Defense Ministry says the remaining 14 tanks should be delivered by the end of next year.