Austrian army to cut in half armoured vehicles fleet in a bid to save 12 million euros.

"Autonomous defense of territory is no longer necessary because of changes in the security environment," Darabos told daily Krone Zeitung, referring to the end of the Cold War and the remote prospect of a tank invasion.

Under the plan, Austria will scrap or sell around 500 armored vehicles and related defense systems from 2011.

The Hungarian government has expressed an interest in purchasing some tanks, the newspaper reported.