Qatar interested to buy 200 German Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks 0208121.

The German security council, comprised of the Chancellor and key ministers, which decides whether to allow such trades, has not yet discussed Qatar's request, Spiegel said, adding the economy ministry and the Chancellery would give their support.

A spokeswoman for the economy ministry declined to comment.

Currently the Qatari military has 30 French-made AMX-30 main battle tanks developed and delivered to the customer in the late 1980s. The AMX-30 is a main battle tank designed by GIAT, first delivered to the French Army in 1966.

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. The Leopard 2A6 includes a new longer L55 gun, an auxiliary engine, improved mine protection and an air-conditioning system.