April 16, 2007: Canada has made a deal to upgrade its tank force. It will spend $575 million to lease twenty German Leopard 2A6 tanks for several years, for use in Afghanistan. It will also buy 100 used Leopard 2 tanks from the Netherlands. This process will take five years, since the purchase will include upgrading 40 of the Dutch tanks, which are A4 models, to the A6 standard (which is most suitable for peacekeeping work). The A6 model includes improved protection against mines, roadside bombs and RPGs. Twenty of the Dutch tanks are engineer support versions, which are particularly useful in peacekeeping missions. The Dutch tanks have been well maintained, and should be good for another 10-20 years service. Canada will most likely use these tanks in peacekeeping operations where there are some energetic and deadly bad guys around (like the Taliban in Afghanistan).