German makers of Leopard 2 tank settle legal dispute

FILE PHOTO: Leopard 2A4 tanks arrive to a military training near Tata, Hungary, February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

DUESSELDORF (Reuters) - German arms makers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have settled a legal dispute over the intellectual property rights to the Leopard 2, one of the world's most advanced battle tanks, a court said on Tuesday.

A boom in defence orders due to the war in Ukraine, and in particular demand for Leopard tanks from Kyiv to help in the fight against Russian forces, has boosted both companies.