Leopards and Boxers for Saudi Arabia.

Hmm.  Leopard 2A7's and Boxer APC's for the Saudi National Guard.  A bid to gain favor with the most powerful economy in Europe or a move to have a counter balance with the other powers in the region...specifically those powers that are equipped with M-1 Abrams and Russian armor?

I don't know but read it all at the Independent but a tidbit here.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is reported to be considering a request from Saudi Arabia for the supply of several hundred German-made "Boxer" armoured patrol vehicles which are purpose built to help the military combat rebel forces and could be used to crush popular dissent.In a report on the proposed arms deal which was leaked to Der Spiegel magazine, it was said that the request was discussed last week at a secret session of Germany's federal security council which had previously given the go ahead for the controversial supply of anti-tank rocket launchers to Israel.The magazine said the Saudi government had requested the Boxer vehicles for the Saudi Royal Guard – a unit whose role is confined mainly to protecting the Saudi royal family. "The Boxer is roadworthy and suitable for combating uprisings," it noted.It said that in the event of the "Arab Spring" spreading to Saudi Arabia, the Royal Guard would almost certainly be used to defend the royal family to the last. "Then there would be the possibility of German armoured vehicles being used against the masses," the magazine wrote.The Boxer is currently used by German forces in Afghanistan as an armoured troop transporter and patrol vehicle. It can also be used as a mini field hospital. The Saudi demand for the vehicles comes on top of a request for the supply of 270 German-built Leopard 2 tanks, which rate as the most sophisticated of their kind in the world.The Leopard 2 "A7" version Saudi Arabia has requested is specifically designed for use in close combat situations such as house-to-house fighting. The deal could earn the manufacturers, the German arms producer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, up to €2bn.

Quite honestly I don't see how the government can pass this deal up.  Especially considering the times that we live in...and the fact that no one in the West can afford to have Saudi Arabia go the way of Libya...dictatorship or not.

Hat tip to Anonymous.  Whoever you are.