Austria to purchase 225 Pandur tanks for around 1.8 billion euros

BERLIN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner on Monday announced the procurement of 225 Pandur armored personnel carriers totalling an amount of around 1.8 billion euros ($1.94 billion) in a bid to strengthen the country's military. The procurement is "an investment in the future, the security and the Austrian economy", Tanner said during a press conference. Over 220 Austrian companies are involved in the tank's manufacturing, the managing director of producer General Dynamics European Land Systems added.

($1 = 0.9276 euros) (Reporting by Miranda Murray and Klaudena Preis Nette Nöstlinger; Editing by Rachel More)