The courier-mail,
AUSTRALIA is negotiating with Switzerland to buy Leopard 2 battle tanks to replace the army's 30-year-old machines.
The Swiss Army is selling between 100 and 150 of the German-built tanks.
The Government late last year accepted an army recommendation to replace the tanks despite opposition from many inside and outside the military who view heavy armour as overkill for the Australian Army.
It is understood the Swiss Ministry for Economics, which controls sensitive exports, sees no problem with the deal.
It expects the sale to yield hundreds of millions of Swiss francs which are worth about 95
