Ukraine received more tanks from Germany. Photo: Getty
In late January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “in close international coordination” to send Kiev a company of Leopard 2A6 tanks.
On February 7, the defense ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark announced that they would send at least 100 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the “coming months”.
The refurbished Leopard 1A5s will come from an “industrial stockpile”, they confirmed in a joint statement, stressing that they will “continue to support Ukraine with the Leopard 2 main battle tank”.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksy Reznikov said on February 7 that between 20 and 25 Leopard 1 tanks will arrive in Ukraine during the summer months, with 80 expected to be delivered before the end of the year.
Ukraine will receive “at least three more tank battalions,” Reznikov added in a statement posted on Facebook. Previously, Germany allowed private arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to sell its old Leopard 1s to Ukraine following refurbishment.
On February 8, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, said that Germany had agreed to send two more Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine.
As of February 12, the German government website lists 32 Gepards as having been delivered to Ukraine, with five more still in the “planning” stage.
The Gepard is an “armored, all-weather anti-aircraft artillery tank”, described by the manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann as “continuously modernized” since its introduction in the 1960s. This aircraft is capable of carrying 3 crew members, with a maximum speed of 65km / h. The vehicle has a range of 550km and is armed with two 35mm automatic cannons.
According to KMW, “the off-road maneuverability and rapid rotation of the turret allow the vehicle to react promptly to counter air threats”. The tank is primarily designed for air defense, such as once morest Iranian-made drones operated by Russia in Ukraine, but can also be used once morest ground targets.
The Gepard, although not a main battle tank, shares the same chassis design as the Leopard 1. Also produced by KMW, the Leopard 1 was praised by the manufacturers as “unprecedented”.
Despite having the same top speed and range as the Gepard, the Leopard 1A5 is more of a main battle tank than an anti-aircraft tank. According to KMW, the Leopard 1 is still in use on five continents and “due to its constantly increasing combat value, the system remains the most modern”.
Variants of the Leopard 2, introduced in 1979, were the successors of the Leopard 1. Used by the militaries of 18 countries, according to the manufacturer, variants of the Leopard 2 became popular. in many European militaries.
With a maximum range of 450km and a top speed of 72km/h, the Leopard 2 is armed with a 120mm smoothbore gun or a 7.62mm machine gun. According to KMW, using “the most sophisticated technology”, the Leopard 2A6 can “protect soldiers and equipment from the most modern munitions and threats”.
In light of Berlin’s commitment to the Leopard 2A6 tank, Western experts widely agreed that the German-made main battle tank was the best option for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The UK has also provided 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks, while the US has promised to supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
