Germany to transfer 178 Leopard-1A5 tanks to Ukraine
Leopard 1 tank (Photo:via Wikipedia)
Berlin has approved a plan to supply 178 Leopard-1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported on Feb. 7.
The first batch should be delivered in summer, but most of the tanks won’t arrive until 2024.
According to other German media reports, Ukraine could receive up to 160 Leopard-1 tanks from German industrial warehouses.
Leopard-1A5 is a heavily modified version of Leopard-1 main battle tank, developed in 1980s. It features several targeting and ammo loading systems also used in modern Leopard-2s.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated Ukraine will receive more than 100 old Leopard 1A5 battle tanks from a group of European countries. He noted that by Q1-Q2 2024, at least three Ukrainian battalions should be equipped with these tanks.
On Jan. 25, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz officially announced that Germany would transfer 14 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from partner countries. According to Defense Minister Pistorius, the tanks could be sent to Ukraine in about three months.
The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, along with the equipment and spare parts needed to keep them running. Biden added that while the delivery of Abrams will take some time, the training of Ukrainian crews will begin as soon as possible.
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