Having lost 600 out of 900 tanks in one year of war, Ukraine will receive more than a hundred tanks from a dozen countries. While the US and UK have been promising Abrams and Challenger 2s for several days, Germany has paved the way for dozens of Leopard 2s supplied by more than a dozen countries.
The goal is to form two cavalry brigades, each equipped with 40 state-of-the-art assault tanks. This objective seems almost achieved. Germany and Poland have already announced the shipment of 14 Leopards each in 2A6 version for Berlin and 2A4 for Warsaw. Spain has also announced that it will participate in the reconstitution of the Ukrainian armored brigades.
The number of Spanish leopards was not specified, but it would be between 20 and 50, which would make Madrid the largest donor. Madrid has a fleet of 327 Leopard 2s, including 219 in the 2A6 version.
Between 110 and 140 German tanks
Other confirmations must be formalized with eight in version 2A4 for Norway, fourteen in version 2A4 and 2A6 for Finland and four in version 2A6 for Portugal. Still to be confirmed are the Netherlands (eighteen 2A6), Denmark (six 2A6) and Sweden, which could supply about ten Stridsvagn 122, an improved version of the Leopard 2. Thus, the Ukraine should get between 110 and 140 German tanks.
Will Greece and Turkey, which have 353 and 316 Leopard 2s respectively, join the movement? Nothing is less certain due to the tensions between the two countries.
To this number of German tanks are added the 31 American Abrams and the 14 British Challenger 2s. All of these machines are likely to be tricky to maintain, but in terms of ammunition, these tanks have 120mm guns, smooth for the Leopard and Abrams, and rifled for the Challenger.
The French Leclerc remain. Emmanuel Macron has already announced that he “does not rule out” facilitating it. The Head of State clarified that this aid can only be provided under three conditions: the first is “that it not be staggered”, the second “that it can provide real and effective support” to Ukraine and the third, that it not weaken “our own defense capabilities.
The first one already seems obsolete. The other two criteria are more sensitive. France has 222 Leclercs of which 200 must be renewed to go to the “Scorpion” version. Currently, around 130 are said to be fully operational. Sending ten Leclercs, or almost 10% of the capacity of the French armies, would require, according to a military source, “too much effort” for a contribution that is difficult to assess.
The Leclerc, which has not been produced since 2008, is due to be replaced in 2040 by the MGCS, the tank of the Franco-German future.
Source: BFM TV
