The government of Berlin has authorized German manufacturers to supply Ukraine with tanks of the Leopard 1 model they have in reserve, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday.
The spokesman did not provide details on the number of tanks involved, nor on the possible delivery date to Ukraine.
“I confirm that the export has been approved,” Hebestreit said at the daily press conference in Berlin.
The Leopard 1 is the previous version of the Leopard 2 tanks, ordered by Kiev to face the invasion of Russia, with Berlin having authorized the delivery of 14 units of the German Army (Bundeswehr) in January.
On the same occasion Berlin also authorized other countries to send their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
These tanks, which are German-made, can only be re-exported with a permit from Germany.
The German armed forces no longer have Leopard 1 tanks, which were replaced by the Leopard 2 model, which is considered more modern and efficient.
The German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) told the France Presse news agency (AFP) that it has stockpiled 99 tanks of the Leopard 1 A5 model, which can be delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“Not all are currently operational,” the company said.
“At the moment we can deliver the first 20 Leopard 1 A5s after a refurbishment that should take about three months,” the manufacturer added, underlining that the rest could be sent to Ukraine “gradually”.
According to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the arms company Rheinmetall has 88 Leopard 1 tanks.
A total of 4,700 Leopard 1s have been produced since 1965, and the last examples produced are fitted with a smaller caliber gun than the Leopard 2’s gun: 105 millimeters compared to the 120 millimeter gun of the most modern armored vehicles. vehicle.
The difference in caliber is relevant due to availability related to the number of rounds.
On the other hand, the engine power of the Leopard 1 is less than that of the Leopard 2: 830 hp compared to the 1,500 hp of the Leopard 2.
The Leopard 1 model armor guards are also smaller than the Leopard 2 model armor guards.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
