The training of Ukrainians in Spain for the use of Leopard 2A4 tanks, a total of 55 soldiers, ends this week, before Madrid sends the six promised war tanks to Kiev.
This is the first group to have completed these specific training courses in Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain, the Spanish Ministry of Defense reports.
The shipment of these main battle tanks could take place at the end of this month or the beginning of April.
Following the formalization of the Spanish commitment to contribute to Ukrainian defense through the deployment of tanks, Ukraine requested training of crews and maintenance personnel for the operational deployment of Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed on 22 February that six Leopard 2A4s had been shipped out of 50 parked in an army depot in Casetas, Zaragoza.
Subsequently, during a visit to Kiev, the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, pointed out that his country was allowed to send ten tanks.
The six tanks are already on the grounds of the Santa Bárbara company in Alcalá de Guadaira (Seville) and repairs could be completed by the end of this month, said the defense minister, quoted by the Efe agency.
55 Ukrainian soldiers were trained, 40 in tank management as crew and 10 in maintenance, he specified.
On February 16, this first group of 55 soldiers arrived in Spain to receive the necessary training and instruction, and the soldiers already had previous experience in using tanks, so the instruction focused on the technical specifics of the combat system was in question.
As for tactical training, it was developed from the ground up to train operational and joint crews.
The course lasts four weeks, after which Ukrainian personnel will be able to handle the operational systems of the combat vehicle and perform first and second line maintenance tasks for the various mechanical and electronic components, as well as their tactical operation in small units.
The Leopard 2A4 main battle tank dates back to the end of the 20th century and served as the basis for the development of one of the most modern and efficient main battle tanks used by Western countries – the 2A6 model in its German or Swedish version, as well as the development of the tank Spanish Leopard 2E, main equipment of the armored forces in Spain.
The 2A4, which Spain will send to Ukraine, outperforms most of the main tanks currently deployed in the conflict zone and the 2A6, supplied by Germany, is on par with the most advanced Russian vehicles to be deployed in the conflict , in very small quantities, the Spanish Ministry of Defense analyzed.
The Leopard 2A4 and 2A6 are approximately 80% logistically compatible.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
