Rheinmetall to supply 32 used Leopard tanks to Ukraine next year

Published November 14,2023

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The German authorities has positioned an order with defence contractor Rheinmetall for 32 Leopard tanks to help Ukraine in its struggle towards Russia.

The autos are to be delivered subsequent 12 months, the corporate introduced in Dusseldorf on Tuesday. They are Leopard 1A5 tanks, which isn’t essentially the most trendy model of the armoured autos.

The order is split into 25 fight tanks, 5 armoured restoration autos and two driving college tanks, which come from industrial shares.

The order worth is reportedly within the higher double-digit million-euro vary, which is able to embody the prices of coaching, logistics, spare elements and upkeep work. The autos shall be refurbished at two Rheinmetal vegetation in Germany to convey them as much as scratch.

This isn’t the primary Leopard order for Ukraine from the German arms producer: In June, the Netherlands and Denmark ordered the supply of 14 of the newer, however already outdated sort 2A4, that are additionally to be delivered to Ukraine subsequent 12 months.

In addition, the Bundeswehr and armies of different NATO states have already handed over Leopard tanks from their very own shares to Ukraine.

It is widespread for tanks to be decommissioned after many years of use and bought to the trade at very low costs. They are then normally saved in poor situation. Such buybacks by the trade are finally a wager on the long run, with the businesses relying on the truth that there may very well be demand for the navy autos once more in some unspecified time in the future.

With the struggle in Ukraine, this calculation labored out. However, modernizing the previous tanks in order that they’re match for fight is a time-consuming course of. It takes a number of months earlier than the autos are upgraded with new expertise and prepared for the entrance line.

Rheinmetall took an analogous method with Marder infantry preventing autos. It has to this point acquired orders for 80 of those autos, a big proportion of which at the moment are in service in Ukraine.