European coalition to give refurbished Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

WASHINGTON — German officials have approved an export license for industry-owned Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, enabling a coalition of donor countries to provide up to 178 of the weapons for Kyiv’s troops.

Berlin’s Feb. 7 announcement clearing the export of the tanks in the A5 configuration coincided with a joint statement by the governments of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark to pay for the preparation of “at least” 100 Leopard 1 copies.

The tanks, predecessors of the more capable Leopard 2 tanks eyed for Kyiv in smaller numbers by April, are held in storage by German defense companies and are in various readiness conditions. German media reported that roughly 90 tanks each from Rheinmetall and FFG constitute the 180-strong tank inventory now available for Ukraine — if enough donors pay to fix them up.

The exact number of Leopard 1s will depend on the extent of the required refurbishment work, the German government said in a statement. A joint statement by the three donor countries projects Ukraine would receive about 100 of the tanks “within the coming months,” including ammunition, training and spare parts.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said Feb. 7 his company plans to send the first 20-25 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine this year, with the rest potentially following in 2024, German press agency DPA reported.

“We reaffirm our continued determination to support Ukraine in their endeavor to withstand Russian aggression,” the joint statement read. “Together, in a joint initiative, we will significantly enhance Ukraine’s military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity.”

The statement indicates some details need to be ironed out. “Our experts are currently working out the next steps together with the industry,” it read, adding that the Leopard 1 initiative is open to other countries, that and Belgium has expressed an interest.

It remains to be seen if the Western tanks will arrive in time for Ukrainians to push back against intensifying Russian attacks in the country’s east. Experts have predicted a spring offensive by Moscow, and early movements to that effect have already begun, the New York Times reported from the town of Nevske in the Luhansk area.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

华盛顿——德国官员已批准向乌克兰出口工业所有的豹1坦克，使捐助国联盟能够向基辅军队提供多达178辆该型坦克。

柏林于 2 月 7 日宣布批准 A5 配置坦克的出口，与此同时，德国、荷兰和丹麦政府发表联合声明，表示将支付“至少”100 辆豹 1 坦克的准备费用。

这些坦克是性能更强的豹2坦克的早期型号，后者计划在4月份少量交付给基辅。目前，这些坦克由德国国防公司储存，处于不同的战备状态。德国媒体报道称，莱茵金属公司和FFG公司各提供的约90辆坦克，构成了目前可供乌克兰使用的180辆坦克库存——前提是有足够的捐助者出资进行维修。

德国政府在一份声明中表示，豹1坦克的具体数量将取决于所需翻新工作的规模。三个捐助国的联合声明预计，乌克兰将在“未来几个月内”收到约100辆坦克，以及弹药、培训和备件。

据德国新闻社DPA报道，莱茵金属公司首席执行官阿明·帕佩格尔于2月7日表示，该公司计划今年向乌克兰交付首批20-25辆豹1坦克，其余坦克可能会在2024年交付。

联合声明指出：“我们重申，我们将继续坚定支持乌克兰抵御俄罗斯侵略的努力。我们将共同发起一项联合行动，大幅提升乌克兰的军事实力，以恢复其被侵犯的领土完整。”

声明指出，一些细节仍需敲定。“我们的专家目前正与业界共同制定下一步计划，”声明中写道，并补充说，豹1计划也向其他国家开放，比利时已表示出兴趣。

西方坦克能否及时抵达，帮助乌克兰军队抵御俄罗斯在该国东部日益猛烈的攻势，目前尚不得而知。据《纽约时报》从卢甘斯克地区的涅夫斯克镇报道，专家预测莫斯科将在春季发动攻势，而相关的早期行动已经开始。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。