Leopard 1 could go to Ukraine in dozens. But it seems nobody has ammo for them
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Just lately, a pair of German businesses available the authorities of the country the probability to get ready dozens of Leopard 1 tanks for opportunity transfer to Ukraine.
Leopard 1 tank. Graphic credit history: Balcer via Wikimedia, CC BY 2.5
Though the unique model is way more mature than Leopard 2, it could be nevertheless modernized employing state-of-the-artwork manage devices to boost firing precision and simplicity of procedure. In point, Leopard 1 entered military service in 1965 and was entirely phased out in 2003 by Leopard 2.
On paper, the plan looks pretty nice. And it would feel that all the essential sources to carry out this intention are obtainable. Other than for just one thing – there is no ammunition compatible with Leopard 1.
As the German publication Suddeutsche Zeitung claimed, the idea of retrofitting Leopard 1 was proposed by a duo of businesses, Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG). Germany has even planned a spending budget expected to obtain the required tank rounds, 1.125 billion euros just for 2023, with a guarantee to allocate as a lot as 20 billion euros in the future.
Very last weekend, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Brazil and reviewed the possibility of obtaining tank ammunition for Ukraine from there, but Brazil did not assistance this plan. At this time, Brazil has about 261 Leopard 1 tanks in its navy services.
German arms maker Rheinmetall declared it would be increasing the manufacturing of tank and artillery ammunition to satisfy the desire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, this strengthen in production abilities will just take time right up until it is carried out.
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Source url On Wednesday, it was reported that dozens of German-made Leopard 1 battle tanks could be exported to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The deployment of the tanks is seen as an effort to help bolster Ukraine’s defences in its conflict against Russian-backed separatist forces.
However, the prospect of Ukraine receiving these tanks has raised some questions as to just how effective they would be in the field. This is because, despite the Ukraine defence ministry having placed an order for the tanks, there is currently a lack of ammunition for them. This means that, without ammunition, the Leopard 1 tank’s potential deployment to Ukraine may not be as effective and beneficial as initially hoped.
The lack of ammunition for the Leopard 1 tanks means Ukraine’s military would not be able to deploy the tanks for offensive operations. Instead, the Ukraine defence ministry has suggested that the tank’s deployment would primarily focus on defending key cities and government positions. This is in line with the Ukrainian government’s traditional strategy of defensive operations against the Russian-backed separatists, as opposed to aggressive offensive operations.
However, this lack of ammunition may be a barrier to Ukraine receiving the tanks altogether. Even though the tanks are seen as a much-needed asset for Ukraine’s military, the Ukrainian government is facing significant financial strain as a result of the conflict. As such, purchasing the necessary ammunition for the Leopard 1 tanks may be a prohibitively expensive endeavour for the Ukraine government.
Given the current situation, it appears that the Ukrainian government’s decision to acquire dozens of Leopard 1 tanks is not as straightforward as it initially appeared. While the tanks could provide much needed assistance to Ukraine’s military, the lack of available ammunition suggests it may not be feasible to deploy the tanks at this time. Instead, Ukraine must consider other more cost effective defensive strategies while they continue to search for an ammunition source.
