South Front
German Leopard 1A5 at the 2015 Military Day in Uffenheim on 7 June 2015. By Wikimedia user Rainer Lippert.
The deliverers of 80 Leopard 1 main battle tanks to Ukraine will begin in the middle of this year, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed in an interview with Spain’s La Vanguardia that was published on April 28.
The defense minister added that the training of more than a hundred Ukrainian troops on Leopard 1 tanks began earlier this week.
“The delivery of Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks has just begun. This is the result of the initiative of other countries together with Germany. In addition, just this week training of more than a hundred Ukrainian military on Leopard 1 began. Delivery of up to 80 Leopard 1 main battle tanks will begin in the middle of the year,” Pistorius said.
In February, the German federal government approved the export of 178 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine, most of which were purchased from FFG and Rheinmetall stocks in a joint deal with the Netherlands and Denmark.
The Leopard 1, which first entered service in the 1960s, is the forerunner of the more advanced Leopard 2. The tank is armed with a 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A3 L/52 rifled gun. It features moderate armor, only effective against low caliber autocannons and heavy machine guns.
The A5 version set to be delivered to Ukraine is equipped with a day\night capable targeting systems, comparable to the ones installed in early Leopard 2 versions.
Germany became one of the backers of the Kiev regime after the beginning of the Russian special military operation more than a year ago.
Ukraine received in recent weeks dozens of Leopard 2 tanks from Germany and other NATO members. The decision to supply the German-made tanks and other Western models was taken to prepare Kiev forces for a large-scale offensive against the Russian military.
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