![]() Rheinmetall, a German defence contractor that makes the 120mm smoothbore gun on the Leopard 2, says the tank has been deployed by “more nations than any other”.įor Ukraine’s war against Russia, “it is believed that for the Leopard 2 tanks to have any significant effect on the fighting, around 100 tanks would be required”, the International Institute for Strategic Studies analysts wrote. Overall, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann says over 3500 units have been supplied to 19 countries. One big appeal of the German-made tanks are their sheer number: more than 2000 have been deployed in over a dozen European countries and Canada. Its main weapon is a 120mm smooth bore gun, and it has a fully digital fire-control system. Now with four main variants, its earliest version first came into service in 1979. The 55-tonne tank has a crew of four and a range of about 500 kilometres, and top speeds of about 68 kilometres per hour. Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the manufacturer of the Leopard 2, touts it as “the world’s leading battle tank” that for nearly a half-century has combined aspects of firepower, protection, speed and manoeuvrability, making it adaptable to many types of combat situations. Here’s a look at what those tanks might mean for Ukraine’s defence against Russian forces – and hopes for driving them out. ![]() ![]() And Germany is not ruling out supplying such tanks to Ukraine itself, cautioning however that the implications of such a step need to be carefully weighed.Ī Leopard 2 tank pictured during a demonstration event in Germany. Over the weekend, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not get in the way if Poland – arguably Ukraine’s most vocal supporter among European Union neighbours – wanted to ship Leopard 2 tanks from its arsenal across the border into Ukraine. Geneva | Following intense pressure from its allies, Germany appears to be inching toward approving deliveries of high-tech Leopard 2 main battle tanks that Ukraine and its biggest Western backers hope will boost Kyiv’s fight against Russian invaders. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |