A dozen Leopard 2s from Poland. Potentially 10 Challenger 2s from the UK. As Russia’s broader war against Ukraine enters its eleventh month, Ukraine’s allies, regardless, are beginning to devote some of their heavy tanks to Ukraine’s war effort, albeit in small numbers, so far.
Expect those numbers to increase. Maybe a lot
For months, the Ukrainian government has been begging allies to supply it with modern, Western-made tanks to supplement its arsenal of war-weary ex-Soviet tanks.
Polish President Andrzej Duda was the first to respond to the call. During a stopover in Lviv in western Ukraine on Wednesday, Duda announced that Poland would donate a Leopard 2 tank company. A company might consist of a dozen or 14 vehicles.
“We have made the resolution to give a contribution of a first batch of tanks, a Leopard tank corporation, which I hope together with other Leopard tank corporations and other tanks that will be introduced through other countries can Array. . . to be able to defend Ukraine,” Duda said.
The Leopard 2 is a German-made tank and Berlin holds the export license. Germany’s reluctance to get involved in Ukraine’s offensive operations in the past functioned as a virtual veto over any country (Poland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands) that donated its surplus Leopard. 2s for Ukraine.
Duda’s announcement turns out to mean that Germany’s resistance has eased. It’s no coincidence that the UK government this week signaled a growing willingness to donate around 10 Challenger 2 tanks, enough for a small business. Europe is adapting to Ukraine’s tank supplier.
The Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 are not new tanks. The Leopard 2 entered service with the German Army in 1979. The Challenger 2 made its UK debut in 1998. The German manufacturer Rheinmetall has taken a step forward with the Leopard 2. Updates from British company BAE Systems to the new Challenger 2 were a little less ambitious.
But any of the tanks are still among the world’s. The 69-ton Leopard 2 with its 120-millimeter smoothbore gun perfectly balances speed, armor and firepower, just like its cousin the American M-1.
The 71-ton Challenger 2 with its 120-millimeter rifled gun, on the other hand, emphasizes armor protection and long-range firepower, at the expense of speed. The Leopard 2 can reach 43 miles per hour on the highway. The Challenger 2’s top road speed is just 37 miles per hour.
Both tanks have 4 crew and day and night optics.
If the Ukrainians adopt their new tanks, and there’s no explanation as to why they possibly wouldn’t, expect others of each type to follow, perhaps as early as this spring.
Rheinmetall has built more than 3,000 Leopard 2s, and several hundred of them are in storage across Europe. Poland has around 250 Leopard 2s and, since it also acquires US-made M-1s, it can give up its German-made tanks without jeopardizing its own national defense.
The British Army once had only around 400 Challenger 2s but, after repeated reductions, is now upgrading around 150 tanks for long-term use. The UK can donate lots of Challenger 2s without violating its own reduced armoured corps.
It is fair to ask why Poland and the UK simply donate all their surplus reservoirs at once.
Ukraine’s allies obviously find it more effective and less disruptive for Ukrainian operations to gradually build the source of new weapons. Remember that when the United States began supplying Ukraine with world-class high-mobility artillery rocket systems last spring, they also first of all did so in small quantities.
Four, initially. Then 20 droppers. Then a jackpot of 18.
There are smart reasons for a gradual increase. First, you deliver enough rocket launchers or new tanks to form a core of Ukrainian crews and logistics specialists who can then exercise more operators. At the same time, it is helping the Ukrainians to establish even the processes of the new weapons.
“They want to know not only how to use the systems, but also, of course, how to use the system,” said Colin Kahl, U. S. undersecretary of defense for policy. “U. S. Citizens’ Conference, to journalists in June. ” So, think about logistics, maintenance, things like that. . “
The Ukrainian Army Logistics Corps in particular is facing a complicated winter and spring, as it not only starts with one or two new types of tanks, but also with American-made M-2 combat cars, old German Marder combat cars and France’s AMX-10RC reconnaissance. Cars. .
This eclectic mix of cars could be even more eclectic if the U. S. were to push it down. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security will feature some of the thousands of older M-1s they have in stock.
So far, U. S. officials have been working on the agenda. “The U. S. is shy. “As has been the case since the beginning of this campaign, we have a very strong and uninterrupted discussion with our Ukrainian partners and the foreign network to read about Ukraine’s wishes for security assistance based on battlefield conditions. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told reporters Tuesday.
“So, we’re going to continue to have the talks. “