Germany can transfer 19 out of over 200 Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Germany has 212 operational Leopard 2 tanks of various variants. The country might transfer 19 Leopard 2A5 tanks to Ukraine, which would be designated for training only.
Source: German news outlet Der Spiegel, citing its own sources
Details: The media obtained a list of all Leopard 2 tanks models that Germany currently has at its disposal. This list was compiled at the beginning of the summer of 2022.
According to the list, the Bundeswehr has a total of 312 Leopard 2 tanks. However, 99 of them were under maintenance as of May 2022, and one tank has already been decommissioned.
In addition, the list includes 212 Leopard 2 models, including various models of the 2A5, 2A6, 2A7 and 2A7V (considered the most modern version). The German army had 53 Leopard 2A7V units as of May 2022.
The news outlet reports that the list also has information regarding particular models that are presumably suitable for transfer to Ukraine. It can be surmised that the Bundeswehr may transfer 19 Leopard 2A5 models. According to the list, they are currently used to simulate enemy forces at the Army's combat training centre. Military officials state they can do without the 2A5 models, since those units are used for training only, according to Der Spiegel.
Background:
- On 20 January, German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius stated that Western allies had not yet reached an agreement on providing Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks at the Ramstein talks. However, he instructed his ministry to prepare for "the day that may come." He also stated that he had issued an order to check what tank stocks the Bundeswehr and industry had.
- According to Business Insider, the previous German Minister of Defence, Christine Lambrecht, had allegedly ordered that the Bundewehr should not conduct an inventory of its existing Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks.
- Earlier, the Frankfurte Allgemeine Zeitung reported that if the German government decided to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2s in the near future, it could possibly be able to hand over 10 to 15 repaired tanks by the end of 2023.
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