TOURNAMENT From the outside, the warehouse looks nondescript, but inside the gates, the visitor is like in another world. The placement of around four hundred armored vehicles is huge.
– Here they are, CEO Freddy Versluys says, and taps the barrel of the battle tank with his hand.
It is a German-made Leopard 1 model wagon. The company represented by Versluys has more than 30 of them in stock.
The battle tanks representing the older Leopard production ended up in the company’s possession in the mid-2010s, when the Belgian Defense Forces wanted to get rid of them.
– They sold them because they were no longer needed. If you look at it geopolitically, then the decision was right at one time. Now the situation has of course changed, says Versluys.
The West increases its support for Ukraine
Battle tanks have taken center stage as the West has increased its support for Ukraine. Tanks are considered a prerequisite for repelling attacks and recapturing territories belonging to Ukraine.
Belgium announced last week arms aid package of a good 90 million euros (you will switch to another service) for Ukraine. There are no main battle tanks from Belgium. The country has nothing to give.
According to the broadcasting company VRT (you switch to another service) Belgium would be interested in buying back the Leopard wagons it has decommissioned. However, the high asking price has been an obstacle to deals.
Minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder’s according to the 15,000 euro tanks, they try to sell them back for half a million.
CEO Versluys tells that there have been no actual negotiations with the board. He also dispels the notion that a higher price would be demanded for the wagons.
– We bought the wagons in the condition they were in. If we want to make them usable, the price tag is between 400,000 and 1 million euros, depending on the equipment level.
Old models are usable
Versluys emphasizes that the Leopard 1 model tanks are still usable. Old Leopards are used in Greece and Brazil, for example.
According to the managing director, it is possible to get the Leopards stored in the city of Tournai into working condition even in a few months. However, the condition of the carriages may vary.
– Electronics is the biggest challenge when modernizing wagons. The electronics are thirty years old, and we don’t know what the condition of the carriages is today.
Versluys estimates that the lifespan of battle armor is 60–80 years. The decisive factor is how the wagons are maintained and modernized.
– Every 15 or 20 years, middle-age updates must be made to them. But in principle, wagon bodies are forever.
Germany’s decision was immediately visible
The ongoing war in Ukraine has created bottlenecks in European arms production. You may have to wait years for new equipment.
– The main advantage of these tanks is that they are immediately available. It is better to renovate than to wait for a new one to be completed, CEO Versluys says.
Of course, old equipment also has its own challenges and risks, he admits. The export of Leopard wagons bought from Belgium requires, for example, the approval of both Belgium and Germany.
Sending tanks to Ukraine took a step forward when Germany said it would accept sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine. According to Versluys, the decision had immediate effects.
– You can imagine the flood of inquiries that has resulted!
According to Versluys, inquiries have come directly from Ukraine, but also from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and Finland.
Finland has around 200 more modern Leopard wagons, which have been bought used from Germany and the Netherlands.
According to CEO Freddy Versluys, Finland has been far wiser in investing in battle tanks.
– Now you realize you were far-sighted, because there is a real need for them, he laughs.
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