According to the manufacturer, Leopard 2 tanks could be delivered to Ukraine at the beginning of next year at the earliest. The researcher says that due to logistics and training, they would not necessarily be available immediately.
Docent of military sciences and visiting researcher at the Alexander Institute Ilmari Käihkön according to the news about the long delivery time of Leopard tanks to Ukraine did not come as a surprise.
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced For Bild magazine (you will switch to another service) being able to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in early 2024 at the earliest.
According to Käihkö, tanks would not necessarily be sent to the fronts of Ukraine in a year, even if the decision was made now.
– Even in the best case, even if the tanks were ready for use right away, it would have taken maybe half a year due to all the training and logistics.
According to the manufacturer, repairing the Leopards stored in Germany for war use would cost several hundred million euros. The tanks should be dismantled and completely rebuilt to make them suitable for war use in Ukraine.
Käihkö says the situation shows that when it comes to weapon systems, the time span from political decision to practice is long. He wonders why the matter has not been sufficiently taken into account in European decision-making.
– In Europe, we are a little behind all the time. It is terribly difficult to say what the situation in Ukraine will be in months or a year. It is a fact that Ukraine hopes to get support there as quickly as possible.
In Käihkö’s opinion, the situation raises fundamental questions about Europe’s political will and ability to support Ukraine militarily.
Kaihkö: Germany’s decision would increase the pressure on others
News agency Bloomberg (you will switch to another service) according to Germany may make a decision on sending tanks to Ukraine as early as next week. Military scientist Käihkö estimates that it might increase the pressure on other countries to support Ukraine.
– On the other hand, no European country has really taken the lead in this Leopard issue. Maybe now it’s a bit of a wait to see who will take the first step.
However, he reminds that Finland also needs an export permit from Germany if a decision to donate Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine is made.
– Without it, it will be very difficult for Finland to move forward in this matter.
Britain was the first western country to make the decision to supply Challenger battle tanks to Ukraine. According to Ilmari Käihkö, the number of wagons delivered by Britain is so small that it is more about political support than military support.
He says that the Leopards’ advantage would be that they could be exported to Ukraine in large numbers. Then maintenance would also be easier and more spare parts and ammunition could be delivered.
– When there is a small number of British wagons, just building logistics there is difficult for Ukraine.
According to the researcher, Britain’s decision is still a positive signal that can encourage other countries.
– One of the so-called red lines was once again crossed in political decisions. No new, modern, Western tanks have been exported to Ukraine so far, so this will overcome this limitation.