Better shape than other Leos
Denmark trains Ukrainians in museum tanks
September 9, 2023, 5:15 p.m
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In May, Denmark and Germany announced the delivery of a dozen older Leopard tanks to Ukraine. But these have been collecting dust in various warehouses for many years. In order to be able to begin training the Ukrainian soldiers immediately, three museums are stepping in.
Denmark is training Ukrainian soldiers in several Leopard 1A5 tanks, which the country has borrowed from three museums. On your website The Danish armed forces report that around 100 old Leopard tanks were sold to the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft in 2010 after they were decommissioned. Some were also donated to Danish tank museums. Of these, six Leopard 1A5 models were borrowed so that training of the Ukrainian soldiers could begin immediately after the announcement of the Danish-German tank initiative.
Like the US magazine “Forbes” According to reports, the museum tanks were in better shape than the decommissioned Leopards that had been stored in warehouses for many years. According to Danish information, these are continually repaired and refloated by Rheinmetall and then also included in the training or delivered directly.
As the Danish armed forces announced on Friday, the first ten Leopard 1A5 tanks have already been handed over to the Ukrainian army. Ten more are on the way there.
New standard tank of Ukraine
Denmark and Germany announced in May that they would provide Ukraine with 80 Leopard 1 tanks to defend against the Russian attack. A little later, the Netherlands joined the initiative with another 20 tanks. Belgium is now also taking part. A total of 178 leopards from the 1980s are now to be handed over to Ukraine. According to Forbes, this amount could equip five battalions of 300 to 1,200 soldiers. The training has been taking place since May in Klietz in Saxony-Anhalt, west of Berlin.
Once fully delivered, the Leopard 1A5 will likely soon become the Ukrainian Army’s standard tank. In addition, the delivery of 14 British Challenger 2 and 82 Leopard 2 tanks from Europe was promised. The USA is supporting Ukraine with 31 Abrams M1 tanks.
Unlike these modern main battle tanks, the Leopard 1 is comparatively light and poorly armored, weighing 40 tons. In comparison, the Leopard 2 weighs almost twice as much at 70 tons. In addition, the composite armor is many times stronger than the seven centimeter thick outer skin of the Leopard 1A5.