With the green light from the Chancellery
Rheinmetall could deliver 110 “Leopards” to Kyiv
01/24/2023, 12:00 p.m
The traffic light argues fiercely about battle tanks that the Bundeswehr could leave to Ukraine. In addition, the industry could also supply more than 100 “Leopards”, although this would take time. However, Rheinmetall wants to provide another 29 tanks for the ring exchange by May at the latest.
The armaments group Rheinmetall could deliver a total of 139 “Leopard tanks” of types 1 and 2. This was announced by his spokesman to the editorial network Germany. In less than a year, the company could provide 22 Leopard 2 battle tanks from its own stock. However, it is unclear when an additional 88 “Leopard 1” vehicles from the armaments group could be ready. The federal government’s 29 tanks, which are intended for ring exchanges, should be ready in the spring.
“We still have 22 vehicles from the ‘Leopard 2A4’ that we could prepare for use and deliver to Ukraine,” said the company spokesman. “The repair of these vehicles would take almost a year, delivery would be possible at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024.” There would also be 29 “Leopard 2A4s”, which the company is working on for the ring exchange projects and will have ready in April/May 2023.
Rheinmetall could therefore make 88 vehicles available from the “Leopard 1”. The mixed situation is “very volatile” due to the security policy framework, various forms of direct or indirect delivery and the changing priorities of orders. “It is therefore difficult, for example, to name specific periods for deliveries,” said the spokesman.
Partially moldy inside
The “Leopard” tanks intended for so-called ring exchanges with Slovakia and the Czech Republic “belong to the federal government,” according to CEO Armin Papperger “Star” said. “She can do whatever she wants with it.” According to him, they will be operational by “the end of March”. Germany has pledged 15 “Leopards” to Slovakia and 14 to the Czech Republic, and both countries received their first vehicles in December.
Recently, the pressure on Germany had grown to deliver “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine. Against the background of this debate, the Rheinmetall boss recently made headlines with the statement that the repair of “Leopard” tanks from his stocks would take “almost a year”. Now Papperger said that some people had “misunderstood important things”: “I was talking about the 22 ‘Leopard’ tanks that are at Rheinmetall and belong to Rheinmetall. I’m sticking with it, they won’t be ready before the end of this year. ” He explained the condition of the vehicles: “Some of these tanks stood there for ten years with the hatch open, they are moldy on the inside.”
The dispute within the traffic light coalition, on the other hand, revolves around “leopards” from the Bundeswehr. According to a list available to “Spiegel”, the Bundeswehr could hand over at least 19 “Leopard 2A5” tanks, which are only used for exercises. The new Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, on the other hand, announced that the stocks would first have to be counted. The status was from last May, Pistorius said last.
In addition, Germany would have to issue a permit for other countries to supply Ukraine with “Leopards” made in Germany. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock initially made a commitment in an interview, which she later did not repeat, nor did government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.