Ukraine will receive dozens of extra Leopard 1 tanks through a new European deal, according to reports, boosting the country's growing tank fleet as its counteroffensive grinds on.
Freddy Versluys, chief executive of Belgian defense company OIP Land Systems, told Reuters he sold 50 tanks he had bought from the Belgian government more than five years ago to an unnamed European nation. Versluys didn't say how much the tanks had been sold for, or which country bought them. The Guardian separately reported the number of tanks to be 49.
On Tuesday, Handelsblatt reported that German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall had bought 50 Leopard 1 tanks from OIP, citing industry sources. Around 30 of these will be sent to Ukraine after being refurbished, according to the publication.
An unnamed defense source told Reuters that the German government was paying for 32 of the Leopard 1 tanks to be revamped and delivered to Ukraine as part of the aid package Germany unveiled last month.
In a response to a Newsweek request for comment, the German defense ministry said that "as a matter of principle, we do not confirm any contracts that a German defense company may conclude with another company."
A spokesperson, however, also pointed to Germany's announcement during the NATO summit in Lithuania last month that further Leopard 1 A5 tanks would be sent to Ukraine. This includes 25 Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks, five armored recovery vehicles and two driving school tanks, the spokesperson said.
"For this purpose, the Federal Government has concluded a contract with the company Rheinmetall," they added.
OIP Land Systems and Rheinmetall have also been contacted for comment by Newsweek.
Leopard 1s aren't as heavy or powerful as the later Leopard 2s, which experts touted as the best choice of tank for Ukraine's fight against the Russian military, but they will still give Ukraine's troops a boost in numbers and capabilities.
German defense ministry figures show Berlin has delivered 10 Leopard 1A5s to Ukraine, plus 18 Leopard 2A6s in a joint initiative. In February, shortly after Berlin announced it would send Leopard 2s, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark announced they would send "at least a hundred Leopard-1A5 battle tanks to Ukraine."
Also in February, Ukraine's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said up to 25 Leopard 1A5 tanks would be on the battlefield "by summer," increasing to 80 by the end of the year. In total, more than 100 would reach Ukraine by 2024 to equip at least three battalions, Reznikov said.
The Leopard 1, first made by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in the mid-1960s, is still in use by nine countries, with over 4,700 of the tanks produced in the decades since it first rolled off the production line, according to the manufacturer.
The 42-ton, four-person tank is kitted out with a 105mm main armament and two 7.62 machine guns. The heavier, 60-ton Leopard 2A6 has a 120mm smoothbore cannon, and a slightly higher top speed.
Versluys told The Guardian that the tanks, last upgraded in the 1990s, were heading for refurbishment.
Many Western countries have struggled to meet Ukraine's demands in its mechanized war against Russia. Stocks of main battle tanks have often needed overhauling after being decommissioned years ago.
Ukrainian tank crews were quickly trained on the Leopard 1A5s, including in Germany, ahead of Kyiv's long-awaited counteroffensive, which is now in its third month.
Update 08/09/23 at 11.45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comments from the German defense ministry.
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
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