819

News

Denmark to donate tanks to Ukraine

Christian Wenande
February 7th, 2023


This article is more than 1 year old.

Close to 100 Leopard 1A5 tanks formerly part of the Danish Defence will be dusted off and sent back into commission with the Ukrainians

A Leopard 1A5, one of the Leopard 2’s predecessors (photo: Rainer Lippert)

Ukraine will see an influx of tanks in the coming months after weeks of negotiations with its allies came to a fruitful conclusion recently.

Denmark is poised to be among those donating tanks following news that the state is working on a deal with Germany that would send close to 100 of its former 1A5 Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

The tanks were phased out of the Defence in around 2005 and sold to German company FFG in 2010.

It is hoped that a deal can be reached so the tanks can be quickly overhauled and dispatched to Ukraine.

READ ALSO: Ready at Ramstein: Denmark to pledge Ukraine aid at key defence summit 

Reliable, but has its flaws
The Leopard 1A5 was used by the Danish Defence in the 1990s and saw battle against Serb forces in Bosnia in 1994. 

The model is fitted with a less powerful barrel when compared to modern Leopard 2 tanks. The 1A5’s armor is also less protective than its successor. It is, however, very versatile and reliable. 

According to German news outlet Business Insider, a total of 187 Leopard 1 tanks have been approved to be sent to Ukraine by the German authorities – 99 of which were part of the Danish Defence. 


Share

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast