Germany has issued an export license for 178 Leopard 1 battle tanks to war-torn Ukraine.
On February 7, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) issued export licenses to German armaments companies for up to 178 Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks for the Ukraine. This coincided with a joint statement by the governments of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark to pay for the preparation of “at least” 100 Leopard 1 copies for Kyiv, with delivery scheduled to take place “within the coming months.”
The exact number of Leopard 1 battle tanks sent by the donor countries will depend on the extent of the required refurbishment work.
On the same day, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told local agency that his company plans to send the first 20-25 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine this year.