Germany and Britain delivered the first Panther and Challenger tanks to Ukraine on Monday as Russian forces focused their attacks on the frontline. The lake was promised by the NATO allies to the Kyiv government this year, and it will arrive in time for the expected spring.
Spain, for its part, is also meeting the deadlines and delivering the first six tanks of ten, which the Ministry of Defense promised to be delivered in anticipation of being sent to Ukraine at the end of next week, after testing the last balls in the Base. of Cerro Muriano in Cordoba.
German refusal
The ship was approved for delivery to Europe in January after Germany’s initial refusal to grant an export license, and the war on its neighboring territory was too much to fear. Finally, Berlin not only approved the export, but was the first country to deliver its lot (along with the United Kingdom).
The decision represents a milestone for the Teutonic Republic and has put an end to months of debate, as it will be the first time since World War II that its main battle farm has set foot on the European field. The fatal memory of the Nazis was in fact one of the main obstacles used in such a way.
The last generation
“Leopard II” tanks are the main ones in Germany in the early 1970s, which first saw action in Kosovo, and were used in Afghanistan and the Syrian Civil War. To date, there are more than 2,000 deployed in Europe and Canada in more than a dozen countries, with Ukraine hosting 300 of them.
A ‘Leopard II’ in full action kmw
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, its manufacturer, explained in a statement that these are modern tanks that combine power, protection, speed, and maneuverability. Indeed, some experts predict that the old “Leopard II” could easily beat any of the Soviet tanks currently in use by both Russia and Ukraine.
Adapted to any type of battle, they weigh 55 tons, measure ten meters long by three meters high, and can exceed 70 kilometers per hour. They need four members of the crew for their use: the commander, the gunner, the loader and the driver. They have a 120 mm cannon that can shoot up to five kilometers, and two digitally controlled machine guns.
