The front in Ukraine today has become very static, reminiscent of World War I battles, with each day’s progress on either side measured in the capture of… building blocks. But the appeals, or demands of the Ukrainians for Leopard tanks, in recent times, brought everyone back to reality.
Good and effective the Javelins, NLAWs, Bayraktars, PzH 2000 self-propelled guns, HIMARS missile systems, but all of them do not conquer or recapture ground. This, unfortunately for many, is only done by the crawlers of the armoured battle tanks, the IFVs and the oldiers who disembark from them. The air force, the navy, the artillery, the electronic warfare, the multi domain battle are good and highly effective, but the the soldier’s boots and the creep occupy and hold ground!
In theory, the supply by the US and other countries of new armoured battle tanks, IFVs and other weapons, as well as the provision of the necessary training, will allow Ukraine to “break” these static Russian defenses and fortifications, and continue the military victories it had achieved in the second semester of 2022.
The US is constantly reinforcing Ukraine with war material, increasingly modern and “heavy” in terms of capabilities. And now the Ukrainians need tanks. Few are willing to give them: the Poles a Leopard 2, the Finns another, the British a Challenger 2 (“Ukrainians” were saved…). According to Colin Kahl, the under-Secretary of Defense for defense policy, Americans are not yet willing to meet Kiev’s request for M1 Abrams armoured battle tanks, because of the complexity, cost and difficulty of training and because the turbo engine is demanding on fuel and difficult for the Ukrainians to maintain. Aren’t the British Challenger 2s really technologically sophisticated and the only ones in the world that use 3-part ammunition (projectile, propellant and primer cartridge)?
However, Joe Biden announced yesterday the shipment of 31 Abrams tanks, worth $400 million, to Kyiv.
On the contrary, the Leopard 1 & 2, as well as the Challenger, have “classic” diesel engines, while their repair, but especially the maintenance, can be done more easily than the Ukrainians. Also, the US believes that the Ukrainians should not be “bombarded” with many different types of tanks, and they believe that it is best that any reinforcements in armoured battle tank capacity come from the European Leopard 2 stocks and Leopard 1Α5.
Therefore, everyone came to the conclusion that the Ukrainians should be given Leopard armoured battle tanks. Unfortunately, these are species “in short supply” throughout Europe. Germany only has 320 of them (19 Leo 2A5, 197 Leo 2A6 and 104 Leo 2A7V). A few more (about 15-20) of the Leo 2A4 version are available to the German industry, which exhausted its limited reserves by placing, as part of the Ringtausch program, 14 Leo 2A4s in the Czech Republic and 15 in Slovakia.
The country with the largest Leopard 2 and Leopard 1 fleets, in Europe and in the world, is Greece. The Greek army (Greek Armoured Cavarly) persistently and methodically “collected” Leopard 1 and 2, for twenty years and today has 353 Leo 2 and about 500 1A5, which have been in service for several years, and need immediate and radical modernization. But it is obvious that the Ukrainians “see” the Greek reserve, as they only look at the numbers that Greece has, and not at the Turkish threat that Greece has to face.
If the USA and NATO proposes a “circular exchange” for some of the Greek Leopard 1A5 & 2A, with M1A2 Abrams with immediate shipping, e.g. 50 Leopard 2A4 & 50 Leopard 1A5 in Ukraine, after the implementation of a modernization program, and replacing them with 100 M1A2 Abrams from US stocks, Greece will ready to accept such a proposal and such a policy will be for benefit of all (as such for Ukraine as for Greece and NATO).
The Greek crews of armoured battle tanks are the best in Europe and among the best in the world, because they never stopped practicing in the “sport”. In recent years, the US crews of armoured battle tanks have been constantly looking for opportunities to train together with the Greek crews of armoured battle tanks, and that says a lot.
