Regain the initiative, break the Russian front in the southeast and advance positions; in short, change the course of the war. The international coalition that has been supplying kyiv with weapons since March 2022 has a period of between two and three months to send combat armor and train the Ukrainian military in their respective countries.
Spanish soldiers, with Leopard 2 tanks, and American soldiers, with Abrams tanks, at the Adazi military base in Latvia, in 2018. /
United Kingdom has been the first country in beginning to instruct in the handling of 14 units of the Challenger. Germany, owner of the Leopard license, will transfer 14 main battle tanks as will Poland. The United States approved a first batch of 31 Abrams, while Finland, Norway, the Netherlands or Spain individually handle less than ten Leopards. For its part, Russia began in December to transfer a hundred T-90 tanks to Lugansk.
The Army has a crew of 347 Leopards: 239 are of the 2E model (manufactured from 2003 by the national firm Santa Bárbara Sistemas, today General Dynamics) and 108 of the 2A4, which were rented to Germany in 1995 second-hand. , arrived three years later and were bought in 2005 for around 15 million euros. Of this item, 53 have been “stored” since 2012 at the facilities of the Logistics Support Group number 41, in Casetas (Zaragoza).
“The tanks are in an absolutely regrettable situation (…) and at risk to people”
DAISY ROBLES
defense minister
Although they are “in an absolutely unfortunate situation (…) and at risk to people”, as Minister Margarita Robles admitted last August, it will be from this endowment that the units that will be sent to Ukraine in about three months will come out. For this, the review process of the “fourth step” must be completed, that is, an in-depth examination to guarantee its full operability in a war.
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 70km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 70km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 70km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm
The modern version of the European allies
The European allies that will also send their Leopards are mostly betting on more modern versions than the Spanish one. Poland thinks of the 2A5 and 2PL (equivalent to the 2A6, two generations more than that of the Spanish Army); The Netherlands also opts for this version, while Finland and Norway will review the operability of their old stored 2A4 before deciding.
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 72km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 72km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm
Maximum speed 72km/h
The European force: more than 2,400 leopards
The Leopard is the quintessential battle tank among the continental allies. At least 15 countries have 2,405 units, which are distributed as follows:
The sophisticated American Abrams
The United States has confirmed the shipment of 31 Abrams model M1, the most sophisticated and complex armored combat of all that exist. It is equipped with a computerized ballistic fire control system that allows it to achieve a 95% hit probability on the move.
two machine guns 7.62mm and 12.7mm
smoothbore cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 68km/h
smoothbore cannon 120mm
two machine guns 7.62mm and 12.7mm
two machine guns 7.62mm and 12.7mm
smoothbore cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 68km/h
two machine guns 7.62mm and 12.7mm
smoothbore cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 68km/h
Manufactured by General Dynamics, it also has an engine based on a powerful turbine and sophisticated armor. He has previous experience in international missions such as Iraq with good results.
The efficient British Challenger
The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to confirm the shipment of tanks to kyiv and by the end of March their units will be on the battlefield. There will be 14 Challenger model battle tanks, the historic national battleship that entered service at the end of the 1990s.
rifled cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 59km/h
rifled cannon 120mm
rifled cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 59km/h
rifled cannon 120mm
Maximum speed 59km/h
It has successfully participated in missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq and its modernization program runs until 2035.
The Leclercs, the unknown French
After the approval of Berlin to send the Leopard, France changed its mind about the initial arrangement of some AMC-10 RC tank destroyers or light combat tanks (with wheels instead of chains) and even considered chartering its jewel in the crown. among the battleships: the AMX-56 Leclerc, a national project.
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
Maximum speed 65km/h
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
Maximum speed 65km/h
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
Maximum speed 65km/h
The most recent operational experience of the Leclerc acquired by the United Arab Emirates has been the war in Yemen, where the Russian anti-tank missiles of the Houthi militias have damaged several units.
The T-90, the jewel in the crown of Moscow
Russia has deployed the most modern variant of the T-90M, the Proryv-3 model, during the invasion of Ukraine with the aim of breaking the resistance of the Ukrainian defense in the south and east of the country.
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
smoothbore cannon 125mm
Maximum speed 60km/h
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
smoothbore cannon 125mm
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
smoothbore cannon 125mm
Maximum speed 60km/h
machine gun
12.7mm and of 7.62mm
smoothbore cannon 125mm
Maximum speed 60km/h
It has a hundred units and last May, near the city of Kharkov, it suffered its first casualty with the destruction of a team with a portable recoilless cannon, according to a part of the British Ministry of Defense, which confirmed the vulnerability of the T -90M if they do not have greater security coverage.
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