There are apparently major problems in the European logistics chain for Ukraine when it comes to repairing damaged Leopard 2 tanks. A Bundeswehr expert warns urgently.
Kiev – In the Ukraine war, they were now seen as the beacon of hope. Ukrainian soldiers raved about the Leopard 2 tanks, for example because of their ability to fight at night. But: The initial optimism caused by the delivery of the heavy battle tanks has evaporated.
Leopard 2 tank: There are still very few 2A6s on the Ukrainian battlefield
Because: Russia has found antidotes against the “Leos” on the battlefield – including the kamikaze drone Lancet. As Green Party budget politician Sebastian Schäfer made public after the New Year, “only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered can now be used by Ukraine”. A lack of spare parts due to wear and tear and damage caused by attempts at repairs by the Ukrainians mean it is unclear when the tanks will even be able to return to the front.
Several of the German Leopard 2A6s delivered are currently in the repair workshop (“hub”) in Lithuania set up by the German defense industry. Retired Lieutenant General Roland Kather has now become positively enraged about the obvious weaknesses in the European supply chain for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The military expert denounced a “lack of awareness of reality” in politics. “What's the point of putting a system on the Ukrainians' farm without a logistics chain? We have a Leopard in a high intensity battle. “Of course, combat damage occurs and it’s not that easy to remove,” said the Bundeswehr expert in an interview world live: “But we are also dealing with a highly complex system. And this highly complex system is technically vulnerable.”
Ukrainian Army: Repairing Leopard 2 tanks in Lithuania
The Ukrainians are “extremely hard-working, sometimes they take a hammer and chisel and try to repair the car themselves. Of course that doesn’t work, it’s far too complex,” explained Kather. It is “nonsense” to assume that a mechanic can “handle a Leopard 2A6 main battle tank” after a few weeks of special training. Another weak point is the logistics chain because said repairs are located far from the front in the Baltics instead.
“That means: First the transport across Ukraine, then across Poland, but then the spare parts have to be there, and not 'just in time', there have to be supplies there. These supplies do not exist, we have saved them,” said the retired Bundeswehr lieutenant general world live: “Without a logistics chain, this is the result. It takes months to repair a battle tank. Of course, under war conditions, under conditions of intense war, this will take even longer.”
Without Leopard 2 tanks: Ukraine not capable of further offensive?
Politicians “want to have tanks, but they shy away from the word ‘war logistics’ like holy water,” he said and demanded: “We have to change, and that must finally become clear. Because: We are dealing with an increasingly precarious situation in Ukraine.” Kather knows his stuff; the now 74-year-old from Lower Saxony was, among other things, commander of the multinational NATO force KFOR in Kosovo between September 2006 and August 2007. Kather further explained that it was not clear to him how the Ukrainian armed forces would be able to launch a new offensive in the spring: “Things have to be in order and running. How this is supposed to work without an appropriate logistics chain is a mystery to me.”
Germany had delivered 18 modern Leopard 2A6 tanks to Kiev, which are being assembled in Munich-Allach by the arms company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). Portugal provided three 2A6s. 14 Leopard 2A4s came from Poland and eight from Canada. Sweden delivered ten “Leo 2s” and Finland four Leopard 2Rs for mine clearance – making at least 57 before the start of the (failed) counter-offensive in the summer. Loud Süddeutscher Zeitung (SZ) But there were only 21 examples of the most modern variant 2A6 – the German and the Portuguese.
Ukraine War: Kiev's troops are eagerly waiting for Leopard 1 tanks
Said Leopard 2 tanks were retrofitted with reactive armor for the Ukrainian battlefield. However, according to the business magazine, only the 47th Ukrainian Assault Brigade suffered Forbes On June 8, 2023, three Leopard 2A6 and three Leopard 2R minesweepers were captured in a Russian minefield south of Mala Tokmachka (Zaporizhia region). And by the way, 16 of the total 109 Bradley M-2 infantry fighting vehicles
delivered. This is one of the reasons why hopes now rest on promised Leopard 1 tanks from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands – but their delivery has been stalling for weeks. (pm)
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