Switzerland opens the moth box: The Federal Council supports the buyback of 25 discarded Leopard 2 tanks to Rheinmetall. But there’s a catch.
Bern/Berlin – Ammunition no, battle tanks yes: Switzerland wants to accommodate Germany on an important armaments issue. For example, 25 discarded Leopard 2 tanks could soon be sold back to the Rheinmetall company. The Federal Council in Bern wants to support a corresponding application from Berlin.
But there is one important condition: the war equipment must not roll into Ukraine. But what does the Bundeswehr want with it?
Leopard 2 main battle tanks: Positive signals for Germany to buy back from Switzerland
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had already asked for a delivery of weapons in March. After the Bundeswehr had given several Leopard-2 battle tanks to the Ukraine for their counter-offensive in the war against Russia, the gap in their own inventory is now to be closed. Because in the event of an attack, the Bundeswehr no longer has many Leopard tanks to muster.
The 25 decommissioned models from Switzerland should now help to close the stock gap. For example, the manufacturer Rheinmetall should possibly use them as a spare parts store so that other tanks of the same type can be repaired more quickly.
The Security Policy Committee of the Swiss National Council gave the go-ahead for the plan shortly after the request from Germany. On Wednesday (May 24), the Federal Council also signaled its approval, as stated in a statement. Now the Federal Assembly, which consists of the National Council and the smaller Council of States, still has to decide. After that, the planned export still has to be approved by the Swiss Ministry of Economic Affairs.
25 tanks from Switzerland: Leopard-2 may not be delivered to Ukraine
So far, Switzerland has refused Germany permission to transfer Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine. With this strict interpretation of neutrality, Bern had caused irritation in Berlin. With the application for the Leopard II tank, the German government expressly assured that these would not be exported to the war zone.
According to a report by mirrors Switzerland currently has 134 modern Leopard 2 A4 WE tanks. The retired models are from the 1980s. Of these, 96 are still owned by Switzerland. The country may want to reactivate some of them itself. But for the 25 requested models “no further use is planned,” it said.
Is the Leopard-2 the best tank in the world?
In fact, the Leopard-2 is considered one of the best tanks in the world. It weighs a good 60 tons and is about ten meters long. Since 2014, the latest model has been delivered to 14 countries worldwide. There are 3500 pieces in total. With the 120 mm smoothbore gun, the main battle tank can hit targets at a distance of several thousand meters, standing or moving. Its maximum combat distance is 5000 meters. According to the Bundeswehr, the advantages of the Leopard lie in the combination of firepower, armor protection and mobility.
It remains to be seen whether the battle tanks will actually end up back in Germany in the end. Because a yes in the National Council is still considered questionable. The topic is on the agenda there on May 30th. In Berlin you have to be patient. (jkf)
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