After a visit by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen to the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) company in Flensburg on April 14, 2023, situated in the northernmost state of Germany, he announced that the first Danish Leopard 1A5 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) will soon be sent to Ukraine.
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Danish Leopard 1A5 Main Battle Tank for Ukraine. (Picture source Screen Shot Twitter Video)
In early February 2023, Denmark launched the project to renovate a large number of Leopard 1A5 tanks with the Netherlands and Germany in early February. The first milestone in the project is still to deliver tanks to two battalions – equivalent to about 80 tanks – over the coming months. The first tanks are expected to be ready for Ukrainian training within the coming weeks.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen visited the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) company in Flensburg on Friday, April 14, 2023, accompanied by the defense agreement circle and members of the defense committee and Foreign Affairs Committee. FFG is responsible for refurbishing the former Danish Leopard 1A5 Main Battel Tanks (MBTs), which are soon to be sent to Ukraine.
In February, the government entered into a collaboration with Germany and the Netherlands to donate at least 100 Leopard 1A5 MBTs to Ukraine. Some of these tanks are being refurbished at Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft. On Friday morning, Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen visited the company in Flensburg with the defense agreement circle and members of the defense committee and Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I am very happy to invite parliamentarians to FFG, so they can also see how far we are in the process of refurbishing Leopard 1A MBTs. It is a large and important donation to the Ukrainian freedom struggle, which was established with broad support from the other parties in the Parliament and which we hope to send to Ukraine very soon," says Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
The Defense Minister and other Danish politicians visited FFG along with Denmark's Ambassador to Germany, Susanne Hyldelund, and defense attaché, Brigadier General Jakob Henius, discussing the ongoing renovation of Leopard 1A5 tanks with FFG's director, Norbert Erichsen.
"During my visit to Ukraine earlier this week, I had the opportunity to discuss donations with my Ukrainian colleague, Oleksii Reznikov. He thanked for the Danish donations – including the upcoming delivery of Leopard tanks. It is a donation that Ukrainians request and which fits well with the rest of the Ukrainian equipment," says Troels Lund Poulsen.
As part of the project, Ukraine will be offered training and education in the use of the tanks, as well as spare parts and an ammunition package.
The joint project is the latest example of Denmark's cooperation with other countries to support Ukraine's military needs.
The Leopard 1A5 is a significantly upgraded version of the original Leopard 1, a German main battle tank (MBT) that was first introduced in the 1960s. The Leopard 1A5 features improved firepower, protection, and electronics compared to its predecessors. However, it is important to keep in mind that the Leopard 1A5 was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which makes it an older design compared to more modern Russian tanks.
The firepower capabilities of the Leopard 1A5 come primarily from its main armament, the Rheinmetall L7 105mm rifled gun. The L7 gun has proven to be a highly accurate and reliable weapon system, capable of firing various types of ammunition, including Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS), High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), and High-Explosive Squash Head (HESH) rounds. The tank also features a fire control system with improved accuracy and stabilization.
