According to a statement published by the Polish Ministry of Defense on February 13, 2023, Poland has started the training of Ukrainian soldiers to operate the Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).
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Polish soldiers train Ukrainian tankers to operate the Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank MBT. (Picture source Poland MoD)
Citing information from the Minister of National Defense of Poland, Marius Blaszczak, Poland has signed an agreement with Germany to create a coalition of countries that will deliver Leopard 2A4 MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) to Ukraine.
Canada has already delivered the first Leopard 2A4 and the training of Ukrainian tankers in Poland is also supported by instructors of the Canadian army. On February 5, 2023, Army Recognition editorial team reported that the first Leopard 2A4 tanks donated by Canada were on the way to Ukraine via Poland.
According to the latest information published on the Internet, the donations per country of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine would be as follows, Finland no information about the number, Germany with 14 Leopard 2A6, Norway with 36 Leopard 2A4, Poland with 14 Leopard 2A4, Portugal with 4 Leopard 2A6, and Spain with 4 Leopard 2A4.
The Leopard 2 is considered as one of the most modern main battle tanks in the world offering a high level of firepower, mobility, and protection.
The Leopard 2A4 is the first operational version in the Leopard 2 tanks family but it still offers combat capabilities advantages compared to what remains of Ukraine’s Soviet-era tanks inventory, for instance, its more modern fire control system and armor package.
Citing information from the IISS Blog, the Leopard 2’s 120 mm gun would also give Ukrainian crews access to a larger pool of more modern NATO standard ammunition. There have been reports of difficulties in supplying 125 mm ammunition for Ukraine’s current MBT fleet, so access to NATO ammunition stocks and supply lines would be of great benefit to Kyiv.
Germans military experts estimated that the 120mm ammunition used by the Leopard 2 tank could penetrate the frontal armor of the Russian T-72 tank at a range of up to 2,000 m and the frontal armor of the T-62 tank at a range of up to 4,000 m.
The Leopard 2A4 has a welded hull and turret. The tank is also protected by composite armor offering a high level of protection against the firing of armor-piercing rounds and anti-tank guided weapons.
