Four questions around the delivery of Western heavy tanks to Ukraine

Abrams tanks at Fort Carson in Colorado in 2016. © AP / Christian Murcock

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Germany and the United States announced this Wednesday, January 25 the delivery of tanks to kyiv to enable the Ukrainian army to face the Russian military offensive.

Many questions as to their number and the logistics involved remain unanswered. 

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Which countries have announced delivery of heavy tanks? 

The first to do so was the

in mid-January with

.

Prior to that, kyiv's European allies had already delivered nearly 300 modernized Soviet tanks, but never any Western-built heavy tanks.

The number of Challenger 2 sent to kyiv was not specified, but the British press spoke of twelve tanks: four immediately, then eight in the short term.

This Wednesday, after a Council of Ministers and while the announcement had been awaited for several days,

announced the next delivery of 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine.

According to the press across the Rhine, the country has 312 copies of this tank, including a hundred in maintenance.

The model is equipped with a longer barrel of 1.32 meters than the previous versions.

It can fire more powerful ammo and with improved accuracy.

Later in the day, the

in turn affirmed that they were going to deliver tanks to Kiev, in this case M1 Abrams, which they had so far refused to do, citing maintenance and training issues.

Last week, Undersecretary of Defense for Strategy Colin Kahl pointed out that the Abrams tank was "

 ".

“

. 

 ,” he said.

► To read also: Washington and Berlin announce the sending of heavy tanks to Ukraine

,

_

equipped with Leopard 2A4 tanks, had already announced on January 10 its intention to deliver 14 of its units to kyiv.

But he needed the green light from Berlin.

Finland ,

has more than 200 of them, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is also ready to equip the Ukrainian army with them.

The

too could deliver 18 of the same 2A4 tanks, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told the 

. 

Norway

has also announced its intention to contribute to the war effort, with a variant of the Leopard 2 in service with the Norwegian army

Minister Bjørn Arild Gram, however, did not specify the number of tanks concerned.

According to the German press, a handful of other European and NATO countries, not mentioned, would also be willing to participate in this effort within a coalition of operators.

Why are Leopard tanks preferred?

With less than 50 vehicles, it is difficult to maintain them.

kyiv has understood this well and this is the reason why its forces are demanding Leopards, produced in more than 2,000 copies and easily available in Europe.

The Ukrainian forces want them in large numbers, up to 300 copies this year alone, which would be the only solution to ensure effective logistical support.

Designed by the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei and built in series from the end of the 1970s to replace the American M48 Patton tanks and then the Leopard 1 tank, the Leopard 2 combines firepower, mobility and protection.

This combat tank of about sixty tons, of which about 3,500 copies have come off the production line, is equipped with a 120 mm caliber smoothbore cannon allowing it to fight the enemy while moving, thanks to its 1,500 horses, up to 70 km/h, with a range of 450 km.

It is also equipped, according to the manufacturer, with “ 

” effective against mines and rocket launchers.

Its crew of four also benefits from technological tools allowing it to locate and target the enemy at long distance.

And France?

France was one of the countries that initiated the movement in terms of the delivery of armored vehicles to Ukraine.

Paris notably promised on January 4 the delivery of AMX-10 RC light combat tanks, but no decision has yet been taken concerning its Leclerc heavy tanks.

" 

(...)

 is assessed (...)

", said the French president, judging that it was necessary " that it is not excalatory” vis-à-vis Russia, “ 

 ” and that it does not weaken the “

 ” of France.

Logistic challenge

Giving battle tanks to Ukraine is one thing, maintaining them in operational condition is another.

For a tank in combat, say the experts, there is one for maintenance and a third often used for parts.

But before using them, it will be necessary to train the crews and the mechanics and to set up the logistics lines for the parts and the shells.

The 14 Challenger tanks promised by the United Kingdom, for example, do not use the same shells as

The delivery of American Abrams tanks will make the logistical maneuver even more difficult because " 

 ", warns the Pentagon.

Above all, it is much heavier than the others.

With a weight of almost 70 tons, it is not guaranteed that it can cross all the bridges.

(

AFP)

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