Europe stockpiled Leopard 1s for a war that never came. Ukraine is rebuilding them for this one.
31 get unmanned Belgian turrets and a crew of only three. Others become drone killers, built in Italy and paid for with frozen Russian money.
In a surprise development, Ukraine is receiving 170 Leopard 1A5 tanks from a European consortium, despite having lost a quarter of its original fleet of the nimble, 40-ton tanks. The refurbished tanks are being equipped with new turrets that make them lighter, faster, and more survivable, while some are even being transformed into air defense vehicles.
The refurbishment process involves stripping the old turrets and swapping them for new ones with faster-firing 35-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, or even fully unmanned turrets built in Belgium. The spare hulls for these tanks are stored in Europe's warehouses, with enough to fuel both the conversion programs. Despite heavy losses, Ukraine could benefit from a potential influx of more Leopard 1A5 tanks, some of which might even have brand-new turrets.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
