German government allows two companies to supply 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

Business Insider reports that the federal government has given the green light to the export of 178 Leopard 1s from the Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) groups. According to the outlet, the official figures are due on Tuesday.

However, as Business Insider has learned from government sources, funding for vehicle repairs has not yet been secured. This should be finally resolved in the next few weeks.

In addition, it is currently expected that the first vehicles will be delivered no earlier than the middle of this year. Insiders say it is not yet known how many of them there will be, as it also depends on funding. It is also unclear whether all 178 Leopard 1s will eventually be operational, or whether many will have to be used as spare parts depots.

Inside the government, private conversations also point out that the military-strategic importance of the delivery of tanks is not so much about the tanks themselves. Rather, the transition to Western tanks goes hand in hand with a change in ammunition.

Leopard tanks use the NATO standard 105 mm caliber. This will mean a much better supply of ammunition for Ukraine, as it cannot produce it for its old Soviet tanks. In the long run, this could, in military terms, increase the viability of the Ukrainian army.