Berlin has authorized its manufacturers to deliver Leopard 1 combat tanks which they have in reserve to Ukraine, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday.
The latter gave no details on the number of armored vehicles concerned and the delivery schedule to Ukraine.
“I confirm that an export license has been issued,” Mr. Hebestreit told a regular press conference.
The Leopard 1 are the predecessors of the Leopard 2, armored vehicles long awaited by Kyiv and of which Berlin agreed at the end of January to provide 14 units from the equipment of the German army, the Bundeswehr.
It no longer has Leopard 1s, which have been replaced by the more modern and efficient Leopard 2s.
The German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) told AFP that it has a total of 99 Leopard 1 A5 armored vehicles in stock which could be supplied to Ukraine.
“Not all of them are currently operational,” the company said. “We currently estimate to be able to deliver the first twenty Leopard 1 A5s after a refurbishment which would last approximately three months,” she said, adding that the rest would follow gradually thereafter.
According to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German arms company Rheinmetall also owns 88 Leopard 1 armored vehicles.
Since 1965, 4,700 Leopard 1s have been manufactured. The latter have a smaller caliber gun than the Leopard 2: 105 mm against 120 mm for the second generation.
This difference in caliber poses a problem for ammunition which is no longer available in sufficient quantity.
The engine power of the Leopard 1 is less strong than that of its successor: 830 horsepower against 1500 for the Leopard 2. The protections of the Leopard 1 are also less efficient than those of the Leopard 2.