German military equipment maker Rheinmetall is preparing to supply up to 50 used Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on April 11, citing the group’s CEO, Report informs referring to Reuters.
Rheinmetall could deliver the first tanks in six weeks and the rest over the following three months through its subsidiary Rheinmetall Italia if it gets a green light from the German government, Chief Executive Armin Papperger told Handelsblatt.
Papperger said Ukrainian soldiers could be trained on the Leopard 1 within a few days if they are already skilled military personnel.
Some German government politicians have said it takes too long to train Ukrainians to handle Western weapons, and it was better to send equipment they can operate right away. read more
Handelsblatt reported that politicians from Germany's coalition government, made up of Social Democrats, the Greens and Free Democrats, and are open to a possible delivery of the Leopard tanks, the newspaper reported.
"You have to be trained a bit more intensively on the Leopard 1. But if the Ukrainians want the tank, a way should be found," Marcus Faber, defense policy spokesperson for the Free Democrats' parliamentary group, told the paper.
Rheinmetall's Leopard 1 battle tank is a predecessor model of the Leopard 2 currently in service with the German armed forces, and the armies using it have returned it to the supplier while upgrading their equipment, Handelsblatt reported.