Expensive Leopards purchased for Ukraine. But from whom?
https://defence24.pl/strona-autora/damian-ratka
photo. 7th Army Training Command/flickr/CC BY 2.0
Denmark and the Netherlands have announced a plan to conclude an agreement under which they will finance the purchase of 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks as military aid to Ukraine.
Currently, it is not known where the Leopard 2A4s would be purchased from. Currently, there are big problems with the availability of these tanks and their efficiency. Earlier, the government of the Netherlands signed an agreement with Germany for the transfer of about 100 Leopard 1A5s to Ukraine. However, it is not known from whom the Leopard 2A4s will be purchased. One of the more likely destinations may be Spain. Another option is to buy from surplus industry. Kiev has already received tanks of this type from Poland (14). Deliveries were also declared by Spain (10) as well as Canada and Norway (8 vehicles each).
The delivery of 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks is to be carried out in the first quarter of 2024. The estimated cost is EUR 165 million, or approximately USD 180 million. This is a very high amount for 14 machines. The estimated price of one car is
the equivalent of almost USD 13 million . For comparison, Poland paid USD 3.43 billion for 180 K2 tanks together with logistics and ammunition packages, so on average one tank (taking into account the average value of ammunition, logistics and training packages) cost about USD 19 million.
This means that Leopards purchased for Ukraine will most likely require not only refurbishment, but also limited modernization to replace those components that have not been produced for decades.
Important components that will most likely require replacement are the EMES-15A1 main sight blocks, WBG-X thermal imaging cameras, PERI-R17A1 panoramic commander's observation devices, and possibly also elements of the WNA-H22 turret's electro-hydraulic drives.
It can be speculated that the above elements could be replaced with more modern substitutes, similar to the configuration used in the Leopard 2PL tank. In its case, the EMES-15A1 main sight was equipped with the KLW-1 Asteria camera instead of the WBG-X, the PERI-R17A1 was replaced with a new PERI-R17A3L4 CP with the KLW-1 thermal imaging camera, and electric drives of the EWNA turret were used.
We will most likely learn about the source of the next Leopard 2A4s for Ukraine and the scope of required work (and possible modifications) in the coming months. It is worth adding, however, that this initiative is another of many efforts undertaken by Denmark and the Netherlands to support Ukraine. On the other hand, the cost of tanks, however high, is due to the fact that in the West the maintenance of equipment reserves has been neglected for decades, so their replacement is costly.
eurasiantimes.com
