Berlin approves supply of 178 Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine
Germany's Federal Security Council has approved the supply of 178 Leopard-1 tanks from industrial stocks to Ukraine, according to Spiegel.
The decision allows the export of Leopard-1 tanks from the German defense concern Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG).
According to the publication, the first tanks should be delivered to Ukraine in the summer, but most of them will not arrive before next year. The government will officially announce the decision on Tuesday evening.
Last week, the German government granted a license to export Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.
For reference:
The Leopard 1 was the first main battle tank built for the German Army after World War II. It was produced from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. The 14 Leopard 2 tanks promised earlier by Berlin are much more modern.
The German Defense Ministry reported earlier that German manufacturers have 29 largely refurbished models of the Leopard 2 predecessor.
