"The kerosene consumption of the Abrams is so high that Ukraine does not stand a chance of operating it in the current war-time supply situation," Schulze says. The United States operates thousands of M1 Abrams tanks built by General Dynamics but they are seen as unsuitable for Ukraine as they are driven by gas turbine engines. WHAT OTHER WESTERN BATTLE TANKS ARE THERE? Countries ordering new tanks need to be prepared to wait two to three years for delivery.Įven if production were ramped up, experts say it could take at least two years for the first new tanks to leave the factory. Germany's defence industry is banned by law from producing them for stock-keeping. Germany has about 350 Leopard 2 tanks today, compared to some 4,000 battle main tanks at the height of the Cold War, German military expert Carl Schulze says.Īt the same time, it is all but impossible to buy a large amount of Leopard 2 tanks quickly. Many countries drastically reduced their armies after the fall of communism. But in general, three decades after the end of the Cold War, tanks and other heavy weapons are in scarce supply in most of the West. The Leopard 2 is one of the most widely used Western tanks. Nations operating the Leopard include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. This would also make it easier for Ukraine to manage maintenance and crew training. This means several nations could each chip in some of their tanks to support Ukraine. The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km. German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has built more than 3,500 Leopard 2 tanks since beginning production in 1978. The tank is regarded as one of the West's best.
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