The completion of the refurbishment for two Leopard 2A4 tanks destined for Ukraine has been officially announced by the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Following the overhaul, these tanks will be dispatched to Poland for training by Ukrainian crews before their final deployment to Ukraine.
This pair of Leopard 2A4s constitutes part of a larger batch of 14 tanks, as disclosed by Denmark and the Netherlands in April 2023 for transfer to Ukraine. It’s noteworthy that these vehicles are not drawn from the contributing nations’ existing stocks; instead, they were procured from external sources and underwent extensive refurbishment, a process conducted by Germany’s Rheinmetall, as indicated in the official announcement.
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The period from the initial transfer announcement to the completion of repairs for the initial two tanks spanned a considerable nine months. Nonetheless, the Dutch Defense Ministry’s statement asserts that the remaining 12 Leopard 2A4 tanks will be made operational “within the coming months”. Notably, the accompanying photos in the announcement illustrate Leopard 2A4s that have undergone significant refurbishment, yet they exhibit no discernible signs of modernization. This timeframe for the substantial overhaul of the initial pair of vehicles exemplifies the current timeline standard within the German defense industry.
Although the commencement date of Rheinmetall’s work remains undisclosed, it is plausible to consider the announcement from the Netherlands and Denmark governments as the starting point. This likely occurred subsequent to the finalization of a definitive contract, particularly since the stipulated deadline for the vehicle transfer was indicated as the beginning of 2024 even at that stage.
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