Switzerland has made a final decision on 96 Leopard 1 tanks owned by the Swiss company RUAG, which has been trying to sell them to Ukraine since 2023, when the "tank coalition" was launched. Then Germany and the Netherlands wanted to buy these tanks. According to the plan, they were to undergo repairs at the Rheinmetall plant. However, they are not located in Switzerland, but in a depot in the Italian city of Goriia.
Two years ago, the Swiss Federal Council refused to permit such re-exports and continues to uphold this position. RUAG attempted to export the tanks to Germany and on May 28 this year finally received a definitive answer that such a sale did not require a license, meaning it could be carried out freely. Anyway, the export of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine is prohibited. However, this applies only to 71 of the 96 Leopard 1 tanks, as ownership of the remaining 25 is disputed.
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At the same time, it is reasonable to ask whether these Leopard 1 tanks can be modified in some way to allow their transfer to Ukraine. For example, using just the tank chassis to create a different combat vehicle.
Eventually, the Leopard 1 chassis is used by Rheinmetall for the Skyranger 35 air defense systems. Technically, this is a new vehicle designed exclusively for defense purposes. A well-known option is converting tanks into engineering vehicles. The Leopard 1 chassis is used in the Wisent 1, Bergepanzer 2, Dachs, and Biber bridge-layer, all of which are manufactured by other German companies.
It is also worth noting that vehicles can always be dismantled, with their spare parts used to maintain or repair other equipment. It should be noted that the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was developed on the Leopard 1 chassis.
However, the Swiss authorities chose the course of action they deemed best for themselves, making the following condition mandatory for approving the actual export of tanks to Germany:
"Based on the contractual assurances of the parties that neither tanks nor their components or accessories can be transferred to Ukraine, the planned sale does not violate the arms embargo Regulation on measures in connection with the situation in Ukraine".
In other words, 71 Leopard 1 tanks that have been sitting unused in a warehouse in Italy for decades cannot in any way be sent to Ukraine, where, according to Swiss politicians, there is a "situation" rather than a war for survival.
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