0
0
Tanks for the Armed Forces. Someone bought a large batch of Leopard 1 in Belgium: what is known?
, 20:31, 08.08.2023
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
One of the countries has purchased a large batch of German Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems in order to transfer them to the Armed Forces as soon as possible.
Belgium Leopard 1s for Ukraine
As reported by Business AM, after a major renovation, the first copies will go to Ukraine via Germany and Italy. They will be equipped with new weapon systems.
Belgium retired Leopard 1 tanks: what happened to them?
The Belgian publication "Business AM" cites sources and writes that a few years ago, 50 Leopard 1 tanks were completely withdrawn from the Belgian army - under the pressure of the need for additional savings, the army management decided to withdraw all heavy tracked vehicles and replace them with lighter armored vehicles with tires
However, the tanks were not included in the list of equipment that Belgium supplies to Ukraine, writes "Evropeyska Pravda". According to Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder, they are too expensive to be put into use. She said earlier this year: "Work has been done to patch them again, but the company is now asking for up to €500,000 per car. I understand that the work is not free, but the margin is exaggerated".
Belgium sold the tanks to OIP Systems for just €15 000 each, the price of old iron. The military did not have enough hangars to house decommissioned equipment, so they dumped it.
Some country bought Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine: there is little information
The publication informs that recently another country decided to purchase "Leopard 1". After careful reconstruction, the first cars are already on their way to Ukraine via Germany and Italy. Along the way, they will be equipped with new weapon systems.
It is not known which country purchased these machines. So far, only Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have announced that they will hand over the "Leopard 1" purchased from the industry to Ukraine.
"Business AM" notes that a large amount of equipment, including Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, will remain in the OIP warehouse. They are especially sought after in Ukraine, where they have proven themselves to shoot down Russian drones.
About 40 Cheetahs are still in OIP storage, but they are too old to be usable, according to a Ministry of Defense source. However, another insider points out that they can be launched, but not at a price Belgium is willing to pay. The price will reach EUR 2 million per unit.
