Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Leopard 2 tank (Photo:REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo)
The German Army has 320 Leopard-2 main
battle tanks at its disposal, although they are at different stages of
deployment readiness, German Defense Ministry official told CNN on Jan. 24.
The same source added that Bundeswehr no longer has any Leopard-1 tanks or some of the older models of Leopard-2.
It’s unclear how many of these tanks are combat-ready.
Earlier, Leopard-2 manufacturer Rheinmetall said it has 139 tanks in its warehouses, but only 29 of them would be ready to ship in spring 2023. The company added that it also has a stock of 88 Leopard-1 tanks, although they would be ready for delivery in nine to twelve months.
Another German company FFG told CNN it has 99 Leopard-1 MBTs, but only older models of those.
Earlier on Jan. 24, Poland officially requested Berlin’s permission to supply Ukraine with a squadron worth of Leopard-2 tanks.
German media subsequently reported Berlin intends to greenlight shipments of German tanks to Ukraine as early as on Jan. 25.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that a number of countries are ready to provide Kyiv with around 100 Leopard tanks, and are waiting on Berlin to give the go-ahead.
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