Poland is looking to send a dozen Leopard 2 tanks. However, Germany must approve the transfer. The Leopard 2 is a German-made tank and Berlin holds the export license. Germany’s reluctance has delayed Poland, Spain, Finland, The Netherlands from donating surplus Leopard 2s to the Ukraine. The German defense minister has resigned and it seems Germany will stop blocking Leopoard 2 tanks from going to Ukraine.
The Leopard 2 was first built in 1979. The Challenger 2 debuted in U.K. service in 1998.
The 69-ton Leopard 2 has a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun and is similar to the USA M1 tank. The 71-ton Challenger 2 has a 120-millimeter rifled gun. Challenger has more armor protection and long-range firepower but is a bit slower. The Leopard 2 has a max speed of 43 miles per hour on road. The Challenger 2’s top road speed is just 37 miles per hour.
Poland alone has an extra 250 Leopard 2 in storage. The UK has an extra 250 Challenger tanks.
The United States has thousands of older M-1s tanks in storage.
Russia Preparing for a Long War
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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