Denmark's Acting Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, yesterday confirmed Denmark’s intention to provide refurbished 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.
"We will start delivering Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine before the summer. And then, hopefully, looking half a year ahead, it will be possible for us to donate about 100 Leopard 1 tanks, and that, I'll say, would be a substantial thing for Ukraine's army," Poulsen said.
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His statement was made at a briefing with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov at the Ukraine – Odesa Media Center on Monday, April 10.
In thanking the Danish Defense Minister, Mr. Reznikov said: "In the near future, we will hear 'Leopards' roaring with the Danish accent.”
Minister Poulsen also noted that next month Ukraine might receive [as many as 17] Caesar artillery pieces, on which the Ukrainian military has already started training at facilities in Denmark.
The Belgium-headquartered publication “Army Recognition” reported that Denmark, together with the Netherlands and Germany, had launched a project to refurbish a large number of Leopard 1A5 tanks for delivery to Ukraine in February. The first goal of the project is to deliver two tank battalions to Ukraine as quickly as possible, which corresponds to approximately 80 tanks. The first tanks are expected to be ready during the spring and will be used to train Ukrainian forces.
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The tanks in question have the designation “Leopard 1A5DK” and is a variant of the Leopard 1 main battle tank that was modernized and upgraded by the Danish Army. The upgrade included the installation of a new diesel engine, an improved gun stabilization system, a new fire control system, upgraded armor, and the integration of modern electronic systems.
The Leopard 1A5 is armed with a British 105mm L7A3 rifled gun, which fires a range of anti-tank ammunition and is capable of penetrating the main armor of Russian T-64 and T-72 tanks at ranges of between 800 and 1500 meters depending on the type of ammunition used.
The tank has a crew of four; the commander, driver, gunner, and loader. The Leopard 1A5 main battle tank has a composite armor made of layers of steel, ceramics and plastics. The thickness and composition of the armor varies, depending on the specific version of the tank and the location on the vehicle.
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