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Ready to be cannibalized: Bundeswehr can hope for 25 Leopard 2 tanks from Switzerland

2023-05-28T03:32:50.391Z

Highlights: The Federal Council in Bern is in favour of buying back 25 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks to Rheinmetall. But there is one important condition: the military equipment must not be allowed to roll into Ukraine. In the event of an attack, the Bundeswehr will no longer have many Leopard tanks to deploy. Switzerland currently has 134 modern Leopard 2 A4 WE tanks. Of these, 96 are still in the possession of Switzerland. But for the 25 requested models, "no further use is planned," it said.



Switzerland is opening the moth box: The Federal Council is in favour of buying back 25 decommissioned Leopard 2 tanks to Rheinmetall. But there's a catch.

Berne/Berlin – Ammunition no, battle tanks yes: Switzerland wants to make concessions to Germany on an important armaments issue. For example, 25 discarded Leopard 2 tanks could soon be sold back to Rheinmetall. The Federal Council in Bern wants to support a corresponding application from Berlin.

But there is one important condition: the military equipment must not be allowed to roll into Ukraine. But what does the Bundeswehr want with it?

Leopard 2 main battle tanks: Positive signals on Germany's buyback from Switzerland

Already in March, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), together with Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), had asked for a delivery of weapons. After the Bundeswehr handed over several Leopard-2 main battle tanks to Ukraine for its counteroffensive in the war against Russia, the gap in its own stock is now to be closed. In the event of an attack, the Bundeswehr will no longer have many Leopard tanks to deploy.

The Leopard 2 tank is considered state-of-the-art: Germany is currently negotiating with Switzerland to buy back old models. © Armin Weigel/dpa

The 25 decommissioned models from Switzerland are now intended to help close the stock gap. For example, they may serve as spare parts stores for the manufacturer Rheinmetall in order to be able to repair other tanks of the same type more quickly.

The Security Policy Committee of the Swiss National Council had already given the green light for the plan shortly after the request from Germany. On Wednesday (24 May), the Federal Council also signalled its approval, according to a statement. Now the Federal Assembly, which consists of the National Council and the smaller Council of States, has to decide. After that, the planned export still has to be approved by the Swiss Ministry of Economic Affairs.

25 tanks from Switzerland: Leopard-2 will not be allowed to be delivered to Ukraine

So far, Switzerland has refused to allow Germany to transfer Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine. With this strict interpretation of neutrality, Bern had caused irritation in Berlin. In the application for the Leopard II tank, the German government therefore expressly assured that they would not be exported to the war zone.

According to a report in Der Spiegel, Switzerland currently has 134 modern Leopard 2 A4 WE tanks. The decommissioned models date back to the eighties. Of these, 96 are still in the possession of Switzerland. The country may want to reactivate part of it itself. But for the 25 requested models, "no further use is planned," it said.

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Is the Leopard-2 the best tank in the world?

In fact, the Leopard-2 is considered one of the best tanks in the world. It weighs a good 60 tons and is about ten meters long. Since 2014, the latest model has been delivered to 14 countries worldwide. There are 3500 pieces in total. With the 120-millimeter smoothbore cannon, the main battle tank can hit targets at a distance of several thousand meters standing and driving. Its maximum combat distance is 5000 meters. The advantages of the Leopard, according to the Bundeswehr, lie in the combination of firepower, armor protection and mobility.

However, it remains to be seen whether the main battle tanks will actually end up back in Germany. After all, a yes vote in the National Council is still questionable. The issue will be on the agenda there on 30 May. So in Berlin you have to be patient. (jkf

)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-05-28

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