Spain races to deliver upgraded Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine

According to the Infodefensa portal, the modernization of Spanish Leopard 2A4 tanks is progressing very well. These tanks were promised to Ukraine in upcoming aid packages. Some of the tanks are already prepared to be sent to the front lines, while the others are expected to be ready within a few months at the latest.

This refers to 19 Leopard 2A4 tanks the Spanish authorities promised Ukraine a few weeks ago. Each tank was to undergo an inspection and necessary repairs at the Santa Bárbara Sistemas defense plants.

The Spanish portal emphasizes that they have fulfilled their commitments and prepared the first batch of 10 Leopard 2A4 tanks. They accomplished this in a record time of only three months. It appears that the delivery of these tanks to Ukraine will be organized "within the next few days."

This is not the end of the good news for Ukrainians. Journalists from the newspaper El Heraldo revealed that work has already begun on the remaining nine Leopard 2A4 tanks, and according to plans, they will be completed by September at the latest.

Spain is gradually becoming one of the larger suppliers of Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine. Although these machines are already quite old (produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s), they remain helpful on the battlefield. This is especially true on the front lines in Ukraine, where both sides of the conflict often use even older and less well-equipped tanks.

At one time, the Leopard 2A4 was intended to counter Soviet tanks like the T-72B and T-80. The German design is based on the Rheinmetall L/44 smoothbore gun with a caliber of 120 mm, along with a couple of 7.62 mm machine guns and a smoke grenade launcher. From the crew's point of view, it is important that the Leopard 2A4 has a fire control system with thermal imaging.

Measuring nearly 33 feet in length, the Leopard 2A4 is powered by a 1,500 hp engine, enabling it to reach up to 43 mph on paved roads while providing decent mobility off-road. The range on a single fuel tank is estimated at 342 miles. It is worth noting that the Ukrainians have reinforced some of the Leopard 2A4 tanks received from the West with Kontakt-1 reactive armor blocks, which improve the tanks' resistance to attacks using anti-tank-guided missiles.