Ukraine has a new weapon in i ts fight against Russia — Cold War-era German battle tanks. According to The New York Times, Germany sent 10 decommissioned Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine last month. The tank was designed by Porsche – more well-known for luxury cars – and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei in West Germany.

On 7 February 2023 the European community determined that industrial manufacturers hold 178 Leopard 1 tanks which could be refurbished and provided to Ukraine, with 20-25 Leopard 1A5 tanks available in the upcoming months of 2023. The remainder could be delivered in 2024, assuming that Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark fund them.

WASHINGTON — German officials have approved an export license for industry-owned Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, enabling a coalition of donor countries to provide up to 178 of the weapons for Kyiv’s troops.

In February, Denmark joined ranks with NATO members Germany and The Netherlands to announce that the trio was planning to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard-1 battle tanks in the coming months. This tank aid is in addition to the various variants of Leopard-2 tanks delivered to Kyiv.