Germany approves sending 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

The Federal Security Council of Germany has approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, Spiegel reports.

Germany will send much more military equipment from industrial stocks than previously announced. The German authorities will send part of the tanks in the summer, while most of the tanks will be delivered to Ukraine only in 2024.

Meanwhile, Military Watch publication said that Leopard 1 tanks were outdated due to their weak guns.

"The Leopard 1's main gun, an old rifled design, not only has a very limited performance compared to modern smoothbore guns, but can only employ 105 mm rounds. This ordinance type was totally absent from Ukraine's pre-war stocks, and is very scarcely available in the West due to the conversion to 120 mm tank guns over 40 years ago," the publication said.