Promised Canada Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks and Simulators Arrive in Ukraine

All eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks promised by the Canadian Department of National Defence for Ukraine have now arrived in Poland. In addition to the eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks that they delivered to Poland, Canada also has deployed three Leopard gunnery simulators from the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) inventory to help train Ukrainian tank crews on the operation and tactics of these main battle tanks. The Leopard 2 is the main battle tank of the Canadian Armed Forces and of several Allies and partners. The Canadian Department of National Defence support for Ukraine is comprehensive and it will continue.

The Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand also announced that Canada will provide ammunition, spare parts, and will deploy Canadian Armed Forces members to train Ukrainian soldiers on the use of these tanks in a third country. This donation responds to Ukraine’s urgent request for tanks – a call that was reiterated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov at last week’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany. Canada’s donation is also the result of extensive coordination with Allies and partners, who are also planning to donate Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, among other Western main battle tanks.

The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank. Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German Army. The Canadian Armed Forces bought 12 2A4s/Pz 87 main battle tanks from Switzerland for the ‘Force Mobility Enhancement’ project which, along with the remaining unused ex-Dutch tanks, saw 18 converted to Armoured Engineering Vehicles and 4 converted to Armoured Recovery Vehicles. Canada has also purchased 15 2A4s from Germany as Logistic Stock Vehicles. Canada purchased 20 Leopard 2A6s from the Netherlands. These were delivered in 2007.

These heavily armoured and highly protected vehicles provide soldiers with a tactical advantage on the battlefield, thanks to their excellent mobility, firepower, and survivability. The Leopard 2 is an outstanding battle tank that serves the Canadian Army well. The donation of Canadian Army Leopard 2 tanks, combined with donations by Allies and partners, will significantly help the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they fight heroically to defend their nation’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Canada has already committed well over $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, and Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine as it fights Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war.