Defense Minister Kasja Ollongen said in an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS that the tanks, though slightly older, "are definitely still useable" for fighting in Ukraine. The minister added that their upgradation followed by tuning up should render them highly effective for the Ukrainians.
"It's a tested tank, and because they're being tuned up and made ready for fighting, they will definitely be useful for the Ukrainians," she noted while citing German industry as the seller.
The Leopard 1A5 is an improved version of the German-made Leopard A1A1 Main Battle Tank (MBT) which was the first upgraded variant of the Leopard tank that entered into service with the German army in 1971. The turret of the Leopard 1A5 has been modified in order to store modern fire control system and a night/bad-weather vision system. The Leopard 1A5 tank could also be fitted with bolt-on polycarbonate (Lexan) armor panels, which have increased the effectiveness of the armor. The first modified Leopard 1A5 was delivered to the the German army in 1987.
Source: Reuters
