Spanish Leopard tanks spotted in Bilbao may head to Ukraine
The Ukrainian service Militarny reports that a batch of Leopard 2A4 tanks ready to be loaded onto a ship was spotted at the port in Bilbao, Spain. According to blogger and tank researcher Andriy Tarasenko, the tanks may be prepared for transport to Ukraine. The Leopard 2A4 is a model widely used and highly regarded by Ukrainian soldiers.
A photo showing the Leopard 2A4 tanks at the port of Bilbao was published by the Bizkaia Civil Guard on the social media platform X. It depicts at least several tanks which, according to Andriy Tarasenko, might be destined for Ukraine. However, as noted by Militarny, there are currently no official statements from the Spanish government or the Ministry of Defence regarding this matter.
Mysterious batch of Leopards
Although Spain is one of the countries that has previously provided Kyiv with these types of tanks, other scenarios regarding the vehicles' purpose cannot be ruled out. The Defence Express service even noted that Madrid ranks among the top regarding the number of Leopard 2A4s provided. Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland have also supplied tanks.
The Leopard 2A4 is a third-generation main battle tank from Germany, developed as a successor to the Leopard 1. It was produced from 1985 to 1992, during which time about 700 units were built. The tank is nearly 10 metres long and weighs 55 tonnes. For comparison, T-72M tanks—also used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces—weigh 41 tonnes, and Abrams M1A1 tanks weigh 66 tonnes.
The tank is powered by a 12-cylinder MTU MB 873 Ka-501 diesel engine with 1,500 horsepower. It can reach a top speed of up to 72 km/h on roads and 56 km/h off-road. Its operational range is about 550 kilometres on roads. The Leopard 2A4 is armed with a Rheinmetall L/44 smoothbore gun of 120 mm calibre, a coaxial MG3A1 machine gun of 7.62 mm calibre, and an additional MG3A1 machine gun of the same calibre.
The 4x4 76 mm smoke grenade launchers also provide protection, and the advanced EMES 15 fire control system with thermal imaging offers significant support during firing. These weaponry and equipment provide the Leopard 2A4 with better offensive capabilities than older versions, as Ukrainian tank crews have repeatedly emphasised.
