Norway to Donate 8 Leopard 2s to Ukraine
The Norwegian Ministry of Defence has announced that Norway will provide eight tanks and four support vehicles to Ukraine. The aid package will also include funding for additional ammunition and spares for the vehicles. Norway’s intent to donate tanks to Ukraine had been announced on 26 January but the number of vehicles to be sent was still unclear.
Since the coalition to provide Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine was established several weeks ago, Norway has been expected to be a key donor with just over 50 in inventory but only 36 believed to be in operational service. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said that “The decision to donate Leopard 2 tanks and support vehicles has been made after dialogue both with the chief of defense and other European countries. The situation in Ukraine is approaching a critical phase and they are dependent on rapid and extensive Western support.”
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement:
“It is almost a year since Russia’s attack on Ukraine. It has been a fateful year of war, war crimes, destruction and killing on a scale not seen since the Second World War. It is more crucial than ever to support Ukraine’s defense struggle. Therefore, we have decided that we will donate eight tanks and up to four support vehicles to Ukraine. Several allied countries have also done the same.”
Norway joins host of nations providing Leopard 2s including Portugal which is sending three, Canada providing four and 14 from Germany and Poland respectively.
In addition to providing the vehicles and funds Norway has also announced that they will contribute to the training of Ukrainian tank crews as part of the program currently underway in Poland. The type of support vehicle to be provided has not yet been decided with Norway currently operated armored recovery and engineering vehicles based on both Leopard 1 and 2.
Norway’s current Leopard 2A4NO fleet was acquired second hand in 2001 from the Netherlands. In the late 2010s it had been planned to upgrade and refit the tanks but Norway’s 2017 defense review found this upgrade would be inadequate. Instead a replacement was sought with more modern Leopard 2s and South Korean K2s under consideration. Last week it was announced that 54 Leopard 2A7s would be procured from Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in a deal worth $1.9 billion.
Header Image: Norwegian tanks take part in a live-fire capabilities demonstration during Cold Response 14 in Norway March 14, 2014. (Sgt. Burt Traynor/USAF)