On Wednesday, Switzerland’s Federal Council rejected an application by the state-owned arms manufacturer Ruag AG to sell 96 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks (MBTs) for use in Ukraine, arguing that it contradicts current law.
The arms maker had submitted an application with Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to transfer the used and non-operational MBTS – currently in storage in Italy – to Germany so that they could be refurbished and then subsequently re-exported to Ukraine.
“Priority was thus given to aspects of Switzerland’s neutrality policy and its reliability as a constitutional state,” the Swiss government said via a statement. “The Federal Council has come to the conclusion that the sale of the 96 tanks is not possible on the basis of current law. In particular, such a sale would be contrary to the War Material Act and would entail an adjustment of the neutrality policy.”
Ruag has acknowledged the decision.
However, the rejection is unconnected to a separate deal that will see 25 Leopard 2 MBTs in service with the Swiss Army transferred to the Germany-based Rheinmetall AG for refurbishment. That deal won the support of Bern and is expected to go through next year. In that particular case, Berlin has promised not to send those tanks to Ukraine – and instead will employ them as Germany has sought to increase its military.
Earlier this year, the governments of Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands announced a joint effort to purchase at least 100 Leopard 1A5 tanks from the firms Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft mbH (FFG) and Rheinmetall. In May, Berlin committed to sending an additional 30 Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine.
The Leopard 1 in the Crosshairs
The Kampfpanzer Leopard 1 MBT was designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, entering service in 1965. Production of the tanks ended in 1984 when it was replaced with the Leopard 2.
It is noted for having a welded hull and cast turret. Though it is fitted with NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) protection for the crew, it also has relatively thin armor compared to more modern MBTs. That latter fact has been seen as a concern on how it could fare in Ukraine, especially against loitering munitions and man-portable anti-tank guided-missiles.
Given that Kyiv’s forces have already lost a number of Leopard 2 MBTs in its recent offensive, the decision to send any additional Leopard 1s – even the improved Leopard 1A5 – remains a questionable decision. It could be argued that old tanks are better than no tanks, but the Kremlin has already attempted to bolster its forces following the losses of potentially thousands of tanks in the fighting by sending older T-62s dating from the Cold War – and those haven’t exactly fared all that well on the front lines.
As Kyiv needs as many tanks as possible, the Leopard 1s could still fill a role. Perhaps just not in an offensive role. However, it seems that it can’t count on the nearly 100 Leopard 1A5s to come from the Swiss Alps.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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