A Leopard 2A4 of the Spanish military, 29 May 2010. Source: Wikimedia user (Outisnn).
Spain will supply Ukraine with Leopard battel tanks and Aspide anti-aircraft missiles, El Pais reported on June 5, citing Spanish government sources.
The Spanish newspaper didn’t provide any details on the battle tanks Spain wants to supply to Ukraine. The tanks likely be of the older German-made Leopard 2A4. At least 108 tanks of this version are currently in severance with the Spanish military.
The tanks are less capable then the Leopard 2E, a version that was especially designed for Spain and is made in the country by General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas.
According to El Pais, Spain will also essential training to the Ukrainian military in how to use the tanks. The first phase of the training will take place in Latvia, where the Spain has deployed 500 soldiers within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Advanced Presence operation. However, the second phase could take place in Spain.
The Spanish Ministry of Defense is also finalizing the delivery of Aspide short-range anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, which the Spanish military recently placed out of service.
The Italian-made Aspide anti-aircraft missile, which was developed in the 1970s by the now defunct Selenia, have a range of 20 kilometers. A newer version, the Aspide 2000, which has a range of 25 kilometer was bought by Spain in the late 1990s to arm the Spada 2000 air-defense system.
Firing Aspide Spada at PISQ. Source: MBDA.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reportedly made the offer to step up military supplies to Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his visit to the country on April 21. However, the complexity of the operation led to some delays.
Spain has supplied loads of weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian special military operation there, including more than a thousand C90-CR and Alcotán-100 anti-tank weapons. Like the rest of Kiev’s Western allies, Madrid hopes that its military support will prolong the war and in return weaken Moscow.
- Ukrainian ‘Kraken’ Battalion Suffers Losses In Kharkov Region (Photos)
- Greece Says It Supplied “unbelievable” Amount Of Weapons & Ammunition To Ukraine
