Sweden will transfer 10 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine — Der Spiegel

Sweden intends to join the international “tank coalition” and transfer 10 Stridsvagn 122 tanks to Ukraine. This is a Swedish version of the German Leopard 2A5.

The German Der Spiegel reported about this.

According to the publication, the Swedish government plans to supply ten tanks to equip the two future tank battalions.

The Swedish Stridsvagn 122 tanks are to complement the set of 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks that Germany is transferring from Bundeswehr stockpiles for the battalion, which is to be equipped with 31 Leopard 2 tanks.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that Stockholm was considering transferring its tanks to Ukraine.

On January 25, Swedish Defence Minister Paul Johnson stated that “currently, there are no preparations for the transfer of tanks from Sweden, but it is possible that this may happen later”.

It is known that 121 Stridsvagn 122 tanks are in service with the country’s ground forces.

Stridsvagn 122

The Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank is the Swedish version of the German Leopard 2A5 tank. The tank was jointly developed by Krauss-Maffei and Swedish Åkers Krutbruk Protection AB.

In general, Stridsvagn 122 differs significantly from Leopard 2A5. During the adaptation of the vehicle to the conditions of the Swedish Ministry of Defense, the armor, fire control system and a number of other units were changed the most.

The Swedish tank has an improved armor that should increase protection against high-explosive anti-tank compared to the base variant.

The fire control system has been modernized for the capability of tracking several targets at once and calculating their range and speed of movement. Guidance tools include a new laser range finder and a thermal imaging camera.

The hydraulic guidance system of the turret was replaced with an electric drive, which also improved the accuracy.

Besides, the vehicle received 2 smoke grenade launchers by the French company Galix. In their ammunition there are not only standard smoke grenades, but also high-explosive ones, which increase the tank’s capabilities in the conditions of urban hostilities.