Ukraine - Main Battle Tanks (MBT) Modernization
| Tanks confirmed for 2023: | ||
| 14 | Challenger II | UK |
| 100 | Leopard 1A5 | Denmark |
| 178 | Leopard 1A5 | Germany |
| 96 | Leopard 1A5 | Italy |
| ? 14 | Leopard 2A4 | Finland |
| ? 14 | Leopard 2A4 | Greece |
| 8 | Leopard 2A4 | Norway |
| 14 | Leopard 2A4 | Poland |
| ? 4-53 | Leopard 2A4 | Spain |
| 4 | Leopard 2A4 | Canada |
| 10 | Leopard 2A5 | Sweden |
| 18 | Leopard 2A6 | Germany |
| ? 18 | Leopard 2A6 | Netherlands |
| 3 | Leopard 2A6 | Portugal |
| 31 | M1A2 Abrams | USA |
| 28 | M-55S | Slovenia |
| >? 46 | M-84 | Slovenia |
| 220 | Merkava | Israel |
| 30-232 | PT-91 Twardy | Poland |
| 43 | T-62 | Russia |
| 5 | T-64 | Russia |
| 313 | T-72 | Russia |
| 30 | T-72 | Bulgaria |
| 40-120 | T-72 | Czech R. |
| 30 | T-72 | Macedonia |
| 30 | T-72 | Slovakia |
| 136 | T-72B | Morocco |
| 90-120 | T-72EA | Czech R. |
| 260 | T-72M | Poland |
| 168 | T-80 | Russia |
| 16 | T-90 | Russia |
Parliamentary testimony given to the legislature’s defense committee by UK Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin on 04 July 2023 noted: “Russia has lost nearly half the combat effectiveness of its army... Last year it fired 10 million artillery shells but at best can produce 1 million shells a year. It has lost 2,500 tanks and at best can produce 200 tanks a year.”
Usually it's the tank that sees first and shoots first that wins. Any tank is better than no tank, and in a reserve or defensive role that frees up Ukraine's more capable armored units, then even older tanks could be quite useful. Older vehicles can serve as an infantry support vehicle with better armor than most IFVs, but not used as an MBT. Older tanks can destroy armored troop carriers, and control roads from troops and transports where tanks aren’t going to be encountered.
Modernised T-55s and T-62s can still be very useful if used properly, in defensive positions or as a decoy while the best units prepare to attack somewhere else. When tanks are shooting at infantry from +1000 meters and/or hull down position, it is not easy to tell they're obsolete.
The modern armored fighting vehicle has its roots in the Great War with series of proposals bringing together armor plate, heavy weapons and increasingly powerful internal combustion engines. As trenches began to stretch across northern France and the war situation devolved into a stalemate, it became clear that tanks would not be the breakout weapon needed to win the war. As the war in Ukraine began in late 2022 to resemble the great war, with largely static front lines delimited by trenches pounded by artillery, once again the tank loomed as the essential breakthrough weapon.
Although the times of great tank battles are over, breaking through recognized lines of defense is still the task of armored forces, which in this war are represented by similar vehicles on both sides of the front.
In the Russo-Ukraine War, tanks are nornally used as artillery support from a long distance and from closed positions, with visual correction from helicopters or drons. It may be strange, but these are the realities of this war. And for such a task, literally any tanks from the Cold War era will be suitable.
Wile everyone talks about the weapons and the armor, what really matters is the tank crew. A good tank crew with any tank is a hell of an asset. It is amazing how what's really important is usually barely mentioned and almost all the focus is on hardware. What matters is the soldier behind the machine and, increasingly, the software and computers/communications that can be cheaply added nowadays to almost any hardware.
For a historical reference, the German Army's tanks were not superior to the French Army's tanks, but they could communicate better thanks to radios and the training associated with that. Move, communicate and shoot continues to be the basic tenet of combat, regardless of the hardware, but it all requires well-trained crews/soldiers.
The Oryx open-source military tracking site list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered.
The prospect of a large-scale counteroffensive in 2023 by the Armed Forces of Ukraine largely depended on NATO’s readiness to supply Ukraine with its modern tanks. For a long time, the alliance maintained a taboo on this issue, but, judging by the situation, the decision to provide tanks to Ukraine had finally been made.
According to the open source aid tracker Oryx, as of January 2023 Ukraine received or will receive at least 436 modernized and repaired T-72 and T-55 tanks from Poland, the Republic, North Macedonia and Slovenia. This number included 90 T-72EA tanks purchased by the US and the Netherlands which were being refurbished prior to shipment to Ukraine. Ukraine had also captured 536 Soviet-designed tanks in its clashes with Russian troops, but it is unclear how many of them were in good condition for use by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
Ukraine would need between 300 and 500 tanks for a major counteroffensive against Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with UK TV channel Sky News, published on 25 January 2023. “We need 300 or 500 tanks, at this point,” said Zelenskyy. “That’s why I believe that we need tanks to carry out an offensive on our territory, on our land. We need armored vehicles to protect our people, that’s all.” Zelenskyy explained that Russian tanks vastly outnumber the vehicles that Ukrainian forces have at their disposal.
| 16 | T-64 Bulat' | Ukraine |
| 3 | T-64 | USSR |
| 13 | T-72 | Ukraine |
| 75 | T-72 | USSR |
| 35 | T-80 | USSR |
| 33 | T-?? | ?? |
Ukraine's battlefield advances were achieved by coordinating "tanks with armored personnel carriers with artillery support, to punch holes in the Russian defenses and to identify weaknesses and exploit them by moving forces quickly. And this is what Ukraine will be having to do over the next months and maybe next year to liberate the occupied parts of Ukraine.
Speaking to world leaders at the Davos Forum on 19 January 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for "more speed" in terms of decisions on arms deliveries to his country amid the Russian invasion. He also called on the international community for further support and backing for the war effort. Specifically, the Ukrainian leader called for "air defense missiles and tanks".
In response, the head of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer told reporters that tanks were important for Ukraine to be a match for Russia. "Well, the tank question is: in a war like it is being fought, every type of equipment is necessary and the Russians are fighting with tanks, so the Ukrainians need tanks as well."
Adm. Bauer said any decision to supply tanks to Ukraine must be taken by each nation supporting the country’s efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion. “It is a sovereign decision by a sovereign state, which Germany is,” he told a news conference in Lisbon. “It is important that Ukraine wins this war…we need to seriously look at what Ukraine requires and if possible give them what they ask for,” he said, adding that had to be done in a timely fashion.
However, Europe's Supreme Allied Commander General Christopher Cavoli said that Western technology was outperforming Russian technology in the war but cautioned that tanks alone were not the solution.
Russia’s campaign of missile strikes across Ukraine has targeted in particular the country’s defense industry, making it difficult for Ukraine to repair the tanks that have been damaged or captured. But both the Czech Republic and neighboring Slovakia, which shares a border with Ukraine, are considering opening their military-industrial installations to repair and refit such equipment.
Ukraine asked for heavy tanks to go head-to-head with Russia's own formidable tanks, which had played a significant part in its invasion force since the beginning. US defense officials said Ukraine already had enough tanks. Moreover, the Abrams, they said, is a difficult machine to operate and maintain. "I think it is really a question of sustainability," The Economist Defense Editor Shashank Joshi said in an interview with France 24 television. "New tanks use an awful lot of fuel -- Abrams in particular are extremely fuel hungry," he added. "Maintenance takes a lot of effort, while spare parts are in huge demand…. So practical concerns are at the forefront of U.S. calculations here."
The West remained reluctant to provide the heavy tanks for which Kyiv has been clamoring. During Zelenskiy's visit to Washington in December 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed fear that providing advanced tanks and long-range weaponry could break NATO's unity in supporting Ukraine. "They are not looking to go to war with Russia," Biden said of NATO members. The United Kingdom, which has been among the most generous Western providers of lethal assistance, has also balked when it comes to tanks.
“Ukraine wants to conduct a large-scale offensive as soon as it can, and that requires a large army corps and lots of protected mobility,” explained Shashank Joshi, defence editor of The Economist. “They don’t have enough to equip the entire corps, as [head of the Ukrainian armed forces] General Valery Zaluzhny told my colleagues at The Economist. So the Ukrainians are very open about the need for more armoured vehicles.”
“When it comes to tanks, I don’t think escalation is the primary American concern; instead I think it is really a question of sustainability. New tanks use an awful lot of fuel – Abrams in particular are extremely fuel hungry. Maintenance takes a lot of effort, while spare parts are in huge demand. And Ukraine only has experience of Soviet-era tanks. So pragmatic practical concerns are at the forefront of US calculations here,” Joshi added.
Andreas Kluth, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics, wrote 07 January 2023 "for Ukraine to defend itself and its people, it must also kick the Russians out of the Ukrainian regions that Putin ludicrously claimed last fall to have “annexed” — Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk. At a tactical level, the distinction between defense and offense therefore breaks down. Ukraine cannot win, and Russia cannot lose, if the Ukrainians can’t take the fight to the Russians."
During a 22 January 2023 interview with French TV channel LCI, Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin wouldn't object if Poland were to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and that "if we are asked the question, then we will not stand in the way". This appeared to mark a reversal in German policy, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz had up until then not said whether his government would agree to provide Ukraine with battle tanks, instead saying that any decision would be have to be made in coordination with allies including the United States; a position which had faced intense criticism from a number of European countries and NATO allies.
Britain will provide Ukraine with main battle tanks, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on 11 January 2023. The statement came after Poland said it would transfer German-made tanks to Kiev's forces, with Berlin's permission. The spokesman said Sunak had asked Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to "work with partners" to go "further and faster with our support for Ukraine including the provision of tanks."
A formal announcement will likely be made in conjunction with several of Britain's NATO allies, as was the case when the US, France and Germany all announced together that they would send infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. US officials had already said that they would not send American-made M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing the vehicles' burdensome maintenance requirements. However, Poland announced that it would supply Kiev with a number of German-made Leopard tanks, a decision that requires a green light from Berlin.
While the German government officially has no plans to donate any of its own Leopards, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday that he would not rule out such a step. Meanwhile, Kiev is confident that Germany's apparent caution is illusory.
"Germany will do it anyway at a later date," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Tagesschau news channel on 11 January 2023. "We have already seen this with the self-propelled howitzers, with the IRIS-T anti-aircraft system and most recently with the Marder and Patriot systems."
Britain's decision was telegraphed to the media in recent days, with officials telling Sky News that Sunak's government had been discussing the possibility for "a few weeks," and that the UK "might offer around ten" tanks. According to Sky, an official announcement may be made by multiple countries on January 20, when the US-led 'Contact Group' for arming Ukraine is scheduled to meet next.
Britain was considering supplying a handful of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, the first time a western country had indicated it may supply its homemade heavy armour to Kyiv in the war against Russia. An initial report from Sky News 09 January 2923 suggested the UK was considering supplying about 10 Challenger 2s, only a fraction of the 300 Kyiv wanted. No final decision by Downing Street had been made, British sources added, but Ukraine is hoping a positive move by the UK could help persuade Germany to follow suit later this month with its Leopard 2 battle tanks. But the reality is that the UK, with a total fleet of 227, had a small supply compared with what is made by Germany and the US. In 2022 the UK sent 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Poland as part of a deal to help Ukraine by freeing up capacity for Warsaw to supply its Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Kyiv.
A total of 386 Challenger 2 tanks and 22 Driver Training tanks based on the Challenger 2 chassis were originally ordered and received by the British Army. As of 27 September 2016 a total of 227 Challenger 2 tanks and the 22 Driver Training Tanks remained in service with the British Army. All of the Challenger 2 Tanks would be available for operational use if required. However it may help if I explain that the Army manages its vehicle fleets under the current fleet management model. The Army uses a four element approach; the first element of this model provides a limited number of permanently issued equipment for low-level training and competency, the second provides a training fleet to enable units to train together, (this
includes permanently issued equipment to training areas such as the British Army Training Unit Suffield, in Canada), the third element provides equipment for deployment and contingent operations, and the fourth acts as a buffer, which enables the Army to sustain the first three elements as equipment enters deep maintenance, or is damaged beyond repair
Under Army 2020, three Tank Regiments operating this MBT remained: The Queen's Royal Hussars, the King's Royal Hussars and Royal Tank Regiment plus a single Army Reserve regiment: The Royal Wessex Yeomanry. Unused Challengers were kept in storage. As of May 2021 Only 148 of the British Army's 227 Challenger 2 vehicles were to be upgraded, with the remainder expected to be placed in storage.
The NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine seened to demonstrate that the principles of tank warfare had not lost their meaning, 80+ years after the first mass-scale deployment of armor during the Great Patriotic War. After announcing the delivery of NATO main battle tanks to Ukraine, some Western officials and media confidently predicted that German Leopard 1 and 2s and British Challenger IIs would melt through Russian tanks and defenses like a hot knife going through butter. However, the slow Ukrainian counteroffensive and the mauling of Ukrainian armored columns by Russian minefields, airpower, and artillery demonstrated that effective combined arms coordination, battlefield intelligence, commander competence, and tank crew skill was often more significant than the on-paper characteristics of any tank.
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