Sean Gallup/Getty Images
- Ukraine has been urging Western countries to supply it with tanks it can use against Russia.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz relented to pressure and agreed to send Leopard 2A6 battle tanks.
- Here's how the "predator on tracks" compares to NATO armored vehicles heading to or in Ukraine.
This is an edited, translated version of an article that originally appeared on January 20, 2023.
After months of mounting pressure and calls from other European leaders to act, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on January 24 that Germany would send 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine.
The German tank, known as a "predator on tracks" among the country's armed forces, is now among hundreds of armored vehicles Western countries, including the US and the UK, have sent or are sending to the country to help fight Russia's invasion.
This is how the tank compares to other Western armored vehicles being sent to Ukraine.
US Army photo by Spc. Nathanael Mercado
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), the manufacturer of the Leopard 2A6, says it can hit a top speed of around 43 mph, and has a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine.
Its main weapon is a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, while it is also fitted with a 7.62 mm machine gun and automatic grenade launchers. It can travel up to 280 miles without refueling, KMW's website states.
"The armed forces of 18 nations rely on the fire power, maneuverability, and outstanding protection of the Leopard 2," the website adds.
Nicolas Armer/picture alliance via Getty Images
The US agreed in January to deliver 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, despite its initial reluctance over potential operational and maintenance difficulties.
The tank matches the 120 mm cannon and 1,500-horsepower engine of the Leopard 2A6, and it also comes with an M2 .50 caliber machine gun and two 7.62 mm M240 machine guns.
The M1 can reach speeds of up of up to 42 mph and is crewed by four soldiers – a commander, a gunner, a loader, and a driver – as is the Leopard 2A6.
Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed earlier this month that the Britain would send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The Challenger 2 is "designed to destroy other tanks," the British Army website says, adding that it has been used "on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Iraq, and has never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy."
Like the Leopard 2A6 and M1, the Challenger is crewed by four soldiers.
It has a 1,200-horsepower V12 diesel engine and can travel at speeds of up to 37 mph. It has an operational range of 340 miles.
The tank is equipped with three guns. Its main armament is a 120 mm rifled gun, while it is also fitted with a chain gun and a hatch machine gun.
picture alliance / dpa | Carsten Rehder
In April 2022, then-German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht committed to sending 50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, which engage enemy aircraft with two 35 mm guns.
The Gepard has an 830-horsepower engine and can hit a maximum speed of around 40 mph. It also has a fuel range of about 340 miles, Insider previously reported.
But it has been plagued with supply problems, however, as Switzerland, which holds a large stock of its ammunition, has declined to supply it, per Reuters.
Philipp Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images
Before the Leopard 2s were pledged, Scholz pledged earlier in January to deliver 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
While the Marder is primarily used to transport troops into battle, it is equipped with a 20 mm automatic cannon, a "coaxial" machine gun, and an anti-tank missile system.
The vehicles can travel at up to 47 mph and is capable of operating in deep water, according to Forces.net.
Other infantry fighting vehicles being sent to Ukraine include the American Bradley fighting vehicle and the Swedish Combat Vehicle 90.
JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
The French government promised in January to deliver the AMX-10 RC armored reconnaissance vehicle, which sparked a debate over what does and doesn't qualify as a "tank," after France and Ukraine dubbed it a "light tank."
The lightly armored vehicle, which first saw action during the First Gulf War, is equipped with a 105 mm light gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun.
The wheeled design makes it fast — it can hit 50 mph, per Forbes — and highly maneuverable on smooth surfaces, while also requiring less maintenance than more heavily armored vehicles.