Someone bought tanks for Ukraine. 9 years ago they were withdrawn from the Belgian army
The first Belgian Leopard 1 tanks set off on their way to Ukraine on Monday. However, it is not known who donated them. The lead to Belgium is wrong. The buyer remains anonymous for now.
It is known that the Leopard 1 tanks were purchased from OIP Land Systems in Tournai – the company that previously bought the tanks and restored them. The first of them are now in Germany, on their way to Ukraine.
Leopards were retired from the Belgian army almost 10 years ago
“Rzeczpospolita” reminds that the Leopard 1 tanks were withdrawn from service by the Belgian army in 2014 due to cost savings. OIP Land Systems then acquired 50 tanks for two million euros. Several countries have expressed interest in the recalled equipment. Last year, the UK bought twenty M109 self-propelled howitzers and about 50 M113 armored personnel carriers from the company. It then handed over the vehicles to Ukraine.
Citing information from De Standaard, the newspaper notes that OIP Land Systems has a large number of other tanks in stock, including 40 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. They are capable of shooting down Russian drones, so Ukraine is very interested in them.
