Rheinmetall buys dozens of Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine- report
The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has purchased 50 Leopard 1 tanks from Belgium with the view of supplying some of them to Ukraine, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday, citing industry sources.
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The tanks, bought from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems, are now to be refurbished in Germany for use in Ukraine.
Earlier, the Belgian media reported on the purchase of Leopards 1 for Ukraine, saying an "unnamed country" was behind the move.
"About 30 out of 50 tanks" can be delivered to Ukraine, per Handelsblatt.
The Ukrainian military received the first Leopard 1A5 battle tanks in late July, part of a wider effort by Western countries to provide Kyiv with offensive capabilities.
Rheinmetall earlier announced it planned to open a Ukrainian factory by mid-autumn, and set up its production of tanks, ammunition, and air defence systems in Ukraine in the future.