Poland aims to train Ukrainian Leopard 2 crews in 5 weeks

Poland aims to get training time on Leopard 2 battle tanks down to five weeks for Ukrainian soldiers, half the amount of time that Leopard 2 training is expected to take.

Source: European Pravda, with reference to Reuters

Details: "If we intensify training (by maximising the number of) instructors, our time and our weekends, we can train an entire crew in five weeks," Major Maciej Banaszynski, Poland's Leopard training centre commander, told Reuters.

Banaszynski said Polish instructors were running Leopard training courses for tank crews and for drivers. "In addition, we now run courses for mechanics for the arms, chassis and equipment accompanying Leopards," he said.

The Polish military has not confirmed where Ukrainian soldiers would be trained, but military experts said that the village of Świętoszów in western Poland was a likely location. One of the three European Leopard training centres is located in Świętoszów, with the other two in Germany and Switzerland.

Up to 14 crews of four personnel each can undergo instruction at the Leopard centres at once, with training typically taking around 10 weeks.

Background: Poland was one of the first countries to confirm it will give 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. On 25 January, the German government announced that it would both provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Leopard 2 battle tanks and permit tanks to be re-exported to other countries that want to do the same.

On Tuesday, 31 January, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that so far Ukraine is set to receive 120-140 modern Western tanks from its partners.

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