U.S.- and European-made weapons including tanks and air defense systems are expected to complement or replace largely Soviet-era technology in use by Ukrainian forces and allow them to use ammunition manufactured in the West. The deliveries could provide a significant advantage to Kyiv, although experts warn of technical and logistical hurdles still to be overcome.
Here is a guide to some of the key weapons and vehicles that Ukraine’s allies have recently agreed to send.
United States
M1A2 ABRAMS
Main battle tank
Length: 25 ft. 11 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
42 mph
Approx. speed
Crew
4
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
22 ft. 10 in.
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
Main
armament
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
Approx. speed
60 mph
Crew
2 + 9
BRADLEY
Infantry fighting vehicle
21 ft. 2 in.
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
M242 25mm cannon
Main
armament
Approx. speed
38 mph
Crew
3 + 7
Source: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center,
Military-Today.com
S. GRANADOS AND E. FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
M1A2 ABRAMS
Main battle tank
Length: 25 ft. 11 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
42 mph
Crew
4
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
22 ft. 10 in.
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
Main
armament
Approx. speed
60 mph
Crew
2 + 9
BRADLEY
Infantry fighting vehicle
21 ft. 2 in.
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
M242 25mm cannon
Main
armament
Aprox. speed
38 mph
Crew
3 + 7
Source: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
M1A2 ABRAMS
Main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
BRADLEY
Infantry fighting vehicle
25 ft. 11 in.
22 ft. 10 in.
21 ft. 2 in.
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
Main
armament
120mm gun
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
M242 25mm cannon
42 mph
60 mph
Approx. speed
38 mph
4
2 + 9
3 + 7
Crew
Source: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
M1A2 ABRAMS
Main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
BRADLEY
Infantry fighting vehicle
Length: 25 ft. 11 in.
22 ft. 10 in.
21 ft. 2 in.
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
M242 25mm cannon
Main armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
42 mph
60 mph
38 mph
Crew
4
2 + 9
3 + 7
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Source: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center, Military-Today.com
Amid a push to arm Ukraine with more-modern tanks, the United States announced plans in January to send 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks. The U.S. main battle tank, the original version of which entered service in 1980, is considered among the world’s most powerful. Updates include layers of depleted uranium armor that provide increased protection to the crew inside.
The Biden administration previously warned that the U.S.-made tanks could present maintenance and training difficulties for Ukraine, noting that the multi-fuel engine usually runs on jet fuel, which could be difficult to supply.
The United States also promised in January to supply two types of armored vehicles to Ukraine: 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers and 109 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The Washington Post in 1991 described the Bradley as “half tank, half taxi.” A tracked vehicle, it is designed to support foot soldiers and can be equipped with an antitank missile launcher.
Strykers, which are wheeled vehicles, are designed to move soldiers more quickly, with the most common variant able to carry a squad of nine along with a driver and vehicle commander. They have lighter armor and weaponry than the Bradley and the Abrams and can become stuck in muddy conditions.
In December, Washington also agreed to give Ukraine one Patriot air defense battery. At an estimated cost of roughly $1 billion, the surface-to-air guided missile system can track and target enemy weapons such as ballistic missiles.
Germany
LEOPARD 2A6
Main battle tank
25 ft. 3 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
<44 mph
Crew
4
MARDER
Infantry fighting vehicle
22 ft. 7 in.
(Specifications for Marder 1A3)
Main
armament
20 mm cannon
Approx. speed
40 mph
Crew
3 + 6
Source: KMW, Bundeswehr, Military-Today.com
S. GRANADOS AND E. FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
LEOPARD 2A6
Main battle tank
25 ft. 3 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
<44 mph
Crew
4
MARDER
Infantry fighting vehicle
22 ft. 7 in.
(Specifications for Marder 1A3)
Main
armament
20mm cannon
Approx. speed
40 mph
Crew
3 + 6
Source: KMW, Bundeswehr, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
LEOPARD 2A6
Main battle tank
MARDER
Infantry fighting vehicle
22 ft. 7 in.
25 ft. 3 in.
(Specifications for Marder 1A3)
20mm cannon
120mm gun
Main
armament
<44 mph
40 mph
Approx. speed
4
3 + 6
Crew
Source: KMW, Bundeswehr, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
LEOPARD 2A6
Main battle tank
MARDER
Infantry fighting vehicle
22 ft. 7 in.
25 ft. 3 in.
(Specifications for Marder 1A3)
Main
armament
120mm gun
20mm cannon
Approx. speed
44 mph
40 mph
Crew
4
3 + 6
Source: KMW, Bundeswehr, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
On the day the United States declared it would send the Abrams tanks, Germany said it would deliver to Ukraine 14 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks from its own stocks.
The decision followed debate among allies over the German-made tanks, which are widely exported in Europe. Berlin has the final say over reexport authorization, and German officials had been reluctant to dispatch Leopards unless the United States also pledged to send Abrams tanks.
More than 2,000 Leopard tanks are owned by armies across Europe, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Germany has said it will allow other countries, such as Poland, Norway and Spain, to send their own Leopard tanks, with the goal of assembling two tank battalions in Ukraine. (Battalion sizes differ depending on the tank; Leopard battalions are usually 35).
The Leopard 2 has been upgraded since its introduction in 1979, gaining a reputation as one of the world’s best main battle tanks. It has a diesel engine, and its newer models are not as heavy as the latest U.S. Abrams tanks.
Poland
LEOPARD 2
Main battle tank
25 ft. 3 in.
((Specifications for Leopard 2A6))
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
<44 mph
Crew
4
PT-91 TWARDY
Main battle tank
22 ft. 6 in.
(Specifications for PT-91 TWARDY)
Main
armament
125mm gun
Approx. speed
40 mph
3
Crew
Source: KMW, Bumar Łabędy, Military-Today.com
S. GRANADOS AND E. FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
LEOPARD 2
Main battle tank
25 ft. 3 in.
(Specifications for Leopard 2A6)
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
<44 mph
Crew
4
PT-91 TWARDY
Main battle tank
22 ft. 6 in.
(Specifications for PT-91 TWARDY)
Main
armament
125mm gun
Approx. speed
40 mph
3
Crew
Source: KMW, Bumar Łabędy, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
PT-91 TWARDY
Main battle tank
LEOPARD 2
Main battle tank
22 ft. 6 in.
25 ft. 3 in.
(Specifications for LEOPARD 2A6)
(Specifications for PT-91 TWARDY)
120mm gun
125mm gun
Main
armament
<44 mph
40 mph
Approx. speed
4
3
Crew
Source: KMW, Bumar Łabędy, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
LEOPARD 2
Main battle tank
PT-91 TWARDY
Main battle tank
22 ft. 6 in.
25 ft. 3 in.
(Specifications for LEOPARD 2A6)
(Specifications for PT-91A TWARDY)
Main
armament
120mm gun
125mm gun
Approx. speed
<44 mph
40 mph
Crew
4
3
Source: KMW, Bumar Łabędy, Military-Today.com
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Poland, one of the countries that urged Germany to release the Leopard tanks, has pledged to send 14 of its own.
Poland has already supplied older, Soviet-era tanks. Its prime minister said in January that his country, which borders Ukraine to the west, sent nearly 250 tanks earlier in the war.
Warsaw has also announced it will deliver 30 PT-91 Twardy tanks, a modernized version of the Soviet-era T-72, that uses almost entirely domestically produced components.
France
AMX-10 RCR
Armored fighting vehicle
20 ft. 10 in.
105 mm cannon
Main
armament
53 mph
Speed
Crew
4
BASTION
Armored Personnel Carrier
20 ft. 8 in.
Specifications for Bastion Arquus APC
Main
armament
7.62 mm or 12.7 mm ring
or remote control turret
Approx. speed
68 mph
Crew
2 + 8
Source: French Ministry of the Armed Forces,
Federation of American Scientists, ARQUUS
S. GRANADOS AND E. FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
AMX-10 RCR
Armored fighting vehicle
20 ft. 10 in.
105mm cannon
Main
armament
53 mph
Speed
Crew
4
BASTION
Armored Personnel Carrier
20 ft. 8 in.
Specifications for Bastion Arquus APC
Main a
armament
7.62mm or 12.7mm ring
or remote control turret
Approx. speed
68 mph
Crew
2 + 8
Source: French Ministry of the Armed Forces,
Federation of American Scientists, ARQUUS
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
AMX-10 RCR
Armored fighting vehicle
BASTION
Armored personnel carrier
20 ft. 8 in.
20 ft. 10 in.
Specifications for Bastion Arquus APC
105mm cannon
7.62mm or 12.7mm ring
or remote control turret
Main
armament
53 mph
68 mph
Approx. speed
4
2 + 8
Crew
Source: French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Federation of American Scientists, ARQUUS
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
AMX-10 RCR
Armored fighting vehicle
BASTION
Armored personnel carrier
20 ft. 10 in.
20 ft. 8 in.
Specifications for Bastion Arquus APC
105mm cannon
7.62mm or 12.7mm ring or remote control turret
Main
armament
Approx. speed
53 mph
68 mph
Crew
4
2 + 8
Source: French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Federation of American Scientists, ARQUUS
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
French President Emmanuel Macron announced in January that the country would send its AMX-10 RC armored vehicles. The AMX-10 RC is sometimes called a “light tank,” and it runs on wheels rather than tracks and lacks the heavier protection that tanks have. It can move fast, however, and its large cannon has given it a reputation as a “tank killer.” It was mostly designed for reconnaissance missions during the Cold War, and France is planning to phase it out.
France also is expected to supply another type of armored vehicle: Bastion armored personnel carriers. These modern four-wheel-drive vehicles are meant primarily to move troops around, and each can accommodate up to eight infantrymen.
Late last year, France agreed to supply Ukraine with two Crotale air defense batteries: all-weather, short-range, surface-to-air missile systems that may be particularly useful for intercepting Russian cruise missiles.
Britain
CHALLENGER 2
Main battle tank
27 ft. 4 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
37 mph
Crew
4
Source: UK Army, Federation of American Scientists
S. GRANADOS AND E. FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
CHALLENGER 2
Main battle tank
27 ft. 4 in.
Main
armament
120mm gun
Approx. speed
37 mph
Crew
4
Source: UK Army, Federation of American Scientists
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
CHALLENGER 2
Main battle tank
27 ft. 4 in.
120mm gun
Main
armament
37 mph
Approx. speed
4
Crew
Source: UK Army, Federation of American Scientists
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
CHALLENGER 2
Main battle tank
27 ft. 4 in.
Main armament
120mm gun
Speed
37 mph
Crew
4
Source: UK Army, Federation of American Scientists
SAMUEL GRANADOS AND ELLEN FRANCIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
In early January, Britain became the first country to pledge Western heavy battle tanks, offering 14 Challenger 2 tanks. While among the most modern tanks that will be available to Ukraine, this British-made tank is considered particularly heavy.
Britain also announced it would send AS90 self-propelled artillery systems to Ukraine. These howitzers, produced in the 1990s for the British army and used in the Iraq War, are close to being replaced within Britain, but with their relatively long-range fire, they could provide significant support to tanks and infantry.