German Defense Contractor, Looks to Upgrade , Ukraine's Tank Arsenal.
'Newsweek' reports that Ukraine may
be on the verge of receiving powerful
new tanks from its Western allies.
According to Armin Papperger, CEO of German defense
contractor Rheinmetall, his company has been in talks
to deliver Ukraine its advanced Panther battle tank.
The news comes after previous announcements that
German-made Leopard 2 tanks along with U.S.-made
M1A2 Abrams tanks will also be sent to Ukraine.
Once delivered, Ukraine will be the first
country to receive Panther tanks since they
debuted in Paris at a trade show last summer.
'Newsweek' reports that
they have been billed as
the world's strongest military tanks.
According to CEO Papperger, the delivery
of the Panther tanks to Ukraine would not
take place for another "15 to 18 months.".
We welcome the many recent
announcements by our partners
and allies who have committed to
sending security assistance to Ukraine, Garron Garn, U.S. Department of Defense
spokesperson, via 'Newsweek' .
According to Ian Williams, deputy director of the Center
for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Missile
Defense Project, the decision aids Germany as well.
Williams suggests that the news
may help promote the new line of tanks
and get production off the ground. .
It serves a lot of purposes
from a [German] defense
industrial perspective, Ian Williams, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies' (CSIS) Missile Defense Project, via 'Newsweek'