Swiss Government Authorizes Sale of Leopard 1 Tanks to Germany
According to Swiss media, the Swiss government has authorized defense contractor Ruag MRO to sell 71 Leopard 1 tanks to Germany. However, in line with Switzerland’s interpretation of its own neutrality, the authorization comes with the caveat that the vehicles are not to be transferred to Ukraine. This reverses a decision made by the Swiss government last year to block a similar sale of 96 Leopards 1s.
However, the primary reason that Germany and other European countries were interested in the Leopard 1s was precisely that they could be given to Ukraine. These are old vehicles, with the first models rolling off the production lines as far back as 1965. Production ceased completely in 1984 with 4,750 main battle tanks completed (plus an additional 1,800 utility, engineering, anti-aircraft, prototype, and other variants based on the Leopard I chassis). Today, they are no longer in service with the Bundeswehr, whose entire tank fleet is made up of Leopard II variants. Even specialist vehicles based on the Leopard I chassis have largely been removed from active duty. For example, while the anti-aircraft variant, the Flakpanzer Gepard, has made headlines in Ukraine, in Germany it has been removed from active service and has been placed in operational reserve over a decade ago.
Given the reexport restrictions, it is unlikely that Germany will remain interested in the offer. Even if the vehicles remained in Germany, they would not be freeing up any new spare parts or vehicles for Ukraine.
Switzerland’s application of neutrality to the reexport of its ammunition and equipment has cost Swiss military industry dearly. As Europe rearms and demand for military goods grows, Switzerland is not seeing the same benefits. In fact, compared to 2023, Swiss military exports are down by about one-third. Some countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark, have even suspended previous orders of Swiss equipment.