The United States, Germany and the UK have pledged to send modern main battle tanks (MBTs) to help Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia. While the US has agreed to send 31 of its M1 Abrams tank, Germany will supply 88 Leopard 2 tanks, while the UK has pledged 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks. These are far short of the number demanded by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky—but it wasn’t an easy decision to make, especially for Germany. Battle tanks are known to work best with air support, and now Zelensky has also started demanding combat aircraft, namely F-16s.
When will the tanks reach Ukraine? What impact will their entry into the war zone have on Russia’s battle tactics? Can the infusion of such heavy firepower turn the war decisively in Ukraine’s favour?