This is how Ukrainian tankers have trained with the Spanish Leopard 2A4

@DefAviation ES 3·14·2023 · 20:47 0

On February 16, a contingent of 125 Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Spain to train in different specialties with the Spanish Armed Forces.

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According to reported the Spanish General Staff of Defense (EMAD), those specialties included health, demining, combat against IEDs (improvised explosive device), crews tanks and specialists in maintenance of these armored vehicles. Of those 125, 70 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in Toledo in a Combat Training Unit (UFC) for the specialties of health, demining and combat against IEDs.

The other 55 Ukrainian soldiers have trained with Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks in Zaragoza, at the Toledo Training Coordination Center (TTCC), created at the San Gregorio National Training Center (CENAD), one of the main maneuvering fields of the Spanish Army. This training has been carried out within the framework of the European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine (EUMAM-UA), launched in Spain in November 2022 with the arrival of the first Ukrainian soldiers at the TTCC from Zaragoza.

This Monday, EMAD announced that this week the training of those 55 tankers and maintenance technicians for Ukrainian main battle tanks in Zaragoza is completed, which will be in charge of handling the six Leopard 2A4s that Spain will deliver to Ukraine (expandable to ten, according to the government announcement). The EMAD has published today a video showing the maneuvers of the Ukrainian soldiers with the Spanish Leopard 2A4:

This video includes very interesting images that we will review below. Here we see several Leopard 2A4s in the parking area of CENAD San Gregorio. The one in the center, olive green, belongs to the Spanish Infantry Academy.

Ukrainian tankers with their national flag on their left arms and wearing uniforms with the wooded pixelated M09 camouflage pattern of the Spanish Army.

The Leopard 2A4 nº141 of CENAD San Gregorio. This tank is used by the Armored Units Instruction Group (GIUACO) of that Center to train crews of the Leopard 2A4 and Leopardo 2E main battle tanks.

One of the four tower simulators (STO) of CENAD San Gregorio, in which Ukrainian tankers have trained. These simulators are designed for the Leopard 2E, but are suitable for training on the Leopard 2A4. In addition to STOs, the Army also has classroom driving simulators (SCA), aiming and shooting simulators (SPT) and dynamic driving simulators (SCO) to train the crews of its combat tanks, an infrastructure which has served to train Ukrainian tankers.

A Spanish soldier directing a Leopard 2A4 that leads a column with three other tanks of this type. The training of the crews not only includes the handling of the vehicle, but also their coordination with other tanks in the field. Ukrainian tankers have had to learn all this in record time.

The Leopard 2A4 number 300. This tank belongs to the Toledo Infantry Academy (it bears its shield on the tower) and sports the same olive green scheme as the Army's Leopardo 2E. Behind him we see three Leopardo 2Es.

The Leopard 2A4 nº105 with NATO camouflage in three colours (olive green, brown and black). Significantly, this tank has the shield concealed on the side of its turret. Perhaps it is one of the Leopard 2A4s stored in the Logistics Support Group No. 41 (AALOG 41) in Casetas (Zaragoza) that are going to be delivered to the Ukrainian Army.