- Germany plans to send 16 Bieber bridge-layer tanks to Ukraine.
- The tanks deploy assault bridges to help soldiers cross streams, ditches and other obstacles on the battlefield.
- The Bieber tanks are the latest additions to Ukraine’s growing arsenal of Western weapons.
Germany plans to send Ukraine 16 Bieber bridge-layer tanks to help its forces “overcome water or other obstacles in combat,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The first six systems will be available by the end of this year and 10 more systems will follow next year, German Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.
The package includes transport, maintenance and training with own vehicles.
The tanks carry assault bridges to help soldiers cross streams, canals and other obstacles on the battlefield and can cover a distance of 60 feet in a matter of minutes, Military Today reported.
The Bieber tanks, based on the modified Tiger 1 main battle tank chassis, are the latest additions to Ukraine’s growing arsenal of Western weapons.
Germany also recently agreed to transfer other weapons to Ukraine, including 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks. Mars II multiple rocket systems and PzH 2000 howitzers.
Until February of this year, Germany had a policy of not sending weapons to war zones, but Russia made a historic exception following its invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the promise, Berlin has faced criticism for delaying the delivery of promised weapons.
In addition, the US recently sent Ukraine HIMARS, a short-range high-mobility artillery rocket system, which is seen as strengthening Ukraine’s military presence against Russia.
Several 34-foot Dauntless submarines from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 3 patrol the waters of San Diego Bay February 19, 2009 The US recently pledged $450 million in security aid to Ukraine for 10 of these vessels.
US Navy
Ukraine has launched a new counter-offensive in the southern part of the country, aiming to recapture the city of Kershon, which fell at the beginning of the Russian invasion. The port city is on the banks of the Black Sea and the Dnipro River.
The battle for control of the river system came to a head last month when Ukraine agreed to provide 18 patrol boats to protect its rivers as part of $450 million in security aid.
The package includes two 35-foot small river craft, six 40-foot offshore combat boats and ten 34-foot Dauntless sea ark patrol boats, the Ministry of Defense reported on Thursday.
“These are mostly to protect the waterways and allow Ukraine to control the rivers. They can also be used in the near coastal areas,” a senior defense official said in a statement at the Pentagon.
