What You Need to Know: NATO member Croatia has proposed acquiring 50 German Leopard 2A8 tanks in exchange for sending 30 Soviet-era T-85 main battle tanks (MBTs) and 30 infantry vehicles to Ukraine. As part of the deal, both Croatia and Germany will provide Kyiv with additional military support, including spare parts and ammunition.

-This move could align Croatia with NATO’s efforts to standardize equipment, while also helping Ukraine bolster its defenses.

-The Croatian military’s stock of M-84 tanks, a Yugoslav-made variant of the T-72, has parallels with Ukraine’s T-84s, though the two are distinct models. This agreement exemplifies Europe’s growing military aid to Ukraine.

Croatia Will Provide Ukraine with T-85 Tanks It Can Acquire the Leopard 2 in Exchange

NATO member Croatia has announced plans to acquire upwards of 50 German-made Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks (MBTs). If the deal is approved by both sides, Croatia could send its 30 Soviet-era MBTs as well as 30 infantry vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine.

In addition, both Berlin and Zagreb have pledged to provide Kyiv with spare parts and ammunition from the Croatian military's stockpiles.

"The fact that Croatia is working with us on the joint procurement of Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks strengthens Germany as an industrial location and ensures common standards within NATO," German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said in a statement to Reuters on Monday.

The Croatian M-84A4

The Croatian military reportedly operates seventy-five M-84A4s, the modernized versions of the Yugoslavian-made MBTs based on the third-generation Cold War-era T-72. Introduced in the mid-1980s, the M-84 featured several new improvements for the Yugoslav Army during the late stages of the Cold War. It included upgrades not originally found in the T-72, notably composite armor and a Yugoslavian-designed fire-control system.

However, the basic design remained similar to the Soviet-made T-72 and included three compartments with the driver position located at the center front of the hull.

After the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the T-84 remained in service with the militaries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Croatia isn't actually the first former Yugoslavian republic to offer the tanks to Kyiv. In the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion, NATO ally Slovenia also pledged to provide its fleet of around fourteen operational M-84s to Kyiv if Germany would provide replacement Leopard 2s. An additional 32 were still in storage at the time. Ljubljana entered discussion with Berlin, but Germany offered only fifteen Leopard 2A4 MBTs and negotiations stalled.

If Zabreb and Berlin can close this deal, perhaps Ljubljana will reconsider sending its M-84s to aid Kyiv as well.

M-84s to Supplement Ukraine's T-84s

Where things could get a little confusing is that Ukraine also operates its domestically-developed T-84 MBT – a tank that isn't related to the M-84 in any way.

Rather, its development grew out of the T-80UD program of the 1980s. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine was left with thousands of T-80 tank platforms in the city of Kharkiv, which gave the newly independent state the ability to produce hundreds of modernized main battle tanks. However, it also left the government in Kyiv with tanks that relied on equipment from the Russian Federation.

The newly designated T-84 featured numerous improvements over the T-80 and even the T-80UD, but due to funding issues, Ukraine was never able to produce the tanks in large numbers for domestic use, and according to some experts initially only six to ten were even delivered. As a result, Ukraine has largely been focused on repairing and upgrading older tanks, notably the T-64 – even as the T-84 has been seen as a far more capable platform.

The T-84's armament is similar to the T-80UD, notably its 125mm smoothbore main gun, which is equipped with an autoloader. In addition to a variety of rounds, the T-84 MBT can also employ 9K119M Refleks anti-tank guided missiles, which can be launched in the same manner as regular rounds. Secondary armament includes a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, as well as a roof-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

The Ukrainian T-84 tank is powered by a 6TD-2 turbocharged diesel engine, which provides 1,200 horsepower. It is also a well-armored tank, which features an all-welded turret that is fitted with built-in explosive reactive armor blocks, while the protection of the MBT is further enhanced by a Shtora-1 countermeasures system.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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