Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Canada to buy old German tanks as spare parts for Afghan mission.
10 minutes ago
OTTAWA - Canada plans to buy a handful of older, surplus German tanks to cannibalize for spare parts to keep its combat forces on the move in Afghanistan.
The undisclosed purchase is apparently part of the $1.3-billion tank modernization program announced last year by former defence minister Gordon O'Connor.
The current minister, Peter MacKay, says the purchase was necessary.
"Our loaned Leopard 2 tanks are an invaluable asset to commanders in Afghanistan," MacKay said in a statement late Tuesday.
"The procurement of surplus German vehicles will provide the Canadian Forces with valuable platforms for training, testing and, where applicable, spare parts."
This acquisition fills the short term needs of the military, he said while on a trade mission in India.
Defence industry sources said the plan involves 15 Leopard 2A4s, which have already been taken out of service by the Bundeswehr.
A request for proposals is expected to go out to contractors next week, asking for detailed plans to disassemble the 60-tonne iron monsters and catalogue their parts.
The Canadians "are procuring spare parts, but obviously not enough," said a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Last summer, the Canadian army borrowed 20 Leopard A6Ms from the Germans in order to quickly replace its nearly 30-year-old Leopard tanks, which were not suited for the Afghan heat. It has since completed a deal to buy an additional 100 surplus tanks from the Dutch and will return the loaners in September 2009.
The German tanks, specially armoured to deal with powerful improvised explosive devices, have taken a pounding on Kandahar's highways and are burning through spare parts at a high rate.
Industry sources said stripping the older A4-variants for parts may present a bit of a problem since the tanks in Afghanistan are newer, contain fewer hydraulic systems and "not all the parts are "in the same configuration" as the A6-type.
"It is an issue they will have to resolve," said a source.
The Defence Department would not comment on the plan Tuesday.
The news comes one day after word that the first batch of tanks from the Dutch are being given upgrades in Germany and not in Canada, as the Conservative government initially planned last year.
Part of the problem is that cuts to Canada's defence industry throughout the 1990s eroded its ability to service armoured
vehicles.
It's expected that either Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann, the manufacturer of the Leopards, or Rheinmatell - both German companies - will get the latest contract to cannibalize the older tanks.
During the Cold War, most countries with armoured divisions kept stockpiles with thousands of spare parts.
The Germans, for example, had 2,125 types of replacement parts for all types of Leopard tanks, ready to be slapped on at a moment's notice. But that inventory has dwindled to just over 400, and often when new parts are needed they have to be machined - or stripped off other vehicles.
A former Canadian tank commander says a variety factors, not just the post-Cold War supply chain, are driving the problem.
"We have a shortage of spare parts and the Germans are quite "astounded at the mileage we're putting on these tanks," said Chris Corrigan, a retired colonel.
As the builder of the Leopards, Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann sets guidelines, tolerances and maintenance schedules for tanks, much as car-makers recommend guidelines for service.
Corrigan said part of the problem is that Leopards are designed for combat on the plains of Europe, where distances are not as great and the vehicles don't have to be driven as much.
Also, since Canada has fewer tanks than some of the bigger armies, it uses each vehicle more often, leading to a higher rate of wear and tear.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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