You're reading: Ukraine to participate in NATO tank competition

Ukraine’s best tank platoon will take part in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 on May 7-12 at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has reported.

The competition is to include tank platoons from four NATO member states – Germany, the United States, Poland, and France, and two alliance partner nations – Austria and Ukraine.

During the challenge, the countries will compete in tank handling in both defensive and attacking combat simulations. The tankmen will demonstrate their skills in battle damage assessment, precision maneuvering, requesting supporting fire and combat tactics, the ministry reported.

The crews’ physical fitness will also be put to the test in a relay race.

The 2017 challenge will be the first time Ukraine has participated in the tryout. Last year, the challenge was won by Germany’s Bundeswehr team, with tankmen from Denmark and Poland coming second and third respectively.

This time, the United States team will employ its M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, while the Bundeswehr is expected to field its advanced Leopard 2A6 tank. The Ukrainian armed forces will use T-64BVs – Soviet-era main battle tanks mainly produced in the 1980s, although modernized by Ukraine’s Kharkiv Armored Plant.

The Ukrainian team will be drawn from the 14th Armored Brigade, and will be commanded by Captain Roman Bagaev, whose unit was declared Ukraine’s best tank platoon in 2016. Bagaev himself has combat experience from the battles of Debaltseve and Savur Mohyla against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, the defense ministry says.

Ukraine’s team will conform to NATO standards, with four tanks and one backup vehicle per platoon.

Co-hosted by the U.S. Army contingent and Germany’s Bundeswehr, the challenge was set up to polish the top Western powers’ skills in armored warfare in the light of growing Russian aggression, the challenge’s organizers say.