Leopard 2s From Poland. Challenger 2s From The United Kingdom. All Of The Sudden, Ukraine Could Get Tanks From All Over Europe.

A dozen Leopard 2s from Poland. Potentially 10 Challenger 2s from the United Kingdom. As Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds into its 11th month, Ukraine’s allies finally are beginning to pledge some of their heavy tanks to the Ukrainian war effort—but in tiny numbers, so far.

Expect those numbers to grow. Possibly by a lot.

The Ukrainian government for months has been pleading for its allies to provide modern, Western-made tanks to complement its arsenal of increasingly war-weary ex-Soviet tanks.

Polish president Andrzej Duda was the first to heed the call. During a visit to Lviv in western Ukraine on Wednesday, Duda announced Poland would donate a company of Leopard 2 tanks. A company might include a dozen or 14 vehicles.

“We have taken the decision to contribute a first package of tanks, a company of Leopard tanks, which, I hope, together with other companies of Leopard and other tanks that will be offered by other countries will .... be able to strengthen Ukraine’s defense,” Duda said.

The Leopard 2 is a German-made tank and Berlin holds the export license. Germany’s reluctance to involve itself with Ukraine’s offensive operations previously functioned as a virtual veto on any country—Poland, Spain, Finland, The Netherlands—donating its surplus Leopard 2s to Ukraine.

Duda’s announcement seems to imply that Germany’s resistance has softened. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the U.K. government this week signaled increasing willingness to donate around 10 Challenger 2 tanks—enough for a small company. Europe is coming around to being Ukraine’s tank-supplier.

The Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 are not new tanks. The Leopard 2 entered service with the German army in 1979. The Challenger 2 debuted in U.K. service in 1998. German manufacturer Rheinmetall steadily has upgraded the Leopard 2. British firm BAE Systems’ upgrades to the newer Challenger 2 have been somewhat less ambitious.

But both tanks still are among the best in the world. The 69-ton Leopard 2 with its 120-millimeter smoothbore gun perfectly balances speed, armor and firepower—like its cousin the American M-1 does.

The 71-ton Challenger 2 with its 120-millimeter rifled gun by contrast emphasizes armor protection and long-range firepower—somewhat at the expense of speed. The Leopard 2 can reach 43 miles per hour on road. The Challenger 2’s top road speed is just 37 miles per hour.

Both tanks have four crew and sophisticated day and night optics.

If the Ukrainians take to their new tanks—and there’s no reason to believe they won’t—expect more of each type to follow, perhaps as early as this spring.

Rheinmetall built more than 3,000 Leopard 2s, and many hundreds of them are in storage across Europe. Poland alone has around 250 Leopard 2s and, as it also is acquiring American-made M-1s, could give away its German-made tanks without jeopardizing its own national defense.

The British Army once possessed nearly 400 Challenger 2s but, after repeated cutbacks, now is upgrading just 150 or so of the tanks for future use. The United Kingdom could give away hundreds of Challenger 2s without making a dent in its own diminished armored corps.

It’s fair to ask why Poland and the United Kingdom don’t just donate all their surplus tanks, all at once.

Ukraine’s allies clearly believe it’s more efficient, and less disruptive to Ukrainian operations, gradually to dial up the supply of new weapons. Recall that, when the United States began supplying Ukraine with world-class High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems last spring, it also initially did so in small quantities.

Four, initially. Then another 20 in dribs and drabs. Then a big batch of 18.

There are good reasons for a ramp-up. First you hand over just enough new rocket-launchers or tanks to train a core contingent of Ukrainian crews and logisticians who then can train additional operators. At the same time, you help the Ukrainians to establish processes for supporting the new weapons.

“They need to know not just how to use the systems, but of course how to maintain the system,” Colin Kahl, U.S. the under-secretary of defense for policy, told reporters in June. “So, think of logistics, maintenance, things like that.”

The Ukrainian army’s logistics corps in particular faces a difficult winter and spring as begins supporting not just one or two new tanks types, but also American-made M-2 fighting vehicles, ex-German Marder fighting vehicles and AMX-10RC reconnaissance vehicles from France.

This eclectic mix of vehicles could get even more eclectic if the United States offers up some of the thousands of older M-1s it has in storage.

U.S. officials so far are being coy. “As has been the case since the beginning of this campaign, we maintain a very robust and ongoing dialogue with our Ukrainian partners and the international community to look at what Ukraine security assistance needs are based on the conditions on the battlefield,” Air Force brigadier general Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday.

“And so, we'll continue to have those conversations.”