Austrian Tank Crews Win Strong Europe Tank Challenge
For the first time Austrian tank crews participated in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. And what an appearance the soldiers made: Despite being the newcomers, they returned home with the trophy. Germany placed second, and the United States third.
6 Nations
The challenge was co-hosted by the U.S. Army Europe and the German Army and took place from May 7 to May 12. Participants were sent by Austria, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the United States. Each nation brought a platoon with four tanks to compete. The Austrian team of Panzerbataillon 14 operated their "Leopard" 2A4 main battle tanks, while Germany relied on "Leopard" 2A6 and the U.S. Army on M1A2 SEP "Abrams".
Military Partnership
The participating units were tested on their offensive and defensive capabilites as well as tasks such as vehicle identification, battle damage assessment and precision maneuvers. Generally, the event is designed to foster military partnership, promote interoperability, and provides an environment for sharing tactics, techniques and procedures.
Images related to this article
Austrian tank crews feature the Strong Europe Tank Challenge trophy.
The tanks during an exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area.