Ukraine can get hundreds of Leopard 1 tanks: what is their combat capability
Germany has agreed to the possibility of transferring Leopard 1 to the Armed Forces, so the way to their supply from different countries is open. But will the outdated German tank of the previous generation be able to create a worthy countermeasure to the Soviet-Russian armored vehicles on the battlefield?
Our Western allies are working to strengthen the Armed Forces with Western armored vehicles not only qualitatively, but also quantitatively.
In particular, the German government has approved the delivery of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from industrial stocks and is negotiating the purchase of 15 Gepard tanks from Qatar for shipment to Kyiv, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday.
Companies Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) want to repair dozens of Leopards 1 tanks and can supply them to Ukraine if Kyiv wants to buy them, Reuters reports.
Perhaps we are talking about tanks that the Danish government wants to restore and transfer to Ukraine, Defense Express reports. Several dozen Danish Leopard 1A5-DK are currently in storage at the German company Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) in the city of Flensburg. During the next 3 months, Denmark can repair and give 20 Leopard 1A5-DK tanks to the Armed Forces, another 40 vehicles – in the next 6 months, with a total of 99 tanks of this type in storage at the FFG.
In addition, ‘negotiations’ are ongoing between the Belgian Ministry of Defense and the private company OIP regarding the purchase price of about 50 Leopard 1A5 tanks to strengthen the armed forces. After all, the management of OIP initially asked for half a million euros for one tank for restoration and transfer, but later ‘broke’ the price to 1 million euros. And it seems that Great Britain, which bought up to 20 M109 self-propelled guns from OIP warehouses (and according to some reports, up to fifty M113 armored personnel carriers) will once again be the ‘arbiter’.
In addition, several German officials discussed with the Qatari foreign ministry the possible purchase of 15 Gepard tanks, which were intended to secure stadiums during the World Cup.
h3 Combat capabilities of the Leopard 1A5 /h3
The Bundeswehr adopted the Leopard 1 tank back in 1964, so it is a really outdated machine. But if we talk about the Leopard 1A5, then this is already a modification of 1987. That is, this model is three years younger than the T-64BV. For five modernizations, the German tank significantly increased protection, received a weapon stabilizer, a new sighting and computerized fire control system, as well as a turbocharged 830 hp diesel engine, which is not a bad indicator for a 42-ton machine, according to Defense Express.
The weapons control system is EMES 18, created on the basis of the Leopard 2 tank’s control system. Therefore, at least, the Leopard 1A5 is at the level of the Soviet tanks of the late 80s (T-64BV, T-72B, T-80) in terms of this indicator, if does not exceed them in terms of the quality of sighting devices and night mode.
The firepower of the 105-mm rifled gun is not bad, because the armor penetration of the 105-mm NATO armor-piercing projectile is 450-500 mm at a distance of 2 km. That is, it is similar to the indicator for the most common 125-mm shell ‘Mango’ of Soviet tanks.
Armor protection of the Leopard 1A5 has always been a weak feature of this machine, but it has been strengthened with each modernization.
Conclusion
Even if the Leopard 1A5 can cause skepticism due to its ‘outdated’ characteristics, the main thing is the process itself – Western countries are working hard to give Ukraine enough tanks not only for a counteroffensive in the spring, but also for a complete victory over the Rashists.
