As Russia continues to pound Ukraine, the country's President Volodymy Zelensky has renewed his pitch for battle tanks and much of the discussion is centred around one piece of military hardware: German-made Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks.
For the last two days, Ukraine's plea for the Leopard 2s is getting deflected on a stand-off between the US and Germany over sending them to Kyiv. Germany has made it clear that it will send Leopards to Ukraine only if the US agrees to send its M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv. The stalemate is currently proving to be a nightmare for Kyiv, which is eyeing the tanks for their mobility, armour and firepower in its desperate attempt to push through Russian defences.
But, what is it that makes Leopard 2 Main Battle tank a much sought-after war machine?
A battle tank reputed to be one of the finest in the world, the Leopard 2 was born during the Cold War era when NATO was wary of the Warsaw Pact. Under threat from Communist forces, the West German army needed a well-protected tank and that resulted in the development of the Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) in 1970. This was just a couple of years after a previous Leopard 1 entered service. Leopard 1s was phased out subsequently by 2003, due to its many flaws.
Since then, the Leopard 2 has proven its mettle as a machine that can give American M-1 Abrams and the British Challenger 2 a run for their money. Currently, the Leopard 2 MBTS are used by the German Army and its allies, including Poland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Norway, and Indonesia.
Powered by a diesel engine, the Leopard 2s feature night-vision equipment and a laser range finder. These specs come in handy while aiming a moving target even over rough terrains.
Besides, the armour of the Leopard 2 tank is so composite that it offers good protection against armour-piercing rounds and anti-tank-guided weapons.
As for the gun, they are armed with a fully-stabilized Rheinmetall RH-M-120 120 mm smoothbore gun which can fire 42 rounds. The tank is armed with ready-to-use ammunition in a separate compartment in front of the hull by the driver.
The superiority of the Leopards, however, came into question after it suffered setbacks on Syrian battlefields. According to certain sections of German media, ISIS forces managed to destroy 10 of the "supposedly-invincible Leopard 2s" using anti-tank missiles, mines or IEDs, and rocket or mortar fire.
Denmark's Leopard 2A7 tanks move at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia | AP
That said, the tanks remain very useful for Ukraine. Reason: Studies have found that Leopards can easily destroy most Russian-built T-80t tanks at medium and long ranges. With their superior thermal imagers, they are more likely to detect and hit the enemy first. Trials also revealed that moving Leopard 2s hit a 2.3-meter target 19 and 20 times out of 20, respectively, while a Soviet T-80 scored only 11 hits, according to military researchers.
There are other reasons as well. Mark F. Cancian, a retired Marine Corps reserves colonel and senior advisor at CSIS, told Time that the German Leopard 2 has two major advantages. "One is that it’s a technology that’s familiar to Ukrainians; it uses a diesel gas turbine engine. The other one is that there are lots of them out there," Cancian added.
While the logistical part is almost easy, thanks to the presence of Leopard 2s all over Europe, the tough part is whether or not Ukraine will manage to get their hands over it overcoming all the legal and diplomatic hurdles. With another Russian offensive expected, Ukraine has its fingers crossed.
