Germany provided a large package of military aid, including 10 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks. This delivery, announced on May 22, 2024, includes ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks, 8,500 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, 20 Vector reconnaissance drones with spare parts, 34 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones and various other military equipment.
Leopard 1A5 — main battle tank equipped with the Royal Ordnance L7A3 105mm rifled gun. This main gun can fire all standard 105mm rounds produced in various countries including Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States. The tank uses a semi-automatic loading system and can carry up to 60 rounds, with 42 in the hull and 18 in the turret.
As for additional armament, the Leopard 1A5 is equipped with:
- a 7.62 mm twin machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament;
- an additional 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in place of the commander or loader for air defense.
In total, the tank holds 5,500 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber for these machine guns. In addition, it is equipped with four 76 mm smoke grenade launchers mounted on each side of the turret.
The Leopard 1A5 is designed for optimal protection with a welded hull and cast turret. Standard armor varies, with a maximum thickness of 7 cm and a minimum of 0.8 cm at the top of the hull, which can be vulnerable to drone attacks. Adding armor to the cage might be a good idea. Turret armor varies from 5 cm at the front to 6 cm at the sides and rear. It can also be fitted with additional polycarbonate (Lexan) panels for added protection. The tank is equipped with nuclear, biological and chemical protection, which creates excess pressure in the crew compartment.
The Leopard 1A5 is powered by a 10-cylinder MTU MB 838 Ca M-500 multi-fuel engine developing 830 horsepower at 2,200 rpm. It is equipped with a ZF 4 HP 250 transmission with a hydraulic torque converter that offers four forward gears and two reverse gears. Its suspension includes seven support rollers with lightweight metal and rubber tires, hydraulic shock absorbers at several wheel stations and support rollers. The tank can reach a top speed of 65 km/h on the road and has a range of 600 km on the road, reduced to 450 km on rough terrain.
The Leopard 1A5 is equipped with computerized fire control systems, including the Krupp-Atlas EMES-18 system and the TEM 2A optical laser range finder. It also has night and day vision systems, including a Zeiss thermal imaging system to improve performance in low visibility conditions. For communication, the tank uses SEM 80/90 digital radio stations. Additional equipment includes an automatic fire detection and extinguishing system, a heater, an emergency hatch in the hull, decontamination paint that reflects infrared radiation.
As for off-road, the Leopard 1A5 can handle slopes of 60%, side slopes of 30%, vertical obstacles of 1.15 meters and trenches of 3 meters. Its throughput is 1.2 meters without preparation, up to 2.25 meters with preparation and 4 meters with a tube.
The tank has been in service since 1987, produced in Germany, used in several countries, including Brazil, Greece and Ukraine. The tank's armament can rotate 360 degrees and the angle of inclination from +20° to -9°. With a length of 7.09 meters, a width of 3.37 meters and a height of 2.76 meters, the Leopard 1A5 has a combat weight of 40 tons.
About help
According to a May 21 Reuters report citing an anonymous source, Germany plans to continue supporting Ukraine, planning to increase military aid by an additional 3.8 billion euros ($4.13 billion) in 2024. While ten Leopard 1A5s may not make a difference in this war, a massive deployment of such tanks could help balance the force, given that Ukraine has significantly fewer tanks at its disposal compared to Russia.
Among the additional equipment supplied:
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- four Wisent 1 demining tanks;
- 1.8 million small arms ammunition;
- Dachs armored engineering vehicle;
- Beaver bridge-layer tank with spare parts;
- armored escape vehicle Bergepanzer 2 with spare parts.
Ukraine also received 16 Zetros trucks, 111 CR 308 rifles, 80 HLR 338 high-precision rifles, 540 MK 556 assault knives, 400 LED lamps and two mines plows Leopard 1A5 tanks were delivered as part of a joint project with Denmark.
Despite initial reluctance, Germany became Ukraine's second largest military donor after the United States. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is reluctant to commit to certain key capabilities, including long-range Taurus missiles.
Germany has previously delivered 30 Leopard 1A5 tanks. An additional ten sent as of May 22 bring the total to 40 Leopard 1A5s. Despite the fact that the German tank, although technologically outdated, cannot be a significant addition to Ukraine's arsenal in terms of technical capabilities, its value lies in the potential number that Western countries could provide. The Leopard 1A5 is widely used around the world, and a significant number may be provided to Ukraine.