A alarming development, according to Russian media, is that Germany has covertly transferred 20 lethal Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine.
According to Russian media, Germany surreptitiously imported Leopard 2A4 tanks into Ukraine. About two days ago, one of these tanks was spotted on Ukrainian soil. Given that NATO has not disclosed preparations to give this weapon, it seems apparent that the Leopard 2A4 heavy tanks were delivered in full secrecy to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A Leopard 2A4 tank can be seen being tested in the western part of the nation, near the Polish border – their enormous back – in a video published by the Ukrainian military.
According to certain Ukrainian reports, a total of 20 Leopard 2A4 heavy tanks have been supplied to Ukraine. Furthermore, these are extremely lethal weapons that pose a serious threat to the Russian military. The delivery of Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine is not discussed in Germany. However, because Ukrainian soldiers have no experience operating this MBT line, there are several issues about who is running the aforementioned fighting vehicles.
The disparity between the Ukrainian Army’s tanks and Germany’s MBT line was enormous. Basic training can take months, and these combat vehicles need to be maintained meticulously. If these tanks are truly turned over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian military specialists believe they would be handled by mercenaries under the guise of “foreign volunteers.”
Although it is known that Germany intends to consider delivering Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, a meeting on the subject is only scheduled for mid-May, and the delivery could take a few more days. The Leopard 2A4 is the most popular form of the Leopard 2 family, which was developed for the West German Army by the Krauss Corporation – Maffei in the early 1970s.
The Leopard 2A4 variant features a digital fire control system that can handle new types of ammunition, an explosion prevention system, and an upgraded turret with titanium-tungsten armour plane when compared to the original.
The Leopard 2A4 tank’s basic technical specifications are as follows: 55.15 tonnes, 9.67 metres in length (with forward facing cannon), 3.75 metres in width, and 2.99 metres in height. The “heart” of the Leopard 2A4 is a 12-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 1,479 horsepower and a top speed of 68 kilometres per hour on excellent roads and 31 kilometres per hour on bad roads.
Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 smoothbore gun (barrel length 44 times diameter) with a base of 42 rounds is one of the weapons available for the Leopard 2A4. Despite its long existence, many of its features have become obsolete when compared to newer vehicles such as the T-90M Proryv 3 or T-14 Armata, particularly in terms of protection.
However, due to its powerful fire control computer and excellent barrel stabiliser, the Leopard 2A4 is still considered a very reliable platform, particularly for its extremely accurate long-range gunnery.
