The leaked report from the German Defence Ministry about the shortcomings of the Leopard 2 tank in the Ukraine should come as no surprise to anybody who even has a cursory understanding of German tank history, or even western tank history in general.
It is certainly no surprise to me. I spent thousands of hours in the ancient British Chieftain tank as well as the current Challenger 2 (CR2). The uninitiated may think that we’re seeing the end of the rule of tanks after 110 years as the kings of the battlefield, but this would be a failed assumption. Nonetheless, with the new British tank – imaginatively called Challenger 3 – about to arrive, its designers must take on board the identified shortcomings of Leopard 2 or it too will fail.
The Leopard 2 is a technical marvel, with echoes of the German Tiger tank in WW2: perhaps the most dangerous tank of the war. Leopard 2 has a very complex fire control system, an outstandingly powerful MTU power pack (the engine to the “non tankies”), and an excellent 120mm smoothbore gun. However it is very susceptible to drone and “top” attack and very difficult to fix if damaged or broken down. Worse still, like the Tiger of WW2, it is very few in numbers. The Russians have lost thousands of T-72s, T-80s and T-90 tanks. Just 18 Leopard 2s have been supplied to Ukraine!
The first issue identified is how difficult it is for Ukraine soldiers to mend these tanks and keep them battle worthy. If the engine breaks down it must be taken hundreds of miles for repair in a specialist facility, whereas the old, simple engines of the Russian tanks can be easily fixed by any automotive mechanic, in situ if necessary. The first tank I commanded was a Chieftain, designed in the 1950s, which had a “London bus” engine to power it. The engine frequently stopped when the fuel injection solenoid got stuck shut. This was simply remedied using a clothes peg to keep it open! A similar problem with a Leopard 2 or CR2 would require a new engine.
The leaked report from the German Defence Ministry about the shortcomings of the Leopard 2 tank in the Ukraine should come as no surprise to anybody who even has a cursory understanding of German tank history, or even western tank history in general.
It is certainly no surprise to me. I spent thousands of hours in the ancient British Chieftain tank as well as the current Challenger 2 (CR2). The uninitiated may think that we’re seeing the end of the rule of tanks after 110 years as the kings of the battlefield, but this would be a failed assumption. Nonetheless, with the new British tank – imaginatively called Challenger 3 – about to arrive, its designers must take on board the identified shortcomings of Leopard 2 or it too will fail.
The Leopard 2 is a technical marvel, with echoes of the German Tiger tank in WW2: perhaps the most dangerous tank of the war. Leopard 2 has a very complex fire control system, an outstandingly powerful MTU power pack (the engine to the “non tankies”), and an excellent 120mm smoothbore gun. However it is very susceptible to drone and “top” attack and very difficult to fix if damaged or broken down. Worse still, like the Tiger of WW2, it is very few in numbers. The Russians have lost thousands of T-72s, T-80s and T-90 tanks. Just 18 Leopard 2s have been supplied to Ukraine!
The first issue identified is how difficult it is for Ukraine soldiers to mend these tanks and keep them battle worthy. If the engine breaks down it must be taken hundreds of miles for repair in a specialist facility, whereas the old, simple engines of the Russian tanks can be easily fixed by any automotive mechanic, in situ if necessary. The first tank I commanded was a Chieftain, designed in the 1950s, which had a “London bus” engine to power it. The engine frequently stopped when the fuel injection solenoid got stuck shut. This was simply remedied using a clothes peg to keep it open! A similar problem with a Leopard 2 or CR2 would require a new engine.