Ukrainian crews express satisfaction with Leopard 2 tanks, revealing superior performance in conflict
An intriguing interview appeared on the internet with a Ukrainian crew member of a Leopard 2A6 tank. They gave an account of their experiences over the past few months. According to the interview prepared by UNITED24, the Ukrainian serviceman shared an incident where three Russian tanks attempting to intercept his machine fled upon realizing their target was a Leopard 2A6.
He recalls another instance, "We were attacking Russian positions with M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles when one of them detonated a mine in front of us, blocking our path through the minefield. Our infantry began to engage the Russians, so we retaliated for about 40 minutes until we ran out of ammunition. It was only after infantry reinforcements arrived that we were able to eliminate the remaining Russians. Later, we interacted with those soldiers who had suffered only two casualties. They expressed that our cover fire was instrumental in their survival."
Zahar went on to compare the Leopard 2A6 tank with the previously used T-64 and T-72.
Commander Zahar along with the crew of the tank Leopard 2A6
Oleksi, who is a driver despite not even having a driver's license, put the tank's speed to test and managed to hit a maximum of 50 mph, exceeding the advised speed of 45 mph. Dmitro, the gunner, highly rates the fire control system that allows for striking targets up to a distance of around 2.5 miles, claiming near perfect accuracy at about 1.9 miles. Vitali, as a loader, faces the difficult task of loading 66 lb shells into the cannon.
Zahar considers mines and guided anti-tank missiles the most significant threats to tanks. Strikingly, FPV drones pose more danger to Soviet machines, as they are more susceptible to explosions. Zahar highlights that Leopard 2 tanks don't share this vulnerability. He is confident that in an encounter with an enemy tank, Leopard 2 tanks would emerge victorious. He also notes an evident fear amongst enemies, who attempt to destroy these tanks by various means.
Leopard 2A6 Tank - preferred in Ukraine
Designed at the turn of the millennium, the Leopard 2A6 tanks were developed as an ultimate response to the latest Russian T-90 series tanks, a significant modernization of the T-72B tanks.
Compared to its predecessors, the Leopard 2A6 has reinforced front and side armor. The most substantial enhancement is the installation of a longer Rheinmetall Rh-120 L/55 cannon that facilitates the acceleration of APFSDS-T penetrators to a higher speed, ensuring improved accuracy and shot penetrability.
This version of the Leopard 2 tank also equips the crew with hunter-killer mode, wherein the commander employs his thermal panoramic sight to locate targets and guides the gun towards them. The gunner then makes the necessary adjustments and fires, significantly reducing the time between target detection and elimination compared to the traditional method where the gunner solely relies on the commander's data.
