The last shipment was rejected by Ukraine due to defects, but the Leopard 1A5 is better than its reputation – and popular with Ukrainians.
Kiev – Germany is one of Ukraine’s most important supporters in the war against Russia and, in addition to money, also provides the invaded country with a lot of military equipment. Western battle tanks are particularly important here, as they enable a more offensive approach in the war in Ukraine. In addition to the modern high-performance Leopard 2 tank, this also includes its older predecessor model, the Leopard 1, which the Bundeswehr retired in 2003. So far, the federal government has delivered 20 Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine.
However, Kiev refused to take over the ten Leopard 1A5s that were recently delivered Mirror reported at the end of September. According to Ukraine, the Leopard tanks in question are too worn out and in need of repair after being used to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. Kiev said that they do not have the necessary specialists and spare parts to repair the industrial tanks themselves.
However, these criticisms should not hide one thing: Despite its age and the need for repairs on some vehicles, the Leopard 1A5 is a main battle tank that is also very popular in the Ukrainian army. Although the predecessor of the Leopard 2 was developed in the 1960s, its most recent version, the Leopard 1A5, is a serious battle tank that is superior or even equal to the older Soviet models.
The old, “but not obsolete” Leopard 1A5 can still compete with a T-72
Lieutenant Colonel Marco Maulbecker, commander of the Bundeswehr’s 203rd Tank Battalion, emphasized this to the broadcaster in spring 2023 Phoenix. The Leopard 1A5 is old, “but not obsolete”. With its modifications, it is at the technical level of the 1980s and corresponds in many ways to the more modern Leopard 2A4, also used in the Ukraine, “especially with regard to the fire control system,” said Maulbecker.
When it comes to vision systems and the ability to hit targets while moving, these two models are “very similar.” Its mobility and precision when firing while moving still make the Leopard 1A5 a “very good main battle tank.” it could compete with the older T models of Russian design up to the T-72. According to the lieutenant colonel, the Leopard 1A5 would definitely be useful for the Ukrainian army in its defense against the Russian invasion.
The US military blogger and journalist David Ax gives a very similar assessment for the magazine Forbes. It is precisely the “excellent fire control system” and the resulting precision as well as the range and speed that made the Leopard 1A5 popular with Ukrainian tank shooters. This makes it superior to a Soviet T-64.
Ukraine Tank Gunners: Leopard 1A5 Accuracy and Range Is “Simply Amazing”
In this context, Ax quotes from a field report from Ukrainian soldiers published by the Kiev Ministry of Defense. They trained the use of German battle tanks at a base in Germany with Danish and German instructors. They learned to appreciate the aging Leopard 1A5 as well as the information portal ArmyINFORM recently reported.
The Leopard 1A5 is impressively fast with a maximum speed of 75 km/h. “My brothers and I joke that we are driving a new foreign car,” said one of the officers involved. Another advantage was the precise 105-millimeter L7 tank gun from British production, which represented the latest state of the art at the time. It enables accurate shooting from a distance of five to six kilometers. The precision and range are “simply amazing,” said the officer quoted.
German precision work and English quality: The Leopard 1A5 “is made for driving and shooting”
The Leopard 1A5, designed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, combines German precision work with English quality, say the tank gunners from Ukraine. Forty years later, the L7 from British manufacturer Royal Ordnance is still an effective weapon, albeit slightly less powerful than the latest 120-millimeter cannons, such as those installed in the Leopard 2A4.
The supposedly outdated predecessor of the Leopard 2 is valued as fast and precise, says Ax. It is not for nothing that a Danish tank instructor is said to have advised his Ukrainian trainees to fight while on the move. The Leopard 1A5 “is made for driving and shooting,” the instructor said, as Ax wrote in another article for Forbes executes.
Installed in the Leopard 1A5: a highly effective fire control system
But it’s not just the tank gun itself that makes the Leopard 1A5 such a fast and accurate weapon. It is the tank’s entire integrated combat system, which includes the cannon and its stabilizers, the gunner’s optics and the computer-controlled fire control system, explains Ax. The latter is the same in the Leopard 1A5 as in the more modern Leopard 2A4: the EMES-18 system.
The EMES-18 is still considered one of the most effective fire control systems for main battle tanks. It uses a computerized laser range finder. To aim at the target, the gunner looks through optics, uses a joystick to fix the crosshairs on the target and fires a laser so that the computer can calculate the distance. The cannon is then fired. This all happens in a matter of seconds and thanks to computer support, you don’t even have to calculate the angle manually.
The Leopard 1A5 has “legendary” firing speed
The sophisticated technology also allows precise shooting when the tank or the target (or both) is in motion. In this case, the gunner only needs to keep his crosshairs on the enemy long enough for the EMES-18 to calculate the numbers. The speed and ease of use of the EMES-18 allows it to fire in quick succession, and Ax calls the resulting firing speed of the Leopard 1A5 “legendary”.
With its fire control system and speed, the Leopard 1A5 is also superior to many newer battle tank models, especially older Soviet models. A T-64 typically fires no faster than eight rounds per minute, even though it has an automatic loader. A Leopard 1A5 with a human loader and rapid fire controls should, Ax says, be capable of 10 rounds per minute. (Robert Wagner)
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