Ukraine: Leopard 2 Variants & Capabilities
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- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
- In this video a former Leopard 2 gunner and I talk about the different version of the Leopard 2 that are currently serving in Ukraine, so namely about the Leopard 2A4, the Swedish Stridsvagn 122 which is often called a Leopard 2A5 (although that is incorrect) and the 2A6. Additionally, we also talk about the subvariants, since depending on the country there are minor differences as well.
Disclosure: Thank you to the Forum Panzermuseum Munster for inviting me. www.youtube.com/@DasPanzermus...
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#leopard2 #leopard2variants #ukraine
00:00 Intro
00:35 Leopard 2A4
02:23 Leopard "2A5" / Stridsvagn 122
03:16 Leopard 2A6
3:55 A6 Variants
4:27 Difference A5 vs A6
4:45 A4 vs "A5" vs A6
5:44 Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA)
7:01 Kontakt-5 ERA
7:21 ERA Basics
8:35 Meow? Back to the Cats
9:40 Tanks get killed
The Swedish Strv 122 also has French Galix smoke launcher clusters instead of the rail mounted German smoke launchers.
Internally, the Strv 122 also has different command and control electronics by LM Ericsson
Basically the best variant of Leopard 2
@@Ragnarok14107Leopard 2a7 enters the chat.
Or panther erzats built on the leopard chassis :D
@@Ragnarok14107 Not any longer. It is a good variant, but Leopard 2A7 and Leopard2A8 are better.
Stridsvagn 122 is a beefed up Leopard2A5 variant. Thanks to its improvements do I consider it equal to Leopard2A6. Newer Leopard2 variants have a more powerful gun than Stridsvagn 122
The strv 122 is getting uppgrade Longer gun @@nattygsbord
Somebody in the designation of the Leopards has a cheeky sense of humour, as the latest Leopard 2 variant is the “A7V”. Everyone who watches this channel is fully aware that Germany’s first tank actually was the “A7V” back in WW 1.
From what I've understood, almost all russian ATGMs (I'm not sure about the Shmel and the Drakon, so the earliest types) fly in that spiraling pattern because of how the correction commands are sent to the missile itself. It doesn't depends from the position of the rocket motor (in fact also the TOW doesn't have the engine nozzles at the back).
There is a very good and thorough article on Soviet ATGMs that touches that point on the marvelous Tankograd (thesovietarmourblog).
Edit: typo in Drakon
i think this is because the TOW missile is actively stabilized, it doesnt spin. where the Russian missiles do spin, my gues is for stability reasons similar to a bullet.
Metis ATGM gous in circles
Considering Kornet requires the operator to keep the lazer on the target until the missile hits, I think the spiral thing is to help not the block the user's LOS to the target.
@@danh7411 If I remember well, Kornet flies automatically over the line of sight until a predetermined distance from the target to avoid low obstacles and to avoid blocking the operator view (in previous systems the same manoeuvre of diving on the target was performed manually). The spiraling is caused by how the controls work in combination with the spin stabilization (as correctly pointed out by JohnF0X, some western missiles, like TOW, are aerodynamically stabilized and don't spin so don't spiral in flight).
@@dukenukem8381 actually, don't but it seems to do that because it uses two flares in combination to track and guide the missile: one is mounted in the tail and one at the end of one of the tail fins. The last one is spinning with the missile that is why it seems to go in circles.
This solution allows to avoid having a gyroscope in the missile but limits the maximum range.
Disclosure: I love this channel.
Yes, Kornet (Spriggan) does this spiraling spinning motion too.
So does Stugna-P. The spiralling is to ensure operators view is not obscured
@@williamzk9083 first, in order not to obscure the view Stugna flyes 10m above the direct view line, second, ginolospazino already described the mechanism.
Very insightful, greetings from Bulgaria
sweden built the strv 122 in Sweden also they are getting an uppgrade to the longer barrel ect new designation after the new uppgraded barrel ect will be strv 123A : Sweden have/had 120 strv 122 and most of them 91 were manufactured by Bofors and Hägglunds.Sweden also had a stopgap of older leo A4S.Leopard 2A4s as a before the newer tanks were finished. they were designated as strv 121
i am poirtugues, thanks for shoiwing the diference between the german and portuguese a6
Sweden: "There is a good tank you have there... what if someone bought it, changed pretty much everything about it, and made all of the stock tank obsolete"
German: "Why does our A4 look like a artifact from the olden times now
Just like when Sweden adopted the mauser rifle back in the 1880's.
"Hmm, Yes we do like this new repeating rifle thing, you've got going, but your production standards are terrible, this cartridge is overpowered, and don't take this wrong, but how about we supply the steel for this first batch while we set up our own production?"
Great video
As a Ukraine tank Commander said.
They only use the A6 now at night as a "Sniper" tank. Because they sai they have the upper hand at night against russia.
Thats why they only put ERA on the A4, because they use them at day time.
Nonsense.
Russia's night optics are the equal of any leopard optics and Russian drones have night and thermal vision.
Plus in Russia there are planes and helicopters that can fly at night.
@@fryertuck6496 nope.
BS modernized russian tanks all have thermals and they have the same range as leopards
@@fryertuck6496lol
Very well explained Bernhard, thank-you. There are many cats.
Thank you for the good video. I had sorted out Leopard 2A4,5,6 I thought, but am not familiar with the Swedish version. Much appreciate knowing that 2A5 were up-gunned to 2A6, so any 2A5 is a Strids-? (How to say?) Does anyone else use the Saab thermal blanket?
Question, why doesn't every user of the 2A4 update to 2A5 (Swedish version) or 2A6, depending on their own terrain and situation? And, 40mm can only throw basic smoke, 81mm can throw VT thermal smoke, and it takes 120mm to throw VT Improved Thermal Smoke. Why doesn't everyone use 120mm boxed stub-mortars?
Saab Barracuda AB
Saab Barracuda AB is a Swedish company in military camouflage equipment. The company was founded in 1957 by Carl Ekman in Bjärka-Säby, where the first camouflage nets of jute woven on nylon nets were produced in a sweat shop. In 1960, the company received its first export order.
Since 1999, Barracuda has been part of the Saab group and is located in Gamleby with 93 employees there and another 70 in the USA. Saab Barracuda is a significant company in its field with exports to 58 countries where subsidiaries also manage production locally with the USA and India as the largest customers.
The turnover in 2014 was 209,690,000 Swedish kronor and has been steadily increasing with a growth of 300% in the last decade, much depending on orders from the United States whose military designates the camouflage nets Barracuda supplies as "critical materiel".
Because Stridsvagn 122 (Think Stridswagen, literally Combat Wagon) is changed more than just a few components. It's completely changed internally with systems made by Ericsson so they fit Swedish Systems. You can't just switch a few things.
5:55 - the whole add ERA became a so popular meme (with florks characters) that a subreddit that makes jokes on military related topics (noncredibledefense) had to ban the ERA meme edits due to so many being spammed
"It was making fun of NATO vehicles and we cant have that around here"
I'd like to know more about the Leopard 2A8?
According to available infos, the upgrade package includes an active protection system, additional armament against bomlets, a radar system (which has to be installed for the APS to work) and an APU that allows powering certain systems without the main engine running.
Also new generation sensor systems and software are expected but that's probably as much info as you'll get.
@@toastermon2272Thanks, all of those things make sense within the limitations of Leopard 2.
New engine too, 1,600hp
@@MostlyPennyCat sure about 1600hp? Because MTU has a second version of the MB 873 Ka-501 engine listed since some time with 1800hp. Exactly the same engine dimensions, weight and displacement as the current engine in the Leo2 just with 300hp more.
@@shi01
Who knows? It's what's listed on some sites like army-recognition as 1,600hp but sometimes they're wrong.
Maybe it is the 1,800hp version but limited to prevent excessive wear, or maybe there's heat problems at 1,800hp.
Interesting.
I am impressed with the Leopard 2 MBT. Both its survivability and the ability to get it back in action after being damaged. More importantly, crew survival. How is the Leopard 1, in all of those regards? Plus, how many Leopard 1's and 2's have been sent to Ukraine?
-195 Leopard 1s
-~90ish Leopard 2s
Leo one is paper thin compared to Leo 2. The thought behind the Leo 1 design initially was “all armour can be penetrated therefor we need to avoid being hit in the first place via high mobility”.
Thin armour and high mobility is Leo 1
Leo 2 and get back in to action? Man... They get very frequently just abandoned, because it's really almost impossible to recover them under battlefield conditions due to the ridiculous weight.
on the contrary they are very demanding and complex to service
AFU troops abandon them because they are targeted by Russian troops.
Also too heavy to be used off road outside of a couple of months in summer.
You think the tracks staying on the tank while moving and not disintegrating would be a capability they have but guess not.
I’m always amused by the Pokémon card style armchair strategists who say that X will always beat Y or X can’t destroy Y based on the paper stats.
I mean theoretically even a T-55 can destroy a Leopard 2A6 if it hits the sides and most tank combat are about ambush (not to mention combat is complex and never "pure" tank vs tank)... but it sure helps to have better optics, a better gun and better survivability.
@@johanlassen6448 Totally. I don't think you'd get anyone in their right mind who would choose a MBT from the middle of last century over something a bit more youthful and capable. I think my point was just about how a lot of people speak in absolute terms about things when experience on the ground tends to show that it's all a little more grey than that.
For instance, I was legit surprised to see that Merkava get taken out by the Hamas drone recently. Even with all the drone on tank actions we've seen over the last few years I still would have put money on the Merkava having some party trick up its sleeve.
@@Alan.livingston +1. Always comes down to tactics and stuff.
@@Alan.livingston
The fact is that the soldier does not prefer weapons - he uses what he is given. Russian troops use T-55 in Ukraine. Usually it’s mobile artillery that fires from closed positions.
However, the key is that enemy detection is conducted by third-party means, such as UAVs. T-55 does not need modern optics to be the first to hit the most advanced tank.
In any war, what matters is not what a soldier fights on, but what tactics he uses for weapons.
I think the most interesting thing, that is almost never addressed, is that we have seen very few occasions of a tank engaging and knocking out another tank.
The whole argument for an MBT is that they are powerful enough to fight another MBT. But if an MBT can be taken out by mines, drones, artillery, air-launched missiles, and manpads, are they so vurnerable and precious that no-one wants to send them into battle?
I don't know. I'm just not seeing any triumfant tank victories in the feeds.
still waiting for the Next TIger 3...
more than Than the new Audi A3....
loose a track..loose a tank....
great vid...
N x
I was thinking about at it, why don´t they gift AMX-30 tanks to Ukraine? They were already given AMX-10's and those have the same guns, so ammo supply won't be that more difficult.
Because it would be a supply managment nightmare. And also a nightmare for maintenance and repair crews: They have Soviet era tanks, different versions Leopard 2, M1 Abrams, Challenger 2 and now also the Leopard 1 which they will get in larger numbers now and also has a 105mm gun.
The thing is also, the AMX-30 was phased out when the Leopard 1 got its last upgrade, that means the AMX-30 are more outdated than the Leopard 1 is. And Ukraine has already several Leopard 1 based armoured vehicles like the Flakpanzer Gepard, Bergepanzer 2, armoured bridge-layer Biber and so on. Who can drive a Gepard can also drive a Leopard 1, and several parts are interchangeable. So not such a nightmare for material logistics.
Also the AMX-30 has a 105mm gun, yes, but that one is a special French design that can't fire 105mm NATO ammunition. That's the reason no other NATO country introduced that tank. The standard NATO 105mm gun is the British L7. It's the same with the Challenger 2, that British tank can't fire 120mm NATO ammunition because it has a rifled barrel and isn't a smoothbore gun. The standard NATO 120mm tank gun is the Rheinmetall Rh120, or versions of it that were made under license in other countries, for example in the USA.
AMX-32 was the AMX-30 with Target Detection, Tracking, and Fire Control brought up to Challenger-equivalents and re-armed with an L7 gun for export.
But the point about parts and training value of not adding further, useless, complications to logistics makes sense to keep to Leopard 1 as much as possible.
Challenger and Challenger II were always supposed to stay behind Abrams on battlefields, lending their much more accurate long-range support; while Panther 2 was to come in from the flanks and operate from concealment when possible. (From my learnings from 1980's and 90's Abrams crews describing doctrine.)
Ukraine produces Nozh ERA which can use the housing for K1 but is effectively on par or better than K5.
Big difference to K5 and K1, Nozh uses small shaped charges to destroy a projectile where the others use differently sized metal plates, pushing out and against a projectile to erode the penetrator.
Nozh ERA, are better than K-5 but they never produced them in large numbers before the war and it is unlikely that has changed. Ukrainians are primarily using domestic K-1 clones.
Nozh never entered serial production.
Remaining Bulats use K1 filler.
Kontakt 5 and Relikt is better
@@5gurus-bimiseveriz no
Can you make another video about how tank gun depression made superior NATO tanks victorious in the summer Ukraine counteroffensive.
Oddly the 2A5 Nozh becomes a 2A5V V standing for Explosive Reactive armour on Russian Tanks
was he a german leo 2 gunner?
yes
They have been wrecked by ATGMs in Robotyne. All tanks seem to be Paper tigers whether it's Leopard 2 or T72.
That's what ATGMs are for. No tank out there can withstand a good hit from a sophsticated ATGM. You don't understand combined arms warfare.
That's like saying: "shermans are bad because they blow up against anti tank weapons like the panzerfaust, therefore they are bad"
They are anti tank weapons,of course tanks get damaged or blown up that's what such a weapon was made for.
😂
1:39 - polish Leopard were german Leopard from the cold war era and given to Poland for cheap back in the 2000s and now sold for big money to whom ?
No, not the Ukraine, but the EU who paid far, far, far too much and made Poland a war benefitter. Great arm deals and profits by goverments exploting the others.
please do a video on these
(this is a copy and paste list for a few channels)
units and tactics/evaluation of loadouts of troops (from different jobs (and other branches)
like the 82 snd 101 airborne units
or infantry tank units, (or when tanks were assigned a infantry unit like i think earlier war Russia then all tanks were formed into there own units wich meant the infantry no longer knew the true strength of there own tanks but alowed tank units to fight more efficiently)
the tank doctrine of countries
evaluation of tank veiw ports
evaluation of tanks/armored vehicles of different countries
evaluation of aircraft types of different countries,
different between navil and army/air force fighters
logistics units of the axes and allied powers in ww2
ww1 estern front tactics
Russian Civil war tactics and strategies
navil ship cross sections (all the rooms and how it all works)
evaluation of types of ships
or evaluation of navil warfare
air craft carrier strike group formations exsamples (from different countries)
ancient persan ships,
ancient veneti ships (gauls that fought ceaser)
ships used by genoa and the vernesain republic
the vernesain republic government
all sailing ships, (i know theres many on yt but some contradict each other and i think theres more left out)
2b9 vasilyok morter
tactics used so far in the Ukraine war,
better for squads to be 2 teams of 5 or 3 teams of 3,
and probably the easiest, better to keep troops well feed or starved like an animal
how dose age effect comsnders eg napoleon got older so took less risks,
ancient urban warfare
ww2 tactics in Asia, tactics in the Chinese age of warlords, (and Chinese civil war)
tactics in the ruso jap war
cold war navil tactics,
Korean war tactics,
strange tactics or unque battles from the American war of independence and America civil war
how were 17th centry sailing ships build
types of bombs lunched by drones
comands given on sailing ships (like ease the sheets and get ready to chine, or slack n beases, basically things you hear movie capitns say)
why did the nazis never return (or a video on best occupations)
why did the Japanese empire fall, dont just say "America" like things like how there army and navy argued alot
alot more on the Polynesians and māori, but please learn pronounceations if you do this
Show don't tell.
Where is Bozo to say something stupid BOZOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Hurry...cut out your shopping coupons and get these on the shelves for xmas
It's pronounced 'Leppird' in English. Cool video
Unless your from the UK were its Lepard
@@TheClanAdventures No, even if you're from the UK its Lepard.
They are pronouncing it in german.
It's German, and those are Germans.
It's even a mistake to pronounce it in English.
A name is a name.
@@kiereluurs1243it’s a mistake to critique a German pronouncing the name of a German made tank in English, however it’s ok to describe how a native English speaker would pronounce it in a comparative manner. My German is awful and I appreciate my German friends feedback.
Would I be able identify the Leopard variant by the color, smell, or intensity of the smoke and flame billowing from its interior, or is that not a reliable identification method?
Not a reliable way due to very small sample size, but it works really well for anything Russian, they've been launching turrets since the 1960s.
@@Gerle71 Every tank launches its turret.
@@attilamarics3374 Not Strv 103. And hardly any with such ease and regularity as certain Russian ones. Crew survivability is a design consideration. For some.
@@Gerle71 Thats pure nonsense you know. I can find videos and pictures about plenty of modern tanks like that. Your comment is ignorant.
@Gerle71 thank you for having the courage to admit what the MSM won't-- that Ukraine only has "a very small sample size." Since I've paid for that sample size with my taxmoney and labor, I guess we've earned the right to poke fun at it. As for Russian stuff, your comment doesn't bode well for the Ukrainians either, as 90% of their stuff is Russian-built....
Right so you Ukraine is just a testing ground for developing military hardware.
Well, not really. Turns out the ruskies have inferior weapons (thats something we knew already despite Russias best propaganda efforts), but not that it matters. Small to mid-sized drones are the name of the game and those are pretty much developed on the go during this war.
Every war is a testing ground for the weapons industry. Why do think USA can’t go 5 years without participating in a war some where?
It was supposed to be the springboard that would cause Russia's internal political collapse and then its Balkanization with 20 small states fighting each other while the big western corporations would snatch the natural resources and industrial infrastructure for a song 90's style, but this time for good. It kinda backfired...
The extra length of the L55 gun fitted to the Leopard increases coincidence error between the gun and main sight, which decreases accuracy when firing on the move.
That's why the designers of the best tank, the M1 Abrams created a shoerter L44 gun. The decreased muzzle velocity is more than compensated for by the use of more advanced materials and ammunition.
Huh?
That doesn't make any sense, the real reason is to reduce the chance of hitting stuff when turning the turret or digging the gun in the ground going down a hill.
the abrams uses the same gun as the leopard and is licensed from germany
Source?
Its genuinely funny to have a comment sound smart for it to be completely and utterly wrong
Capabilities are 0.
Obvious Russian troll is obvious.
The capabilities are - burning good when hit with drones, mines, AT weapons, Artillery or tanks. This thing is a steel coffin like any other vehicle on the modern battle field. I would rather be a normal soldier on foot then sit inside these death traps.
Statistics do not care about Russian propaganda.
Most expensive mine sweepers 🔥🔥🔥
Russian tank operators -> Cheapest Cosmonauts 🚀🚀🚀
@@Itachi21x >lil bro forgot Ukrainians also use Soviet tanks
Russian minefield go 💥🐷💥
@@yourdaddy5435And? Ukraine is still asking for Western tanks because they're better. Autocracy can't produce anything well, fact. Wether it's electronics, tank or fighter aircraft democracy does it better. Stop licking Putins boots!👢
@@Itachi21x meanwhile leo with blowout ammo in hull and abrams which got rekt by dshk and then by burning cartonboard: 🗿
Russian defense budget = 5% of NATO(on idle), so there is no problem.
Copium orc is obvious.
Наплевать на то, какие именно "Леопарды" передают Украине. Под русскими снарядами они горят совершенно одинаково. Очень жарко. :)))))
Nobody understands your ork language
@@Itachi21x the ork category includes the 80% of the Ukrainian population too?
@@Itachi21xnobody gives a fuck about it, bozo
Only 31 percent speak Russian, only 19% regularly. You are lying@@joek600
What about the cool Ukrainian Leopard variant with the great big f**king hole in it! You should cover that one too.
How did it get a hole in it, was it used in a war or something?
Not half that cool as the Russian T Tank with the flying turrets. Variant „Jack in the box“
@@theonlymadmac4771 You know you can find tanks with flying turrents from every kind. Its about what system hit them, not the tank.
bullshit - its a fucking design failure - or better said: the russians give a fuck about their own soldiers dying!@@attilamarics3374
@@attilamarics3374 In case of russian tanks, it kinda is about the tank. More specifically, it's autoloader.
Being Greek, (we currently have the most Leo 2 in EU), watching them being completely annihilated in Ukraine, made me feel extremely uncomfortable combined with the thought that we bankrupt our country in order to buy super expensive (8-13M a piece), untested to a real war, fancy German junk, just because their industrial military complex had our politicians in their pockets.
Perhaps you should built a own
Strange. You don't hear of Greek soldiers begging for cheaply made Russian vehicles and equipment. I bet the unfortunate conscripts pressed into Putins mobilisation aren't happy with their cardboard armour, their tampon stuffed med-kits, their USSSR rations and their North Korean ammunition. Must be easy to say these things when you're sat at home talking out your ass.
Being in NATO Greece should not worry, those reports are based upon Russian propaganda sources. Being under NATO’s umbrella provides air superiority, whilst Russian air defences have performed poorly against an under equipped Ukraine.
A few comments
- Maybe you are referring to the infamous 1.7 billion deal, but that is also for a production license for Greece to build 170 Leo 2 HEL domestically (I would assume new). I don't know if that was a good deal, considering Dutch used Leo A2A5 where sold for 2 to 3 million Euro a piece.
- Greece is only planning to send Leo 1's to Ukraine (which I am not sure if they have been confirmed delivered at all. Talk in August was the plan to send Greece tanks, for Germany to buy Swiss tanks, and trade those Swiss tanks as an replacement to Greece). What is confirmed is that Greece supplied BMPs in 2022. At best 5 Leo 2 where considered to be send to Ukraine, but not confirmed.
- Greece for sure has the most Leo 1s of Europe: they acquired 500 Leo 1A5s, refurbished ex German Leo 1 A3s. At total Greece has 500 Leo A4/ A5 from German / Dutch stockpile sales. And depending on what is still somewhere hidden in german stocks, or taken out the numbers and undergoing upgrades), Greece might indeed have the most Leo 2s (353) in stock. But that is arguably more an indication of how much previous operators reduced their tank fleets over the last 10 years.
@@yamahaevo Im not sure that we are allowed to, nobody wants to lose a captive audience/customer
16 mio euro of trash metal👌 this is like us. Style... Show and shine 👎👎👎
Yeah... How quickly we went from "the best tank in the world" to "no tank in invulnerable". I will restrain myself from naming the gaping vulnerabilities of this largely failed design.
> Yeah... How quickly we went from "the best tank in the world" to "no tank in invulnerable".
Name me the video where I said "best tank in the world"? Oh, you can't, because I didn't.
Go ahead, name the 'gaping vulnerabilities'.
Still waiting for your analysis
Take it like this: "Even the best tank isn't invulnerable". Works perfectly in one sentence, no matter which one the actual best tank is.
7:00 Use ERA "Knife" Ніж
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizh_(explosive_reactive_armour)