MOSCOW, July 2 – RIA Novosti. The Armed Forces of Ukraine is actively using Western tanks, which will be used in the upcoming general offensive. One of the toughest machines in the arsenal is the German Leopard-2. In a number of parameters, it surpasses its modern Russian counterparts. However, this technique is also vulnerable, as the experience of armed conflict in recent decades has shown.

So far, the Russian army has not come face-to-face with the invention of the “gloomy Germanic genius.” But the “Leopards” have repeatedly encountered domestic weapons in battle.

The tanks are in service in 15 states. These are perhaps the most modern of Western models, with the exception of the American Abrams. They were used by NATO troops in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

But the most active is Türkiye in northern Syria. Ankara used cars in the A4 variant (the most numerous in the Ukrainian Armed Forces).

This model was the last modification of the Leopard 2 during the Cold War. It was designed for battles with Soviet tanks and was not designed to counter militants armed with ATGMs and IEDs. Unlike later modifications, the 2A4 provides rather weak protection against modern anti-tank missiles, especially when struck from the side or stern. The side armor of this variant is even thinner than that of the first T-72s.

In December 2016, at least 10 Turkish Leopard 2A4s were destroyed near the city of Al Bab. Five tanks were successfully hit by anti-tank missiles, two were blown up by mines or IEDs, one fell under artillery fire. Two more cars disappeared for unknown reasons.

Most of the equipment was destroyed by the Soviet ATGM “Bassoon”, “Metis” and “Competition”. Armor penetration was more than enough to disable Leopards.

However, the operators themselves are partially responsible for such high losses. Instead of using tanks with infantry, vehicles were deployed as long-range weapons in the rear. As a result, those left without cover in open firing positions proved to be extremely vulnerable.

This tactic also resulted in the loss of large numbers of Saudi Abrams in Yemen, which were apparently eliminated by obsolete Soviet weapons.

Today, the Russian army is armed with much more powerful anti-tank weapons. For example, the Kornet ATGM can hit five and a half kilometers, and the tandem HEAT warhead can pierce up to 1,300 millimeters of homogeneous armor. Theoretically, this is enough to successfully shoot the “Leopard” even in the forehead.

However, the Modification 2A6 has thicker frontal armor. However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine has very few of these tanks.

But the greatest danger is not infantry with portable anti-tank systems, but attack helicopters with Shturm, Ataka and Vikhr missiles. Their range is sufficient to destroy the equipment in front without entering the field of activity of military air defense systems. The enemy will be forced to pull them towards the front line, making them vulnerable to artillery fire. And without the “umbrella” of air defense, the Ukrainian columns will become an easy target.