In the near future, Ukraine may become one of the main operators of Leopard 1 tanks. When the first information about the transfer of tank data to Ukraine appeared, there were disputes about how appropriate it is, taking into account their moral and technical obsolescence. Is it possible to modernize the Leopard 1 tank and how will it help the Armed Forces in the counteroffensive? blog Oleksandr Kovalenko, military and political columnist of the "Information Resistance" group.
Disadvantages of Leopard 1 tanks
Oleksandr Kovalenko: One of the reasons for criticism of the Leopard 1 was the fact that it has very weak armor, which is not able to protect the crew not only from an RPG-7 shot or an armor-piercing 30 mm, but also from a rupture in the near zone of an artillery projectile.
At the same time, the armor was only one of the points that caused doubts. Questions also arose about the resource of the L7A3 gun. Yes, this 105 mm 56-caliber rifled gun is formidable, a sniper weapon even by our modern standards, and it is rightly feared by the enemy T-72/T-80/T-90 line of tanks, but mostly by the Leopard 1 deployed in Ukraine , their resource is either produced or on the verge.
There were questions about the provision of ammunition, proportionately and without shortages, especially given the lack of serial production of shots.
Also, few people mentioned the fact that Leopard 1, after running a thousand kilometers off-road, required medium and more serious repairs, which are not always possible to carry out in the field.
Actually, you can continue for a long time, but still, these arguments will not change the fact that these machines, which are not easy in all respects, will become part of our tank potential.
How to fix the situation?
In my opinion, the first task to solve is to increase the survivability of the machine. After all, for example, if we consider the vulnerable zones on the Leopard 1 tower, then, in principle, there are none. Because the Leopard 1 tower itself is one continuous vulnerable zone in which 3 crew members out of 4 are located at once.
That is why I repeatedly repeated that, as the commander of a tank unit, I would never put my men in a Leopard 1. But I am not the commander of a tank unit, but to solve the problem of the weak armor of the vehicle, at least partially, but it is possible and even necessary.
The Canadians had a good decision. This is a modification of the Leopard 1C2, equipped with an additional MEXAS-M reservation kit with combined composite elements produced by the German company IBD Deisenroth Engineering.
By the way, here is another small digression. Almost every country that operates the Leopard 1 has their tanks slightly or very significantly different from the original. This, in turn, complicates their unification during maintenance and provision of the same type of spare parts or equipment.
A striking example of recent days is the procurement for Ukraine of 49 Belgian Leopard 1A5BEs. The Leopard 1A5BE features Belgian-made SABCA TI multi-channel sights, an automated fire control system and a specific turret.
Now, in order to send a few good and combat-ready Leopard 1A5BEs, it is necessary to cannibalize several other Leopard 1A5BEs, because the unique Belgian equipment installed on them is no longer produced.
MEXAS mounted armor consists of a ceramic layer and organotextolite based on high-strength Kevlar or Dynema fibers. The ceramic layer ensures the destruction of bullets and projectiles, with the help of distribution of kinetic energy from a larger area of the base, the remaining energy is absorbed by the ogranotextolite layer. According to the level of resistance, this type of combined armor, with the same weight as steel armor, exceeds it twice.
Advantages of Leopard 1
The tank with this modification weighs about 42,5 tons, which, surprisingly, does not critically affect the Leopard 1's mobility indicators. I note that mobility is an indisputable advantage of these tanks. The tank has excellent acceleration and perfect torque. A special advantage of the Leopard 1 is its smooth ride, provided by a dynamically balanced ride of the skate suspension.
The specific power of the Leopard 1C2 tank is 19,5 horsepower per ton. Here it is worth comparing this indicator with Leo's main competitor of the Cold War period - the T-62. The specific power of the Soviet tank was, depending on the engine, 15,7 hp/t and 18,6 hp/t, which provided it more or less, but still acceptable mobility.
But it was worth supplementing its basic configuration with, for example, metal-polymer blocks (Ilyich's eyebrows), this immediately had a critical impact on the mobility and reliability of the T-62. After all, only the specific power fell to 13 hp/t, and the tank components were not designed for additional load.
Expert recommendations
The MEXAS hinged armor set is installed on the gun mask, the tower, covering its front hemisphere and side projections, as well as on the sides, partially covering the VLD. In general, such placement can be considered as a basis for placement on the floor, on the frame, DZ. Of course, someone can remember the meme about "Kontakt-1", but for someone it's a joke, and for someone it's a matter of survival.
In general, the additional load on the machine can increase by 1,5-2 tons. That is, the mass of the completed tank can be 44-44,5 tons, and the specific power will decrease to 18,6 horsepower per ton, which is unlikely to have a critical effect on the tank's mobility indicators, but will already affect its survival in the complex of all means of protection. The main thing is that the DZ should be placed at the correct, wedge-shaped angle, and not as sometimes...
Actually, it looks interesting on paper, but I am looking at the Leopard 1C2 modification and the MEXAS armor is exactly their specifics. On the other hand, what prevents the tanks that are sent to Ukraine to be equipped with this armor in Germany, and to carry out the additional equipment of DZ in our country?
It may be important to equip the Leopard 1 with laser radiation sensors, which will increase the awareness of the tank crew about the threat of the use of ATGMs by Russian calculations, as well as some range of ammunition with semi-active laser guidance.
It is appropriate to consider covering the tank with a cape to reduce the visibility of the machine in a wide range of wavelengths. The Russians have an analogue, which is called "Cape". That's only because the engines of Russian tanks smoke ungodly, and because of their barbecues/chickens, the profile of the MBT increased to 3 meters and more, their "Cape" is like a poultice for the dead. But in a set for Leopard 1, it will be useful.
A separate story is vulnerability to mines. Detonation by a mine, for example, TM-62, is not only guaranteed to immobilize a tank, but also poses a threat to an insufficiently protected crew. There is no need to talk about additional anti-mine reservation, and therefore equipment with an anti-mine plow or trawl is mandatory for the Leopard 1. Especially taking into account the fact that Ukraine is currently the most mined place in the world and even in the rear, in the liberated territories, there are no guarantees of safe off-road movement.
And even if we imagine that all these recommendations are implemented, this tank will still lag behind modern and even tanks of the 1980s era.
It is good at least that under the current conditions of warfare, tank duels are a very, very rare thing. Therefore, an emphasis on increasing protection against artillery fragmentation elements, fire from RPG-7 and ATGMs, 30 mm guns, as well as threats from the air in the form of barrage ammunition, "Lancet", may be conditionally sufficient to increase the survivability of the Leopard crew 1.
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