Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank
The Panther tank wax developed in response to the Russian T34 tank, first encountered on the battlefield in 1941, it had the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could manage rough terrain better than the Tiger I, developed by Ferdinand Porsche. The weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire and a weaker high explosive shell ensured the Panther proved to be effective in open country and long-range engagements. The Panther was cheaper to produce than the Tiger I. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and raw material shortages. Despite this, the overall design has still been described by some as over-engineered. The Panther was rushed into combat at Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite unresolved technical problems such as 26 gears. Most design flaws were rectified by early 1944. Germany designed and produced the Tiger 1 tank in 1941, the Panther tank in 1943 and the KonigsTiger in 1944. German tanks outgunned all Allied WW2 produced tanks. The Tiger was not superseded until 1969.
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank. Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank first entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army.
MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel engine; 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW) at 2,600 rpm Served in Afghanistan and Syrian War Armour: 2A6: 3rd generation composite; including high-hardness steel tungsten and plastic filler with ceramic component Dimensions 2A6: 9.97 metres (32.7 feet) (gun forward) Height: 2A6: 3.0 m (9.8 ft) Crew of 4.
The Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank has impervious armour, can fight at night, carries 50x120mm ammunition has a low profile in battle and can fire on the move at speeds of 60km per hour and a range without re-fuelling of 800km. A company (12 tanks) or 2 battalion (80 tanks) operating in Ukraine are battlefield winning formations with little opposition. The Russian Armata 14 main battle tank, beset with mechanical problems, has not been deployed in Ukraine.
Challenger2, Lelerc, M1A1 Abrams tanks may yet be deployed in Ukraine.
Sources: Sunday Times; Irish Times
Armata 14, Russian Main Battle Tank, yet to be deployed in Ukraine
Tiger1 PzkwfV served in Russia 1943-45