UPDATE: I originally posted his on my other Substack in 2024
I did the Leopard 1, so I thought why not do the Leopard 2 as well.
The pictures attached are of the 2 different variants of the Leopard 2 so far sent to Ukraine. The A4 Variant (the one with the boxey looking turret) and the A5/A6 variant (with the more sharply pointed turret front).
Ukraine currently operates around 70 of these tanks in its inventory, the majority of which are A4 versions, with 11 having been destroyed so far in the war.
The Leopard 2 tanks, especially the A5 Variant, are considered the best of the modern Main Battle tanks. The “Mercedes BMW” of tanks as one former Royal Tank Regiment commander described them. Statistically speaking there are a lot of reasons for this.
Despite weighting between 55 and 62 tons, the tank has an impressive top speed of up to 72 km/h, with a reverse gear that allows it to back up at around 20 KM/h. This is very quick for a tank and makes hit-and-run tactics much easier for Ukrainian crews. Additionally, all variants apart from the A6 are armed with the Rheinmetall 120 mm L44 smoothbore main gun, a formidable weapon that can fire APDS (armour piercing Discarding SABOT) rounds up to 4000 metres away or laser-homing munitions extend the range to 8000 metres (considerably out ranging Russian tank guns).
It engages targets very accurately due to its fully digitized laser range finder and ballistic computer, configured for both day and night fighting. The A6 meantime is armed with the improved Rheinmetall 120 mm L55 cannon.
The Leopard 2 is layered in composite armour protection, with the A5/A6 adding additional spaced armour.
I’ve attempted to paint these variants with the ‘cross’ symbol adapted by Ukrainian units taking part in counter offensive operations.
Sources:
https://www.army-technology.com/projects/leopard/
https://mwi.westpoint.edu/leopards-into-the-fray-how-will-german-tanks-affect-the-battlefield-balance-in-ukraine/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/11/11/mixing-leopard-2-tanks-and-m-2-fighting-vehicles-in-fast-moving-teams-the-ukrainian-47th-brigade-hits-and-runs-and-blunts-russian-advances-near-avdi
ivka/
As a teenaged wargamer in the late '90s, I occasionally fiddled about with 'ultramodern' games with Leopard 2s, T-90s, Challengers... Somehow I really never thought that kind of thing would actually happen.