Belgium's billion-euro boost: Revamping Leopard tanks for Ukraine

According to the portal De Tijd, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken emphasizes the significant role of national defence companies in implementing this aid. This involves €645 million (around 1 billion CAD), and the package includes the delivery of hundreds of armoured ambulances and Unimog transport vehicles, five marine unmanned drones, helmets, medical equipment, portable drone detection systems, night vision goggles, protective clothing, and over 16,000 pieces of weaponry and arms, along with twenty modernized Cerber air defence systems.

Moreover, the package features one prototype Leopard 1 tank equipped with a Cockerill 3105 turret, which will undergo testing in Ukraine. If it meets the challenges and satisfies Ukrainian expectations, it will be possible to upgrade over a hundred Leopard 1A5 tanks to a new standard.

The concept involves fitting a modern Cockerill 3105 turret on the Leopard 1 tank chassis, featuring observation capabilities and a fire control system similar to modern tanks. This includes state-of-the-art thermal cameras and enabling the crew to operate in a hunter-killer mode.

This greatly reduces the time between target detection and its elimination, as the commander uses his own sight to designate targets for the gunner, who then employs the ballistic computer for final corrections before firing.

Additionally, the Cockerill 3105 turret includes an autoloader and an ammunition magazine in the turret's niche with a capacity of 12-16 rounds, thereby isolating them from the crew. The turret also incorporates structures designed to redirect the force of an explosion outward in case of ammunition ignition. This represents significant progress compared to the regular Leopard 1, which stores ammunition in a less protected hull.

Consequently, the aluminium turret is not excessively armoured, providing protection at a maximum level V according to STANAG 4569, which resists fire from 25 mm calibre automatic guns. This makes it very light, as the Leopard 1A5 with this turret weighs 41 tonnes (approx. 45 tons) instead of 46 tonnes (approx. 51 tons). This allows Ukrainians, for instance, more room to cover the hull with Kontakt-1 reactive armour blocks for protection against FPV drones.

Another advantage of the new turret is the inclusion of a Cockerill 105 mm HP gun that can utilize new ammunition and withstand higher pressure. This significantly enhances its capabilities and even allows the firing of Falarick 105 anti-tank guided missiles, developed in collaboration with Ukrainian "Łucz" plants, over a range of approximately 5 kilometres (about 3 miles). It can be anticipated that if the prototype exhibits no significant flaws, it will attract considerable Ukrainian interest.