German armoured support bolsters Ukraine's defensive capabilities
Ukraine received a large shipment of equipment from Germany, which included a lot of armoured gear. This consists of 22 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 22 MRAP vehicles from FFG, 5 Bv206 vehicles, 3 Biber bridge tanks, and 6 WiSENT 1 MC mine-clearing tanks. These vehicles provide significant support for Ukraine.
A large shipment of armoured equipment has arrived in Ukraine. Here is what it included.
Leopard 1A5 tanks - an oldie but goodie
Leopard 1 tanks, although contemporaries of the much-mocked T-62 tanks used by Russians are surprisingly sensible. Ukraine is receiving Leopard 1A5 versions, the final stage of this tank's evolution from the 1990s.
This variant has the EMES-18 fire control system (FCS) with thermal imaging borrowed from early Leopard 2 versions. This allows it to detect and fire at Russian machines from the end of the USSR era that lack such advanced FCS. Ukrainians have revealed in several interviews that they can fire from this Leopard up to 4 kilometres.
This, combined with a 105 mm cannon, for which modern ammunition is still developed, makes the Leopard 1A5 a useful weapon. Due to its limited armour, which is only resistant to artillery shrapnel or machine gun fire, Leopard 1 tanks serve exclusively as support machines. Using these tanks like drone-corrected artillery is common, firing high-explosive rounds at distances up to 10 kilometres.
It's worth mentioning that some Ukrainian crews equip these tanks with reactive armour blocks capable of providing protection against, for example, FPV drones with PG-7VL grenades.
BATT UMG vehicles from FFG — better than a pickup
Ukraine has received a large number of MRAP vehicles from the US, designed for use in expeditionary missions where mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and ambushes with handheld firearms and anti-tank weapons like RPG-7 launchers pose the greatest threats, especially when combined with cage armour.
These vehicles were developed as cost-effective replacements for infantry fighting vehicles or armoured personnel carriers for stabilisation missions. Most are based on a civilian chassis adapted to resist explosives and hand-held anti-tank weapons.
The BATT UMG vehicle from Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH (FFG) is a 10,000 kg vehicle based on the Ford F-550 chassis with a 4x4 drive. Depending on the version, it can carry six to eight soldiers, excluding the driver and commander.
Its armour provides ballistic protection up to Level 2 and mine protection up to Level 2a/2b STANAG 4569. It can withstand shots from a Kalashnikov with armour-piercing rounds or fragments of a 155 mm shell from 80 metres. While not at the level of a vehicle like the KTO Rosomak or an M2A2 Bradley, it is certainly better than moving around in a pickup truck.
Specialised vehicles — essential for advanced operations
The last category includes specialised vehicles designed for specific conditions. For example, Biber bridge tanks on the Leopard 1 chassis can deploy a 22-metre bridge in a few minutes, and Bv206 articulated tracked vehicles allow movement in the famous Ukrainian mud, which has already defeated many tanks.
In turn, WiSENT 1 MC vehicles, which look like mechanical spiders, are very well-armoured 45,000 kg machines (Level 5 STANAG 4569) with advanced mine-clearing equipment capable of detonating not only simple pressure mines like TM-62 but also more advanced ones that react to disturbances in the electrical or magnetic fields.
