Leopard tanks power Ukrainian defence: NATO training in Poland
A film detailing Ukrainians' training to operate Leopard 2A4 tanks was posted on NATO's official YouTube channel. The material featured an instructor from the Leopard Training Centre and a Norwegian military officer whose identity remains concealed discussing these machines.
Ukrainians are being trained in Poland by instructors from NATO member states – Norway and Poland. Both of these countries are working with the defending army to enhance their overall capability to defend against the aggressor.
Trains soldiers on Leopards. Evaluated Polish tanks
Marcin Chrabąszcz from the Polish Army emphasised the importance of supporting Ukrainians, highlighting that a Ukrainian victory "is in our interest, because we could be next when it comes to war."
Moreover, Chrabąszcz assessed the Leopard 2A4's capabilities. His opinion is positive, focusing primarily on mobility. It is a tank constructed with manoeuvre warfare in mind, meaning it is very mobile and has a very advanced fire control system, he stated.
Norwegian soldier also praises Leopards
Similarly, a Norwegian soldier who did not reveal his identity in the NATO film spoke positively about the Leopard 2A4. – The Leopard 2A4 is the fastest on the battlefield. It is the first to arrive at a location – he said.
The mobility that both soldiers training Ukrainians in Poland highlighted is determined in this German design by the presence of an MTU power unit with 1500 horsepower. The engine propels the vehicle to a speed of around 70 km/h. Also noteworthy in terms of mobility in the Leopard 2A4 is the suspension with torsion bars.
The fire control system is based on the DigBal Digital FCS set. The ballistic computer for effective firing uses data recorded by environmental and movement sensors and the EMES 15 laser rangefinder. Some Leopard 2A4 models are equipped with the PZB 200 night vision camera, although it was later replaced with the WBG-X thermal imaging system at a later production stage.
The main gun used by the Leopard 2A4 for firing is a standard 120 mm smoothbore gun with a barrel length of 44 calibres, identical to the one equipped on older versions of the Leopard 2. This vehicle's armour is classified as third-generation armour, characterised by the presence of tungsten—a material with a density similar to depleted uranium, which is found in the armour of M1 Abrams tanks.
It should be noted that the Leopard 2A4's combat weight exceeds 60 tonnes. Its length is nearly 10 metres, its width is over 3.4 metres, and its height is almost 2.4 metres. The fuel tanks, with a total capacity of about 1,460 litres, allow this Western machine to travel approximately 550 kilometres without refuelling.
