Leopard and Challenger, the tanks with which Ukraine wants to launch its offensive

The modern Leopard and Challeneger tanks from various European countries and Canada are a key tool with which Ukraine, which has already received the first units, will reinforce its army and with which it hopes to intensify the planning of its counteroffensive.

A dozen countries have begun to send to Ukraine – or will do so soon – Leopard 2 tanks, in total about 150, to which are added the Challenger 2 supplied by the United Kingdom, and the American Abrams, which could arrive on next fall.

The Leopard 2, the jewel of European battle tanks

With a combat line weight of 62 tons, a maximum speed of 70 km/hour and a range of 350 km, the Leopard 2 is a German-made armored combat tank developed from a project with the United States.

The idea was to build a tank that combined mobility with protection and combat capability. The result was the Leopard 2 in Germany and the Abrams in the United States, two of the most advanced battle tanks in the world.

Regarding its armament, the German tank is equipped with a 120 mm Rheinmetall Rh-120 cannon. and two machine guns. It also has the ability to cross flooded areas and rivers up to 4 meters deep and has a periscope.

The Kraus-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) consortium has been producing the Leopard 2 in series since 1978, in various variants depending on customer needs, and some improvements have also been made since then. Around 3,600 copies have left the German consortium’s factories.

The German army once had 2,125 but starting in 1990 it began to reduce its stock until it reached the 328 it currently has. Some of these vehicles arrived in Spain in 1998 under a leasing agreement that finally materialized in a purchase.

Challenger, the British Army’s battle tank

The Challenger 2 is the main battle tank in service with the British Army and the Royal Oman Army. Although its primary function is to destroy or neutralize armor, the Challenger 2 can operate across the spectrum of high-intensity conflicts.

Manufactured since the seventies in the United Kingdom, the Challenger armored vehicles have a combat weight of 75 tons, a maximum speed of 59 km/h, a range of 550 km and four crew members.

The vehicle is equipped with a 120 mm L30 tank gun, capable of firing both long rod penetrators (a type of ammunition designed to penetrate a vehicle’s armor) and high explosive squash head (HESH) ammunition. .

Secondary armament includes a 7.62 mm coaxial chain gun and a pintle-mounted 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun.

In May 2021, the British Ministry of Defense awarded a contract to modernize 148 Challenger 2 main battle tanks for the British Army.

The modernized vehicle, to be called Challenger 3, will be a digital and networked main battle tank with cutting-edge lethality, enhanced survivability, and enhanced surveillance and target acquisition capabilities.

Change in the course of the war?

While waiting for the American Abrams tanks, the arrival of the Leopard 2 and Challenger tanks will increase Ukrainian fire capacity and can make a difference in the planned spring campaign.

In a military conflict characterized by ground attacks, the combination of artillery material, both cannons and mortars, and infantry, supported by a powerful armored force, can be decisive in overcoming Russian defense lines.

A possibility that has not gone unnoticed by the Russian authorities, who have once again put the nuclear card on the table given the lack of progress on the Ukrainian front during the winter campaign and in an attempt to force the West to give up, in the long term. , to arm the enemy army. With EFE

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