As of: January 30, 2024, 10:41 p.m
By: Patrick Mayer
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The Leopard 2 tank from Germany is currently no longer a factor on the Ukraine battlefield.
This causes doubts in the USA.
Robotyne – The trade magazine
Foreign Affairs
has a long history behind it.
The journal on American foreign policy and international relations has been published in New York since 1922.
The authors have close contacts with top politicians in the USA.
This is part of the core of the brand.
Weapons for Ukraine: At least 26 Leopard 2 tanks reportedly destroyed
It is explosive because a recent analysis by the journal of the Ukraine war reads very critically.
With a view to the Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Germany, of which Kiev received several dozen in 2023.
The Foreign Affairs
article
is from January 29th.
The authors of the publication classify moods and impressions from Washington.
It can be read that the Leopard 2 performed well, but “they were hardly invulnerable superweapons”.
What's more: "Of the fewer than 100 Leopard 2s in Ukrainian service, at least 26 were disabled," the analysis says.
Against Russian army: Ukrainians received at least 65 Leopard 2 tanks
The number of 100 “Leos” 2 delivered is new and has not yet fallen.
What was previously known was that Germany had delivered 18 modern Leopard 2A6 aircraft to Ukraine, which were assembled in Munich-Allach by the German arms company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
Portugal provided three main battle tanks of the same model.
Poland delivered 14 older “Leos” 2A4s, ten 2A4s came from Sweden and eight of the “Leopards” from Canada.
Norway also handed over eight Leopard 2s.
Four Finnish Leopard 2R demining aircraft supplemented the (publicly reported) “Leo” package before the failed Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer.
There would be at least 65 battle tanks made in Germany.
The main weapon, a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, comes from the Düsseldorf weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall.
But the losses are probably severe.
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Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine: Six “Leos” remained in minefields on the southern front
According to the business magazine
Forbes
, only the 33rd mechanized brigade and the 47th assault brigade lost three Leopard 2A6, 16 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and three Leopard 2R mine clearing vehicles in a Russian minefield near Mala Tokmachka in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on June 8th.
The information cannot be independently verified.
However, a video circulated on X (formerly Twitter) (see tweet above) that showed three heavily damaged 2R minesweepers.
According to videos from Russian military bloggers, in addition to mines, the Lancet-type kamikaze drones in particular caused problems for the "Leo" crews, against which the Ukrainians found no means of defense.
So the Russians were probably able to capture at least one Leopard 2A4 on the battlefield (see tweet below).
That's not enough of the problems.
Ukraine War: Problems in the supply and logistics chain for the Leopard 2
As the Green Party budget politician Sebastian Schäfer made public at the beginning of January, “only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered can be used by Ukraine”.
A lack of spare parts due to wear and tear and damage caused by attempts at repairs by the Ukrainians caused uncertainty as to when the tanks could be returned to the front, the Bundestag member explained after a visit to the German defense industry's repair hub in Lithuania - far from the front.
Bundeswehr Lieutenant General (ret.) Roland Kather then criticized weaknesses in the European supply chain for the Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks.
“What's the point of putting a system on the Ukrainians' farm without a logistics chain?
We have a Leopard in a high intensity battle.
“Of course there is damage caused by combat, and it is not that easy to remove,” said the military expert in an interview with
Welt Live
.
The Ukrainians are “extremely hard-working, sometimes they use hammers and chisels and try to repair the car themselves.
Of course that doesn’t work, it’s far too complex,” explained Kather.
Leopard 2 tanks from Ukraine: Many “Leos” are in Lithuania for repairs
There are many indications that the Leopard 2 will no longer be a factor between Kharkiv, Donbass and Zaporizhia in early 2024.
Like all other tanks, the “Leos” require “extensive support infrastructure to be able to compete in combat,” writes
Foreign Affairs
: “Ukraine was unable to provide this in 2023.” And this is where most of those delivered stand Leopard 2 is currently in a repair shop in the Baltics.
(pm)