Forbes: Ukrainian Leopard 1A5 Tank Shrugged Off Eight Russian Drones

This proves its add-on armor works.

An ex-Danish Leopard 1A5 tank belonging to a Ukrainian army brigade survived at least eight hits by Russian first-person-view drones before potentially three more explosive FPV drones finally finished it off, writes Forbes.

Russian forces proudly posted a video montage of the lengthy bombardment, but it’s not entirely good news for the Russians. While losing any Leopard 1A5 is painful for Ukrainian forces, the fact that a Leopard survived a Russian drone swarm means Ukrainian efforts to up-armor the tanks seem to be working.

The 40-ton, four-person Leopard 1A5 is a fast and maneuverable tank with accurate fire controls for its reliable 105-millimeter main gun. Its greatest weakness has always been its thin armor protection: a Leopard 1A5’s base armor is just 70 millimeters thick at its thickest. A newer Leopard 2A4 has four times as much protection.

As the first few Leopard 1A5s — out of at least 155 the consortium had pledged — began arriving in Ukraine in late 2023, the Ukrainians immediately got to work to reinforce the armor. They added layers of explosive reactive armor, which bursts outward when struck in order to deflect incoming rounds. They also bolted on hinged screens covered in netting that can trap FPV drones in the instant before they strike.

All the add-on armor seems to have protected the Leopard 1A5 that ate up to 11 Russian drones recently. After repeated hits, the tank still managed to move out — only to get chased down by additional drones. The tank is probably beyond repair.

It’s unclear whether the four crew survived, but there are reasons to be optimistic. To reduce the risk of 105-millimeter rounds cooking off in the turret after an enemy hit, Leopard 1A5 crews stow only a few of the tank’s 42 rounds in the turret: the rest are tucked into the hull.

It’s a cumbersome arrangement. To reload, the tank “must roll back to a safe location,” one loader explained to a Ukrainian journalist. “This takes time.” The upside is that there are fewer rounds to cook off—and kill or maim the crew—when enemy fire penetrates the turret. It’s not for no reason that the loader said he felt “great” about crewing a Leopard 1A5 despite the tank’s thin base armor. This approach takes longer to reload, but significantly reduces the risk to life. One netizen noted that despite the thin armor, he feels “great” while serving on the Leopard 1A5.

The Ukrainian army has about 90 of these tanks left, with another 50-60 expected soon. The new Leopard 1A5s will most likely also be equipped with additional armor protection, which has proven its effectiveness.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com