Ukrainian Leopard 1A5DK tank (Photo: OSINTtechnical).
Leopard 1 sets record for fastest loss in Ukraine?
Faced with the diverse types of weapons and equipment sent by many Western countries, especially modern and expensive heavy technical equipment, the way the Ukrainian army uses them seems unreasonable.
As a country with strong tank technology, Germany probably never thought that a product produced by them would set a "record for the fastest Western tank loss" on the Ukrainian battlefield when, in its first combat appearance, the Leopard 1A5DK was destroyed by Russia.
Judging from the video shot by a Russian UAV posted on social media, on the northern front of Ukraine, a German-made Leopard 1A5 was hit by Russian artillery. The crew managed to escape and left the vehicle on the battlefield.
According to Sina , this is the first time Leopard 1 has participated in combat since the conflict broke out, and is also a record for losses, meaning it was damaged in the first battle.
Not only that, this Leopard 1 also set a "record for the fastest loss" of a Western tank on the Ukrainian battlefield. The reason is that this batch of Leopard 1s just arrived last week, the Ukrainian army spent a few days checking the technical condition and then brought them to the Kupyansk front to fight.
The damaged Leopard 1 belonged to the 44th Motorized Infantry Brigade of Ukraine. According to the aerial video taken by a Russian reconnaissance UAV, the Leopard 1's turret is equipped with additional armor on the outside, and its shape is more like a square, which suggests that this is a German-made Leopard 1A5DK model, sold to Denmark, which then donated it to Kiev this year.
Ukrainian Leopard 1A5 tank destroyed by Russia in Kupyansk (Photo: Telegram).
Leopard 1A5DK tank damage due to commander's mistake?
According to Army Recognition, the Leopard-1A5DK version has a similar turret to the Leopard 1A3/1A4, but is equipped with the EMES-18 automatic fire suppression system and the 1A5DK is only available to the Danish Army.
In September, a project to support Leopard 1s for Kiev was launched, but these tanks had to be transferred to the 146th Independent Technical Support Regiment of Ukraine. The reason was that the condition of these tanks was so poor that they needed intensive maintenance before they could be used.
There is also information that Kiev has rejected some Leopard 1s sent by Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, due to their poor technical condition. This could affect the safety of the crew in combat.
The 146th Regiment was tasked with receiving and repairing Leopard 1s, before their deployment to Ukrainian combat units.
Leopard 1 belongs to the second generation, born in the 1960s, the technical indicators are relatively outdated so it has been removed from combat by many countries and put into long-term storage in warehouses for many years, so they naturally age and mechanical wear is inevitable.
The fact that Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have provided Leopard 1s is a sign that the arsenals of Western countries that could help Kiev have also run out.
As for the Leopard 1A5DK that was shot down, it is believed that the commander was at fault. When looking closely at the video recorded by the Russian reconnaissance UAV, it is not difficult to realize that the crew was probably fighting in a single vehicle, surrounded by open fields with good visibility and no accompanying infantry.
The lone Leopard 1A5DK, as it entered the Russian defensive position, made several short stops and, realizing something was wrong, the driver began to back away in a straight line.
This suggests that the commander was probably aware of the danger threatening the "lonely tank" amidst a sea of enemy fire and sought to retreat to avoid Russian anti-tank fire.
However, the command given by the commander of the ill-fated tank was still too late. The Leopard 1A5DK was immediately attacked by Russian artillery, many bullets exploded around the vehicle, causing it to lie motionless on the ground, the crew members quickly left the vehicle and fled.
Judging from the images of the shell craters filmed by the Russian UAV, although there is a large crater on the left side, the vehicle was not directly hit and the overall structure is basically intact. It is possible that the shell, which exploded close to the Leopard-1A5DK, caused some damage to it.
Leopard 1 is typical of the second generation of tanks born in the post-war period in the West, closely following the idea of "giving up protective armor in exchange for mobility as a defensive strength", so it has quite weak protection capabilities.
The possibility that the Leopard 1A5DK was injured was due to shrapnel lodged in the side of the vehicle, possibly penetrating the rear compartment and damaging the engine or causing some damage to the vehicle's transmission, forcing the crew to abandon the vehicle and flee.
The obsolete Leopard 1 tanks were provided by the West as a stopgap measure due to lack of weapons. It is well known that Leopard-1 tanks have poor protection.
In this case, Kiev forces need to be more careful in using them, especially knowing how to promote their strength in the appropriate combat environment and tactical conditions.
And now, the Leopard-1A5DK, which was delivered less than a week ago, was defeated in its first battle, because the Ukrainian Army commander did not know how to "choose his strength" when using this outdated tank as a surprise attack weapon, in the context of Russia's anti-tank firepower being too strong.
With such old tanks, it would be more reasonable for the Ukrainian Army to use them as a supporting fire point in defensive combat, just like the Russian Army uses the T-62 or T-54 (same generation as the Leopard 1), so the effectiveness of weapon use will be higher.
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