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Rostec says the Leopard 2A6 tank was built for outdated threats and lacks protection against modern weaponry
Leading Russian defence manufacturer Rostec has exposed apparent flaws in the German Leopard 2A6 main battle tank, describing it as ill-suited to modern warfare.
The state-owned defence conglomerate based its assessment on an analysis of a Leopard 2A6 tank captured from Ukrainian forces. Engineers found weaknesses in the tank’s armour and internal structure, according to a company statement yesterday.
“The survivability of the tank may be insufficient in modern warfare, for example, amid attacks from various directions with drones and modern man-portable missiles armed with high-explosive anti-tank charges,” Rostec said. The tank’s defences are configured to counter “classical” anti-tank weapons more common in past decades, the company added.
Rostec pointed to several battlefield incidents during the Ukraine conflict in which German-made tanks were defeated, including a recent example publicised by the Russian Defence Ministry showing drone strikes against a Leopard model.
It noted that many of the armoured vehicles sent to Ukraine by Germany are older Leopard 1 variants, which it described as “largely inefficient.”
By contrast, the company said Russian tanks deployed in the conflict have been upgraded to withstand drone attacks and advanced anti-tank missiles. Rostec cited cases where Russian tanks continued to operate after taking multiple hits. In April, German media reported that some weapon systems sent to Ukraine have performed poorly.
The conclusion was based on remarks by a deputy military attaché in Berlin’s embassy in Kiev, who reportedly detailed Ukrainian complaints to Bundeswehr officials in January. The official was said to have described the Leopard 2A6 as expensive to maintain and nearly impossible to repair on the battlefield.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to increase military spending with the goal of making the Bundeswehr “the strongest conventional army in Europe.” The new government plans to increase defence funding from the current level of around 2 percent of GDP to 3 percent. – RT
