In 13 Weeks, Ukraine Has Lost Just Five Of Its 71 Leopard 2 Tanks

In the 13 weeks since launching a long-anticipated counteroffensive along several axes in southern and eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has lost just five of its 71 Leopard 2 tanks.

Many more of the German-made tanks—at least 10—have suffered damage. But the Ukrainians are repairing the damaged tanks at depots in Poland and Germany and returning them to the front.

The fundamental toughness of the 69-ton Leopard 2 means tanks might take damage, visit a repair depot, return to the fighting then again take damage and head out for repairs. So on and so forth. The Leopard 2 lends itself to recycling.

More importantly, it’s possible almost every crew member in the five destroyed tanks—20 people in all—escaped their vehicles before they burned or exploded.

“Even the most critically damaged equipment is recovered and taken for repairs,” explained Ukrainian soldier Olexandr Solon’ko. “You can replace a piece of metal, even if it’s expensive, but you can’t repair a human life.”

A consortium of NATO countries including Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden together have pledged to Ukraine 10 Strv 122s—Swedish-modified Leopard 2A5s—21 Leopard 2A6s and 74 Leopard 2A4s.

All of these tanks except 14 A4s already have arrived at the front line.

The 1980s-vintage A4 is the least sophisticated of the Leopard 2s. The ‘90s-vintage Strv 122 and A6 have a new composite armor mix, better optics and—in the case of the A6—a longer, farther-firing 120-millimeter main gun.

Perhaps most critically for the Leopard 2’s survival, German tank-makers KMW and Rheinmetall built the vehicles with special turret-mounted compartments for their 120-millimeter ammunition—compartments that explode outward, away from the crew, when struck.

Russian tanks by contrast stow their ammo under their turrets. When the ammo cooks off, it blows the turret—and the three crew—into the sky. That’s the main reason it’s a lot easier to damage a Leopard 2 and rattle its crew than it is to destroy a Leopard 2 and kill its crew. Whereas a clean hit on a Russian T-72 might catastrophically blow up the tank and crew.

Assuming every destroyed Leopard 2 has left behind visual evidence of its destruction, there have been just five total Leopard 2 write-offs since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. The losses include two of the 50 deployed A4s and three of the 21 deployed A6s. No Strv 122s have been confirmed as destroyed.

“In the long run, it’s impossible to entirely avoid armor losses,” Solon’ko wrote. “However, armor serves a specific purpose that entails risks.”

All the Leopard 2 losses have occurred in a 25-square miles square anchored by Mala Tokmachka in the north and Robotyne in the south. The axes leading south from Robotyne through Tokmak to Melitopol, 50 miles to the south in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, is the Ukrainian armed forces’ main effort as the counteroffensive grinds into its third month.

The Ukrainians aim to liberate Melitopol in order to sever the overland supply lines to the Russian garrison in occupied Crimea. Progress has been steady but slow: a six-brigade force led by the 82nd Air-Assault Brigade and the 47th Mechanized Brigade liberated Robotyne just last week.

It seems the Leopard 2A4s and A6s belong to the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, which has staged north of Robotyne but apparently detaches tank companies to support the 47th Brigade. The 82nd Brigade has its own ex-British Challenger 2 tanks.

The tanks lend heavy, long-range firepower to assault groups riding in M-2, Stryker and Marder fighting vehicles.

It’s been tough for the crews. They’ve rolled over mines, endured artillery barrages and swarms of explosive Lancet drones and dodged attack helicopters and aerial bombs. It seems the combination of mines and Lancets has been the most dangerous for the Leopard 2s. Mines damage the tanks’ tracks, immobilizing them. Lancets dive down to finish them off.

But the photos and videos documenting four of the five Leopard 2 losses depict open hatches on the tanks’ turrets and hulls—strong indications the crews bailed out. “They save lives,” Solon’ko wrote about Western combat vehicles.

With five tanks permanently out of action and as many as 10 at depots for repair, Ukrainian brigades still share more than 50 active Leopard 2s out of the 71 in the initial consignment. A fresh batch of 14 Leopard 2A4s, scheduled to arrive early next year, should more than make good the losses.

More Western-made tanks are en route, including 31 ex-American M-1s that are even more heavily armored than most Leopard 2s are.

But the Ukrainians also are getting at least 165 German-made Leopard 1A5s that—in stark contrast to the Leopard 2s, Challenger 2s and M-1s—have minimal armor protection. Ukrainian brigades can’t expect the Leopard 1s to muscle through attacks the way the Leopard 2s have done.