Thread by @Trotes936897

Why the Leopard 1A5 isn't that bad, why it has some things better than some Russian and ukrainian tanks and how the Ukrainians can solve the armor problem (Partially)

First of all: same fire control system as the leopard 2.

The leopard 1A5 uses the emes-18 as the main fire control system, the emes-18 is simply an emes-15 used on the Ukrainian leopard 2A4, 2A6 and STRV 122. This system was only modified to be compatible with the leopard 1

Since the system is the same, the Leopard 1A5 also has the thermal vision systems of the Leopard 2, which means that the Leopard 1A5 gunner can fight by seeing things with the same clarity as the leopard 2 gunner, can also hit targets with similar accuracy.

On the other side the Russians are using more and more vehicles that simply don't have thermal vision systems, just IR searchlights. Systems that have an extremely limited range and are not as good as thermal systems.

T-72AV

Example of Russians using vehicles without thermal vision, A Ural T-72 (first version of the T-72) and a T-72B

The leopard 1A5 has a very good engine but we won't go into details about it, let's talk about reverse speed

Everyone knows that Russian tanks have a terrible reverse speed, going from 4-5 on the T-72 and T-90 to 11km/h on the T-80. Vehicles are forced to turn their chassis to get out of a risk area, being forced to show the weakest part.

The Russians tried to "fix the problem" by putting ERA blocks on the back of the tanks or "increasing the reverse speed" of the T-80 to 25km but honestly it was some of the fakest shit that I have ever seen.

On the other hand, the Leopard 1A5 has a reverse speed of 25km/h that allows the vehicle to leave a risk area without having to expose the weakest part of the hull to the enemy.

I didn't find a video showing reverse speed

I also forgot to mention that the leopard has the ability to rotate on its own axis, the T-72 cannot, but I don't know if this is a thing for other vehicles as well.

The leopard proves to be far superior in mobility compared to any Russian tank in the war, this is an extremely important point. We have plenty of evidence that without decent mobility Your chances of dying increase as well.

It appears that the Ukrainians also received American ammunition used in the stryker MGS such as HESH and canister ammunition, canister ammunition is good for defeating enemies in the open field and at close range. HESH too. But it is inferior to HE

The Ukrainians do have a problem when it comes to armor, it is only made of steel and cannot protect against direct HEAT charges. But the armor thickness is sufficient to allow K-1 ERA be installed on the frontal arch, sides of the vasco and maybe side and top of the turret.

Kontakt-1 needs 35-40mm to work (according to redefect) so a good portion of the leopards could be covered to protect themselves better. Putting supports in place for ERA to work better in areas not as well prepared to receive K-1 is also an option in my opinion.

Along with the kontakt-1 cage armor can also be added, the biggest enemy the vehicles will face are the kamikaze drones, so I would pay special attention to protecting the vehicle.

I also forgot to mention that another good thing about the vehicle is the fact that Ukraine is receiving it in a significant quantity, there are 195 vehicles from what I remember. There are many vehicles with these benefits that I mentioned above.