2S7 Pion Profile picture
Oct 30, 2023 16 tweets 6 min read Read on X
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) Image
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 Image
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. Image
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 Image
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 Image
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.
Image
Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with 2S7 Pion

2S7 Pion Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Trotes936897

Dec 26, 2025
It has been public, since January of this year, that Ukrainian special forces have been using the L3 Harris AN/PSQ-42 (ENVG-B). It is a night vision goggle with image fusion, It means that it combines analog image intensifier tubes and an LWIR thermal imager.

1/5 Image
Image intensifiers operate at the speed of light, without the need for digitization. Therefore, they have excellent depth perception, resolution, and no image lag. However, it has blind spots in certain dark environments and has limited detection capabilities compared to thermals Image
Thermal imagers create images from infrared radiation, functioning in zero-light environments, seeing through smoke and dust, and having a much greater detection capacity and range. However, They depend on digitization. Image
Read 5 tweets
Aug 18, 2025
Optronics, uniforms, command and control systems, weapons and body armor; Today we will fully dissect COBRA, Brazil's promising soldier of the future program. 🧵 Image
Paragraph numbers

Contextualization: 3
Uniforms: 9
Combat boots: 2
Protection and survivability: 9
Command and control: 6
Optronics: 10
Armaments and accessories: 10
In short, the COBRA project is led by the Brazilian Army's Land Operations Command (COTER), It was approved in 2017 as part of the Full Operational Capability Achievement Program (Prg EE OCOP). "COBRA" means "Brazilian combatant" in Portuguese. Image
Read 59 tweets
Mar 29, 2025
From the Centauro II to the T-90MS: The the twelve most exciting vehicles and variants from LAAD 2025.

A thread 🧵 Image
Rosoboronexport and Uralvagonzavod 1/2
Rosoboronexport, the main Russian state agency responsible for exporting military materials, will present what is, so far, the only MBT confirmed at the event: the Uralvagonzavod T-90MS, the most advanced Russian MBT offered to the international market. Image
Read 29 tweets
Mar 25, 2025
The Inguar-3 is an MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) made by Ukrainian company "Inguar defense" that began to be tested by the Ukrainian military in combat in 2024 so that troops could provide feedback before the contract was signed.

1/6 Image
The vehicle was tested by members of the 12th Special Operations Brigade "Azov" where they observed that the vehicle's performance was better than some foreign models previously tested. It is worth mentioning that the brigade operates Maxxpro and BMC Kirpi MRAPs. Image
The vehicle comes from the factory with the EW system, which in testing appeared to be the AD KRAKEN COUNTER FPV F4 М50 From Kvertus. This is a high-frequency EW system that uses four jamming bands, designed to neutralize FPVs. Image
Read 8 tweets
Feb 27, 2025
Quick thread on the history, capabilities, captures and alleged deliveries of the NLAW to Iran. 🧵 Image
part 1: A quick history about the NLAW.
In 1987 the British government was looking for a replacement for the already obsolete LAW-80, so a series of studies and invitation to bid being issued in 1999 with Matra BAE Dynamics, an Anglo-French joint venture and Saab Bofors Dynamics Ltd responding to the call.
Read 26 tweets
Feb 24, 2025
A bit of history and capabilities of the Leopard 2A6 and its use in ukraine🧵 Image
in the late 1980s the Germans began to develop a new modernization program for the leopard 2 which was divided into two stages: KWS I and KWS II (KWS = Combat Value Increase) Image
After a while, two prototypes were presented to the German army, based on vehicles from the 8th batch of Leopard 2A4, the TVM min and TVM MAX. Image
Read 30 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(