According to the newspaper, the vehicles are very vulnerable to UAV strikes, and their repair on the battlefield is quite problematic.
LONDON, April 14th. /tass/. German-made Leopard-2 tanks proved to be ineffective in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. The Telegraph newspaper writes about this with reference to the classified protocol of the report of the deputy military attache of the German Embassy in Kiev.
According to their information, like most other tanks, Leopard-2 is very vulnerable to UAV attacks, however, due to the complexity of the design, their repair on the battlefield is quite problematic. Damaged tanks often have to be transported to separate repair shops in western Ukraine, or even transported to Poland for more thorough repairs.
"The main problem with the Leopard-2 tanks transferred to Ukraine is that there are too few of them. if one or two of them are sent for repairs, it means that most of the Ukrainian stocks of these tanks will be out of service for a long time," said Sergei Sumlenyi, director of the Berlin Center for the European Initiative for Sustainability, quoted by The Telegraph.
Earlier, the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, citing the above protocol, wrote that most of the combat systems supplied by Germany find only limited use in combat. Among the reasons are too expensive ammunition, too vulnerable equipment, which "can hardly be repaired at the front." The exception is the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, which are considered the "favorite, most effective and reliable combat system" in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) are highly valued.
At the same time, Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs), IRIS-T air defense systems, Leopard 2A6 tanks or Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery systems (ACS) are not popular. The Panzerhaubitze 2000, for example, is distinguished by such high technical requirements that its "suitability for combat operations is seriously questionable." Leopard 2A6 is extremely difficult to repair in the field. Its predecessor, the Leopard 1 tank, is considered "reliable", but "due to its weak armor protection, it is often used only as auxiliary artillery."
According to the Ukrainian side, the situation with missile systems is no better. The IRIS-T air defense system in the SLM variation is effective, but the missiles are too expensive for it, and "they are not available in the required quantity." Although Patriot is an "excellent combat system," it is unsuitable in combat because the auto-haulage systems for delivering installations are "too old" and "it is no longer possible to supply spare parts from manufacturers."
The degree of application of complex technology is small
The speaker's summary was as follows: "Sophisticated technology is not used. The degree of use of highly modern and complex large-scale equipment is low if the troops cannot carry out repairs on the spot." The overall result: "Hardly any German large-scale military equipment is fully suitable for combat operations."
According to the newspaper, the representative of the German Ministry of Defense did not comment on the report, but only stated that the German side is in constant contact with the Ukrainians on the issues of supplied combat systems, repair capabilities and supply of spare parts and ammunition.
Germany is the second largest supplier of weapons to the Armed Forces after the United States. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Berlin has provided Kiev with various kinds of assistance in the amount of approximately 44 billion euros. The Russian side has repeatedly noted that pumping up the Kiev regime with weapons only leads to a prolongation of the conflict.
