Key Points: A captured German Leopard 2A6 tank is now being dissected at Russia’s Uralvagonzavod tank factory, offering Moscow intelligence to enhance its T-90 tanks.
-This modern 2A6 model, featuring advanced armor and a Rheinmetall 120 mm L55 gun, was seized intact during combat in Ukraine, marking a significant win for Russian forces.
-Russia’s state media is leveraging this as a propaganda victory, potentially undermining Germany’s reputation for tank exports.
-The incident raises concerns about how Leopard tanks are used and protected in Ukraine, with calls for a review of their battlefield performance to prevent further losses to Russian forces.
Russia Captures German Leopard 2A6 Tank: What It Means
Tanks may be becoming obsolete on the 21st-century battlefield due to drones and anti-tank missiles, but that hasn’t stopped allies from sending significant numbers of them to Ukraine.
The war has created a doomsday cemetery for tanks. Thousands have been taken out. Friends of Ukraine have sent some of the best tanks in the world to Kyiv to fight the Russians, but they are still liable to be destroyed or even captured intact.
The United States has sent M1 Abrams, the British have donated Challengers, and the Germans have supplied Leopards, but the Russians have not been intimidated.
A German Leopard 2 Is in a Russian Chop Shop
A recent development back in October has raised some eyebrows. Russia has captured a German-made Leopard 2 tank from Ukrainian forces and shipped it to the main Uralvagonzavod tank factory in Nizhny Tagil, behind Russia’s Ural Mountains.
Workers are currently disassembling it to glean intelligence data on how to improve their own tanks.
Bad News for Germany and Ukraine: It’s a Newer 2A6 Model
Defense News ran an investigation to see how the pesky Russians are trying to “analyze the components” of the German-made tank at their main tank-producing facility.
The model they are working on is a Leopard 2A6 third-generation main battle tank.
NATO Leopard 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The 2A6 Is One of the Better German Tanks
The Leopard 2A6 is a semi-modern variant of the 2A5 that first rolled off the assembly line in Germany in 2001. The Leopard 2A6 has a more up-to-date Rheinmetall 120 mm L55 smoothbore gun. The 2A6 has better armor along the under-carriage for improved protection from mines and improvised explosive devices. To further increase survivability, it also has “wedge-shaped, spaced add-on armor to the turret front and the frontal area of the sides,” according to ArmyRecognition.com.
The Russians Are Gloating
The Russians are probably overjoyed to find a Leopard 2A6 intact on the battlefield. It is not clear how they found it and what happened to the Ukrainian crew. It is not like the defenders to flee the battlefield and leave valuable armor without continuing the fight, but you could say the Russian won that particular confrontation and are taking great satisfaction on the victory.
This captive 2A6 has so-called “cope cages” surrounding the turret to protect against swarming explosive loitering drones that have been so deadly against tanks from both sides.
Leopard 2 Tank.
Not a Good Record in Combat
The Ukrainians have struggled with the Leopard 2A6s. There were reportedly at least 13 2A6s sent to Ukraine, seven have been destroyed and six damaged, according to Oryx.
The 2A6 in captivity was delivered by truck to the Russian tank plant. It is unknown where it was captured.
Historic Tank Builder Salivating Over German-made Tank
The Russian Uralvagonzavod facility is a historic tank builder that supplied armored vehicles during the Great Patriotic War against the Germans. Some of the best Russian designers and engineers are on site now. They are likely salivating as they take the Leopard tank apart.
Russia desperately needs some good news and intelligence from the battlefield. While they are steadily advancing in the Donbas region, taking small towns from the Ukrainians, they gave up land in Kursk, and the Ukrainians are holding tight to the Russian territory in that region.
Fortunately, the Russians did not capture an M1 Abrams tank intact. That would have been the ultimate insult from Moscow to Washington.
NATO Leopard Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Can the T-90 Be Improved As a Result?
It will be interesting to see what the Russians learn from the Leopard. The plant where the disassembly is taking place produces the T-90 tank, and it is possible that Russian engineers could gather new manufacturing techniques and clues to improve the gun and armor on the T-90.
The Germans are probably fretting that the Russians got their hands on one of the best tanks in the arsenal and are finding out sensitive information.
The Ukrainians should conduct an after-action review to see why the Leopards are struggling and how one of the tanks fell into Russian hands.
Propaganda Win
Meanwhile, Russian state media has bragged about the capture of the German tank. “The unsuccessful use of German tanks in Ukraine could negatively affect the export potential of armored vehicles,” as RIA Novosti wrote.
A Norwegian Leopard 2A4 main battle tank during Iron Wolf II in Lithuania. It involves 2,300 troops from 12 NATO Allies. The Lithuanian-led exercise is helping to train the NATO Battlegroup which consists of soldiers from Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway. Shot in Rukla, Lithuania.
When you think the Russians are down, they always seem to create an opportunity for a public relations win. The Germans and Ukrainians will have to get together to ensure that no other Leopard finds its way into Russian hands. This could be a problem for the future partnership between Germany and Ukraine.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
