Although some of the best tanks in the world are in service in the Bundeswehr, nothing could be done against the new Russian tanks. The ammunition of German tanks would not be able to produce enough kinetic energy to knock out the latest version of T-90 and T-80.
The German media have no doubts: in an open confrontation with the Russian armored forces, the Germans could do little. The news did not escape the Russian media.
Weapons and armor of the T-90 have been updated making the platform quite different from that entered service in the 1990. And in the 2017, the tank-killer will come into service: the Army.
Due to cuts in defense, Germany has 225 Leopard-2 in service (during the Cold War, the Germans had just under inventory in all versions of 2400 Leopard). The Ukrainian crisis, however, has sparked concerns in the West enough to prompt the German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, to order more 100 Leopard-2. In the Bundeswehr, therefore, 328 tanks will be in service.
But the problem with Leopard-2 is in their combat system. German media write "To be effective, Leopard bullets should be depleted uranium. However, from a political point of view this is now unacceptable ”.
Most of the German operating tanks are from the A-6 and A-5 series. About 100 Leopard-2 are from the A-4 series. The ammunition modernization will take place only starting from the 2017 and will only concern the A-7 series (picture below).
Currently, Germany has on line 20 Leopard-2 A-7 tanks.
(photo: Bundeswehr)
