Good news for Ukraine, the United States and Germany have agreed to deploy their flagship battle tanks to fight Russia.
A German-made Leopard 2 main battle tank is at the top of Ukraine's demand list as Kyiv is lobbying for its Western partners. The tank is indeed powerful and popular, around 2,000 units have been used by a number of NATO countries.
The Abrams tank is also a mainstay of the United States that is no less powerful. Here's a quick comparison that we quoted from Newsweek:
History
The Leopard 2 was introduced in 1979, a year before the M1 Abrams. Some 3,600 Leopard 2s of various types have been built since then, serving in the Afghanistan War and the Syrian Civil War. The Leopard 2 is also manufactured under license in three other countries, and is operated in 21 countries. The most common variant is the Leopard 2A4, with the latest being the Leopard 2A7+.
While about 10,700 units of the M1 Abrams and its variants have been made. This tank was in action, among others, in the Gulf War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and Yemen War. The M1 Abrams is currently in use in 9 countries. The most advanced version used by US forces is the M1A2 SEP.
The Leopard 2 was designed by Krauss-Maffei. The guns were made by Rheinmetall, and the engines by MTU Friedrichshafen. Meanwhile, the M1 Abrams was first made by Chrysler Defense, which was acquired and became General Dynamics Land Systems.
Mobility and agility
The Leopard 2A4, the variant most likely to be delivered to Ukraine, has a top speed of around 42.2 miles per hour, and 19.2 miles per hour in reverse. The 2A4 weighs about 52 tons empty, and 55 tons when equipped for battle.
The 1,500 horsepower, 1,160-liter 12-cylinder twin-turbocharged 2A4 diesel engine provides an average range of around 173 miles before needing to refuel.
The M1A2 SEP Abrams has a top forward speed of 42 miles per hour and 25 miles per hour in reverse. The various SEP variants weigh between 69.5 tonnes and 73.6 tonnes. It uses a 1,500 horsepower multi-fuel gas turbine engine. Its maximum range is about 264 miles. Both tanks have a crew of four.
Protection
The Leopard 2A4 is protected by a mix of steel, tungsten and modular armour. More modern variants have titanium and tungsten added to the turret area, as well as additional 'belly' armor.
The M1A2 SEP features depleted uranium inserts in the hull and turret areas, with improved Chobham armor and turret armor. Both tanks can be equipped with an active protection system.
The thickness of the steel is kept secret, which is certain both indicate durability on the battlefield. The Leopard 2 can withstand anti-tank and IED attacks in Afghanistan. No US-operated Abrams was ever damaged by enemy fire, several damaged by friendly fire or destroyed to prevent capture. Less advanced export versions were destroyed while in service with the Iraqi and Saudi militaries.
Armament
The 2A4 is armed with a Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore gun and two 7.62mm machine guns, one mounted in the driver's hatch and the other to the left of the main gun. The guns have an effective range of about three miles, extendable to more than six miles when using modern special ammunition fire control systems. The system can hold 42 120mm rounds and 4,750 7.62mm rounds when fully loaded.
The M1A2 SEP is armed with a 120 mm M256A1 smoothbore gun and three machine guns, namely one 12.7 mm heavy machine gun with 900 rounds and two 7.62 mm machine guns with 10,400 rounds. A fully stocked tank holds 40 120mm shells. The 120mm gun has an effective range of over 2.5 miles.