(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Russian forces have successfully captured Ukraine’s most powerful tank, the German-made Leopard 2A6, following intense combat in Avdiivka in recent days and took the highly-prized “war trophy” back to Moscow for proper research by Russian weapon experts.
Currently, the Ukrainian military is believed to possess 21 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 18 of which were donated by Germany, while the rest were provided by Portugal.
These tanks were manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
However, most of the Leopard 2A6 tanks gifted to Ukraine are reportedly unusable following maintenance failures, as claimed by a senior German politician last January.
The German politician, Sebastian Schafer, stated that the Leopard 2A6 maintenance center in Lithuania lacks the necessary spare parts for proper tank upkeep.
According to Russian military sources, after capturing the tank and extracting it from the battle zone, Russian forces transported it to Moscow, possibly for research purposes.
Once the research is complete, the captured Leopard 2A6 tank is likely to be displayed at Patriot Park in Moscow alongside other Western weaponry captured by Russian forces.
At Patriot Park, Russian forces also exhibit the M2 Bradley and Marder 1A3 armored vehicles.
The Leopard 2A6, donated by Germany to Ukraine, was successfully captured by Russian forces after an ambush by its soldiers in Avdiivka.
From its exterior, the sophisticated Ukrainian tank still appears to be in good condition. Russian sources mentioned that extracting the Leopard 2A6 tank from the active combat zone in Avdiivka posed high risks.
Russian forces also plan to retrieve one of the five destroyed M1 Abrams tanks from the battlefield to transport it to Moscow for exhibition at Patriot Park.
Additionally, a British-made Challenger 2 tank will be displayed there.
According to Russian military sources, the Leopard 2A6 tank was captured after a Russian platoon executed a successful ambush, causing the Ukrainian crew to abandon the German-manufactured tank.
The Leopard 2A6 is an upgrade from the Leopard 2A5, featuring enhanced armor protection, firepower, and electronic warfare capabilities.
The tank is 9.97 meters long, weighs 62.3 tons, making it one of the heaviest main battle tanks ever deployed, with a 1,500 horsepower engine.
It can reach speeds of up to 75 km/h with an operational range of 500 km.
The tank is armed with a Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 gun, capable of firing all standard NATO ammunition types including APFSDS, HEAT, and multi-purpose shells.
Additionally, the Leopard 2A6 is equipped with dual 7.62 mm MG3A1 machine guns and advanced fire control systems, including a laser rangefinder, thermal imaging, and a ballistic computer. — DSA