Germany commits advanced artillery and tanks to bolster Ukrainian defences

According to the portal Welt, the decision was made during the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) talks held at the Ramstein base on 16 August 2024. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated that half of the declared Panzerhaubitze 2000, worth £1,9 billion, will reach Ukraine by 2024, and the 77 Leopard 1A5 tanks as soon as possible.

In the case of the tanks, Germany’s partners are the Netherlands and Denmark, which will likely be responsible for the training base, as has been the case so far. A few months ago, for example, we reported on the use of tanks from Danish armour museums in training Ukrainians.

Twelve units will join the 27 PzH-2000s already operating in Ukraine from Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. German howitzers are the most advanced machines of this type in Ukraine, offering excellent mobility, the highest level of crew protection, and excellent fire parameters.

However, they are also the most complicated machines, which need much more care and are more prone to breaking down from the hardships of war than, for example, the less advanced Polish Krabs. These also allow targeting with similar effects and spend much less time off the front line for repairs.

There have been recordings of crews using the PzH-2000 in emergency mode, in which the howitzer was deprived of its main advantage, i.e. the automatic loader.

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is a 56-tonne self-propelled howitzer on a tracked chassis. It is equipped with a 155 mm calibre gun with a barrel length of 52 calibres and an automatic loader, which allows it to fire up to 10 shots per minute—an excellent rate. Such a high rate of fire enables up to five shots in MRSI (Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact) mode, where all shells hit the target almost simultaneously at a distance of over 12 miles.

The range depends on the ammunition used. For the cheapest DM121 shells, it will be 19-20 miles, 25-26 miles for shells with a gas generator, or even up to 37 miles for rocket-assisted shells such as the M549A1. Furthermore, the PzH-2000 can also use special shells such as SMArt 155, whose submunitions independently seek out and engage armoured targets or guided sub-calibre Vulcano GLR shells with a range of up to 50 miles.

What’s more, the ammunition magazine holding 60 ready-to-fire shells is fully isolated from the crew, and its loading takes just 12 minutes. This significantly reduces the risk of destruction during ammunition replenishment. This, combined with the ability to take up or leave the firing position in less than a minute and strong armour using Igelpanzerung mats, makes the PzH-2000 a very complete system in the right hands.

Although the Leopard 1 tanks are completely outdated and not suitable for combat with modern tanks, in Ukraine the A5 variant from the 1990s can still be useful. Considering the withdrawal of relics by Russia like the T-62 tanks, the Leopard 1A5, loaded with newer ammunition and equipped with the EMES-18 fire control system with thermal imaging borrowed from the early variants of the Leopard 2, can be a formidable machine.

Thanks to this, it can detect the opponent and fire at them first. Moreover, Ukrainians use the tanks in the role of self-propelled artillery, firing at about 6 miles. This makes artillery shells the main threat, and the armour, though illusory in tank combat, is sufficient to protect against shrapnel. Some crews additionally reinforce it with Kontakt-1 blocks for protection against drones.

This allows Ukrainians to pull back, for example, more heavily armoured machines like the T-64BW to assault units or the most dangerous sections of the front, while the Leopard 1A5s are used in less intense directions. The advantage of the Leopard 1A5 is also its very good off-road mobility due to its weight of slightly over 39 tonnes and engine power of just over 800 hp.