Ukraine fortifies Leopard 1A5 tanks with reactive armour upgrade
Ukrainians have received many Leopard 1A5 tanks, which undergo a complete transformation before deployment to the front lines. The tanks are extensively fitted with reactive armour blocks, rendering them nearly unrecognisable. We explain the rationale behind this approach and its benefits.
Ukrainian soldiers from the 5th Armoured Brigade have substantially improved the armour on their Leopard 1A5 tanks before heading to the frontline due to threats such as FPV drones or Lancet-3.
The original armour of the Leopard 1A5 tanks comprises only a few centimetres of steel, supplemented in some areas by Lexan panels, a type of polycarbonate. This might suffice to defend only against artillery fragments and fire from automatic cannons up to 30 mm calibre from a greater distance.
Conversely, protection against even simple PG-7VL warheads from RPG-7 launchers, capable of penetrating 500 mm of steel armour, is non-existent. This poses a significant issue as these are commonly used on FPV drones.
Reactive armour on Leopard 1A5 tanks – a dangerous but effective solution
In one of the photographs, a Leopard 1A5 tank is covered with an array of reactive armour blocks. These include Kontakt-1 blocks and the Ukrainian "Knife" used on modernised T-64 tanks.
The Ukrainians use them to protect against FPV drones, as the single-warhead solutions they carry are very susceptible to this type of shield. The situation differs with kinetic penetrators, which are much less vulnerable to reactive armour.
Reactive armour blocks are cassettes filled with explosive material that detonate upon impact with a shaped charge jet. This explosion disperses the jet into a hail of fragments, nullifying its penetration capabilities. However, the armour on which the blocks are mounted must withstand their explosion to function correctly.
If it is too thin, metal fragments will form on the inner side of the armour, potentially causing catastrophic internal damage as the block will act on the armour like a deformable HESH warhead. Therefore, without dedicated solutions, tank blocks cannot be used on vehicles from the BMP family or lighter ones like the UAZ Buchanka. It's worth noting, however, that the Leopard 1's armour is close to the safety threshold for Kontakt-1 blocks, but crews seem willing to accept the risk.
