Ukrainian 5th Tank Brigade Gets Leopard 1 Tanks with Added Armor

The Ukrainian command reinforced the 5th Tank Brigade with German Leopard 1 tanks.

Footage of the Leopard 1 tanks was shown in the brigade’s video on the Day of Tank Troops.

The brigade reinforced the tanks’ protection with Kontakt-1 reactive armor installed on the turret and on the vehicles’ sides.

However, no additional protection was installed on the tank’s bow.

Reactive armor is designed to reduce the impact of a cumulative jet from enemy anti-tank weapons.

As of May, Western countries had handed over up to 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Kyiv.

The tanks are being transferred by several countries. In total, more than 110 tanks are planned to be transferred by the joint efforts of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands

According to the list of military aid provided, as of July 29, Ukraine received 58 Leopard 1A5 tanks from Germany, whereas previously there were 50.

The Leopard 1 tanks that are being transferred to Ukraine were retired from service in Europe in the 1980s and have been sitting in open-air storage for a long time.

The tanks are in poor condition and must undergo major repairs before they can return to service.

The restoration of the first tanks was problematic, as they were in extremely poor condition, which was a surprise. This led to a delay in deliveries.

As previously reported, this brigade was also equipped with American bridgelayers based on M60 tanks.