As part of European support for Ukraine in the conflict against the Russian invasion, Sweden has supplied Ukraine with ten Leopard 2 tanks, according to a statement from the Swedish military.
According to reports, these are the Swedish versions of the tank, known as Stridsvagn 122, as the German news website n-tv.de informed. Ukrainian soldiers were trained in Sweden to handle these vehicles. Mats Ludvig, commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, was quoted as saying, “We’ve given them everything we can in terms of great material and good knowledge.”
The Leopard 2 is one of the most advanced main battle tanks in the world, equipped with a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun as its main firing weapon as bundeswehr.de explained. This enables the Leopard to engage targets standing or moving at distances of several thousand meters, with a maximum combat range of 5,000 meters. The Leopard 2 combines impressive firepower, armor protection and maneuverability. The crew consists of four soldiers, including a commander, a gunner, a loader and a driver.
In addition, the Leopard 2 main battle tank has the ability to cross waters up to a depth of four meters with the help of an underwater manhole, after appropriate preparation. Thanks to its telescopic sight with laser rangefinder and thermal imager, the Leopard 2 is fully equipped for night combat. Beyond Germany, at least 14 other nations deploy modified variants of the Leopard 2.
Image: R888, Österreichischer-Panzer-Leopard-2A4.JPG, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size changed)
