The U.S. pledge to donate Abrams tanks earlier this year came alongside a pledge from European nations to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which Berlin had been unwilling to approve without a Part of the Leopard 2A5 standard was the replacement of the perforated steel armor with perforated tungsten armor. This is part of why the Leopard 2A5 is 7 tonnes heavier than the Leopard 2A4. On top of the tungsten upgrade, the Leopard 2A5 also got the space armor wedges which provide excellent protection against shaped charges. Production began in 1974, with the first version of the gun, known as the L/44 as it was 44 calibres long, used on the German Leopard 2 tank and soon produced under license for the American M1A1 Abrams and other tanks. The 120-millimetre (4.7 in) gun has a length of 5.28 metres (17.3 ft), and the gun system weighs approximately 3,317 kilograms Both have similar capabilities in terms of mobility and firepower. The slight difference comes in protection. The Abrams has better hull armour, as it has a longer, more angled UFP so it is more likely to ricochet darts. However, the Leopard has a smaller weak spot for its gun breech. The Leopard 2 tanks should be the main priority for several reasons. Firstly, Ukrainian soldiers would need less training to use the Leopard 2 than the M1 Abrams. Secondly, the jet engines of the M1 Abrams require much more propellant than the Leopard 2 does, so the Ukrainian armed forces and its allies would need to improve fuel delivery HESH rounds are particularly suited for rifled cannon, but this means Challengers need a different type of ammunition than the Abrams and Leopard 2, which can share some ammo. MythicPi • 6 mo. ago. Leo 2 is the best choice for Ukraine. Yheres more pf them out there than the chally 2, it fires NATO standard ammo instead of 2 piece ammo, most NAToO countries field leo 2's, particularly the ones near Ukraine, and the fuel consumption is lower than the M1 abrams the US could flood ukraine with. Swiss Pz 87s in 2006. In six months of hard fighting as part of their long-planned southern counteroffensive, Ukrainian brigades have lost at least a dozen of the 71 German-designed Leopard 2 Gdvvzic.