Low protection level compared to other MBTs is the basic problem for Leopard 1 main battle tanks in service with Ukraine's armed forces. However, the Ukrainian troops occasionally come up with custom solutions to mitigate the drawback, like in the photo below, shared by Btvt.info.
According to the source, this protection kit was designed by a "specialized organization." The photo showcases only the front view, the date and place where it was taken are unknown.
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The tank turret is covered with Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor (ERA) tiles. The front of the hull is coated with another type of ERA, called Nizh — a product of Ukraine's own design. The explosive armor plates are also said to be installed to the sides of the hull. The resulting increase in combat weight of the tank was not significant, the author of the post notes.
Also, he specifies that the exact modification of the tank enhanced this way is the Leopard 1A5DK which has a distinct welded turret with spaced armor. In other words, Ukrainians used the benefit provided by the tank's design characteristics to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the ERA applied to it.
How many Leopard 1A5 tanks were upgraded this way, is unknown. Either way, this solution is unlikely to significantly change the tactics of their use in combat: so far, Ukrainian forces mainly deploy them in safe positions to initiate indirect fire on russian fortified positions. Nonetheless, the fact they try to diminish the problem with this old tank's protection is worth noticing.
Read more: Despite Controversy, Leopard 1A5 Finds Its Way to Ukrainian Forces and Even Performs Better Than T-64
