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Known for its stabilized gun and accuracy, the U.S.' main battle tank, the M1 Abrams, also boasts an array of crew protection capabilities designed to defend against chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. So far, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has approved a deployment of 14 Leopard 2 tanks and related ammunition from its national stocks, as well as the necessary training to operate them on the battlefield. "These tanks are that the tank was designed for conscripts to be very easy to use," de Bretton-Gordon said, likening the tank's controls to a 90s PlayStation video game console, "You've got a sort of controller in your hand, basically got three buttons - just need to press them in the right order, point the gun on your target and the tank does everything else."

A Leopard 2 tank is pictured during a demonstration event held for the media by the German Bundeswehr in Munster near Hannover, Germany, September 28, 2011.Īside from the Leopard 2's widespread availability, which extends to neighboring Poland, the tank's minimal training requirements could be of further appeal to Ukraine. "I would want at least 10 or 15 T-72 survivors up against one of them," he said, referring to the Soviet/Russian models. "These are the Mercedes BMW supertanks of the world," Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the former commanding officer of the British Military CBRN Regiment, told CBS News. Touted as having optimal maneuverability by its manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, it also provides all-around protection from improvised explosive devices, mines or anti-tank fire. First developed in 1979, the state-manufactured vehicle reaches speeds of 42 mph and is equipped with a 120mm smooth bore gun as its main armament, as well as two coaxial light machine guns. As Germany's main battle tank, the third-generation Leopard 2 is one of the most widely commissioned tanks across the world, used in more than a dozen other European countries and deployed to conflict zones like Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria.