A video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a destroyed Leopard 2A4 tank in Ukraine.
According to Portal Militarny and WP Tech, the tank, painted in Polish camouflage, turned out to be a wooden decoy designed to mimic real military equipment.
Decoys in Modern Warfare
The use of fake military equipment is a common tactic in modern warfare.
Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have employed decoys to mislead their opponents and force them to waste ammunition on insignificant targets. Ukraine, for example, has deployed inflatable mockups of HIMARS rocket systems, Abrams tanks, and F-16 fighter jets.
Many of these decoys include built-in heating systems to fool enemy thermal imaging.
The Leopard 2A4 decoy in Polish camouflage was likely part of this strategy.
Its purpose was to confuse Russian forces, and it seems to have worked effectively, as seen in the video.
About the Leopard 2A4
The Leopard 2A4 is a third-generation German main battle tank, known for its advanced features.
Weighing about 55.15 tons, it is powered by a 12-cylinder MTU MB 873 Ka 501 engine with 1,500 horsepower, allowing speeds of up to 72 km/h on roads and 56 km/h off-road. The tank has an operational range of about 550 km on the road.
Its primary weapon is a 120 mm Rh-M-120 smoothbore gun, capable of firing advanced anti-tank ammunition. The Leopard 2A4 also features an advanced fire control system that significantly enhances its combat capabilities.
Ukraine has received Leopard 2A4 tanks from several Western allies.
Poland supplied 14 tanks of this type, the first of which arrived on February 24, 2023. Canada, Spain, and Norway have also contributed Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine’s defense efforts.
