Earlier tanks donated by North Atlantic Treaty Corporation (NATO) users have been in the variety of refurbished Russian tanks, primarily upgraded early-model T-72 tanks thought of (at best) a little bit inferior to the most recent Russian tanks. Before donations such as Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-plane missiles are witnessed as additional defensive weapons, whilst HIMARS guided rockets are much more of an indirect assistance weapon.
Even though detractors (which includes the Kremlin) scoff that Western tanks will be lacking in selection and high quality towards the latest Russian tanks, this kind of as the T-72B3 and T-90, it is in fact commonly accepted that the Leopards and Challengers are excellent.
In distinct, the conventional Russian 125mm armour-piercing shells have been tested to be not able to penetrate the Challenger 2’s frontal armour (wherever it is the thickest) during the just one event they have noticed overcome in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
These Western tanks are noticeably heavier on account of thicker armour and much better protection. Far more importantly, they have superior gunsights and optics, enhancing the probability of effectively hitting opponents with the first shot, an vital thing to consider in tank-as opposed to-tank overcome.