The people of Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) even have a designation for the “Kontakt’d” Leopard 2, the 2A4V. The designation is borrowed from Soviet-Russian nomenclature, with the “V” for “vzryvnoj (“explosive”)” for added Kontakt-1 ERA stones such as the T-55MV, T-62MV, T-64BV, and T-72BV stands and T-80BV.
It looks like this particular Leopard tank was of Canadian origin. Canada has sent eight of the tanks to support Ukraine’s war effort.
In general, ERA is an attempt to defend against penetrating anti-tank munitions such as high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells and armor-piercing shells by detonating on impact before the shell hits the tank’s hull. The counterattack effect can interrupt the weapon’s effect or completely destroy it.
The Leopard 2 already has strong protection from its tread to turret armor scheme. The Contact Stones, an increasingly common “Mad Max” accessory in armored vehicles on both sides, can potentially increase protection against ubiquitous threats such as anti-tank missiles and melee weapons like rocket-propelled grenades.
At the other end of the spectrum, we’ve written about Russian attack helicopters using long-range anti-tank missiles to engage advancing Ukrainian columns. In this scenario, surviving the initial attack from an often invisible enemy at long range can mean the difference between taking cover or exiting the vehicle.
The fact that Ukraine is already modifying their donated high-end western armor is telling. Learning the hard way, with the loss of irreplaceable staff and hard-to-find equipment, leads to rapid innovation. Adding ERA to Leopard tanks is clearly part of this development. And it’s not that ERA isn’t used with NATO countries either. It seems that Ukraine thinks the extra protection it could offer is a worthwhile trade-off given the extra weight and other considerations involved.
And of course, it’s always fascinating to see advanced NATO equipment being modified with capabilities developed and deployed by the enemy it was intended to deter and potentially combat, and vice versa. These practices have become an increasingly important part of war.
It will be interesting to see if the use of the Contact Stones for Ukrainian Leopard 2 and other western-supplied armor becomes a standard issue in the course of Ukraine’s counter-offensive.