Much has been heard and written for months about the modernization of the Greek Leopard-2A4 and Leopard 1A5 tanks, in collaboration with the well-known German company that plans to open a factory in our country.
It is known to many experts and non-experts, that tanks of this type, due to their age, need a new Fire Control System (FCS) in combination with a larger 120 mm gun caliber, along with other modifications.
All this sounds very good and I hope it will be implemented, but first and foremost, strengthening the tanks' self-protection system as well as additional armor is required.
This clear message comes to us from the Ukrainian war, as this war is changing many regulations in the War Schools of all European countries, due to the great innovations that are already taking place on Ukrainian soil.
The widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles and drone-suicide (floating munitions the official name) have made all weapon systems easy targets for scrap metal.
The Ukrainians took delivery of the German-made Leopard 2A4s, the first thing they did was to reinforce them with additional armor to deal with the artillery and Iranian drones of the Russians, and that tells us a lot about the battlefield in Ukraine.
Tanks, self-propelled guns, wheeled armored vehicles, tracked or wheeled TOMAs, are just a "silhouette" in the crosshairs of UCAVs, and suicide drones, causing not only material losses, but also human ones, while also creating strong psychological blows to the military personnel of both belligerents.
The internet has been flooded with videos showing the neutralization of weapons systems of this kind (Russian and Ukrainian) using unmanned aerial vehicles of all types, in places that were supposed to be "invisible" from the ground, and this is the most important thing.
We're talking about large numbers of tanks, self-propelled guns and vehicles that didn't even get to shoot "guns" after being destroyed from the air.
Turkish fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles against Greek arsenal
It is imperative in our country to review our entire policy regarding the upgrading of our military equipment, for the reason that the "neighbors" already have a strong fleet of UAV-UCAV and drone-suicide.
For example the roof of our tanks is exposed to aerial strikes from drones, while the Crew Chief uses his machine gun uncovered in any future battlefield against enemy fire.
For the Crew Chief's machine gun it would be useful to put a remote control system from inside the tank for example.
Also, the Greek tanks do not have a self-defense system against anti-tank missiles, while they will be called upon to fight in the future in an environment, if not superior, at least similar to that of Ukraine, in Evros and Islands due to the Turkish drones.
Also, our tanks do not have additional armor, for greater survival in the hostile environment, while the Turks have almost prepared unmanned land crawler vehicles of the BARKAN type, in which they plan to mount anti-tank missiles.
It is estimated that all these questions have been tormenting the GES staff for a long time, who will recommend the best possible for all kinds of our weapon systems.
There is a certain economic tightness in the country, also due to the new political surveillance of the EU after the pandemic, for this reason we also owe it to this critical part of the Army to activate the Greek defense industry, considering ideas and plans that cost less than any market abroad, for starters.
The firepower combined with the protection of our weapon systems and primarily of course our personnel, will give us guaranteed survival and victory in any confrontation in our area.
