Russian MT-12 ATG Rounds Not Enough Against German Leopard MBTs

(Photo : ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian MT-12 ATG Rounds cannot pierce German Leopard 2s armor except with HEAT or APFSDS against 1990s armor on tanks.

An online video show Russia sending MT-12 Rapier or 2A29 anti-tank guns to Ukraine by train.
These 50-year-old 100mm anti-tank guns may not be effective against German Leopard 2 tanks.
Russia and Ukraine utilize the MT-12 Rapier anti-tank gun on the battlefield despite its age.

An online video shows trains sending 50-year-old 100 mm anti-tank guns that use Russian MT-12 ATG Rounds as ammunition to fire at targets in Ukraine, allegedly that these legacy ATG weapons are to be used against German Leopard 2s sent to Ukraine.

Will the Russian MT-12 ATG Rounds Beat the Leopards?

The age of the Rapier or 2A29 once was relevant, but its age shows, and it does not apply to the modern battlefield. Though is useful in tearing up unprotected, lightly armored vehicles and enemy structures or unshielded cover, reported Bulgarian Military.

The MT-12 replaced the T-12, which was first used in 1961, noted Military Today-got replaced by ten nations, including Bulgaria and Hungary. It was also used by Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Russia even after the Cold War.

For a long time after the second world war, the MT-12 ATG has been used by the Soviets though more prominent Soviet arms are used just as much. These ATGs were used in conflicts between the Soviet-Afghan War and Transnistria War, a generation before the Ukraine conflict.

It is a 100 mm armament that is usually towed, not moving under its power. Capable of hitting targets at 3,000 meters via direct shots, or if not directed, it would be 8,200 meters. A firing rate of 6 up to 14 rounds a minute is reasonable with hydro-pneumatic recoil.

One reason to arm Russian forces is to bolster positions in most deep parts of the rear position.

MT-12 Unreliable Against Modern Main Battle Tank Armor

The ATG gun may not be effective at the front even if trenches and LAVs are very vulnerable to them because it cannot stop Leopard 2, cited Army Technology. Its solid shells will glance off 800- and 900-mm armor called Rolled Homogeneous Armor used for tanks in the 1990s.

The MT-12 ATG could load 9M117 Bastion ammunition that can follow a laser tracker to its target, mentioned Missilery Info. This ATG shell can defeat older armor like the T-55 or T-62 and can also be used against AFUs T-62s, which are captured units.

Modern ammo current Russian forces use, like the 9M119 Svir, is derived from Bastion. Capable of defeating the T-72 and T-80 tank, which are equivalents of the Leopard tank. The MT-12 legacy ATG cannot use a caliber of 125 mm.

Should a more suitable shell be used, the Stabilized Fin Suppression [APFSDS] and High Explosive Anti-Tank [HEAT] rounds can potentially knock out the touted German tank. If the barrel of the legacy ATG can handle modern rounds is anyone's guess. Its targets will be AFUs LAVs, support vehicles used by tank brigades, and unarmored units like supply lorries. The MT-12 is still limited in use compared to other arms.

The Russian MT-12 ATG Rounds can work on anything except German Leopard 2s in Ukraine. The use of the Bastion shells is another option to attack modern tanks.