Since 1979, when the first leopard 2 rolled off the production line, the leopard 2 has undergone various modifications, and has. Kampfpanzer leopard 2 main battle tank development and. The leopard 2a7v is the latest variant of the leopard 2 a7 tank. Leopard 2 tank variants summary leopard 2a4developed in mid1980s. Kampfpanzer leopard 2 main battle tank development and german army service. Find leopard 2 pictures and leopard 2 photos on desktop nexus. The leopard 2 tank was developed in the 1970s to meet the needs of the heer west german army further upgraded during its service life with the deutsches heer german army to more modern models, the leopard 2 tank has since grown into the most successful and widely exported tank in nato the leopard 2 tank has been built under license in 3 countries and is in service with 18 nations.
Production of this mark began in october of 1979 and continued into march of 1982 resulting in 380 firstbatch vehicles manufactured production was split between kraussmaffei and krupp mak with 209 and 171 units respectively. Find great deals on ebay for leopard 2 and leopard 2 tank. Germanys leopard 2 tank was considered one of the best. Leopard 2 main battle tank 197998 by michael jerchel. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the german army. The reputation of germanys vaunted leopard 2 tank, which forms the mainstay of natos armored forces, has taken a pounding in battles with islamic state militants in syria. Jan 10, 2017 development of the leopard 2 main battle tank began in 1970. In 1963 west germany and the united states signed an agreement to develop the best tank in the world the mbtkpz70. The upgrading will take place in munich hull and kassel turret.
Since 1979, when the first leopard 2 rolled off the production line, the leopard 2 has undergone various modifications, and has been exported to various european countries. Roco minitanks 1 160 n scale german leopard 2 model tank 900. There are a total of 14 active german army vehicles and artillery 2020 entries in the military factory. When the leopard 2 was first fielded in 1979, it already was by far the. Daesh terrorists destroy myth of germanys indestructible. There was still room for improvement and additions to the. The key areas of improvement in the leopard 2ng upgrade include new fire control system, upgraded optics and improved protection. Developed in an era when heat warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the leopard focused on firepower in the form of the germanbuilt version of the british l7 105mm gun, and improved crosscountry performance that was. Tankograd 5070 the german leopard 2a6 main battle tank. Sep 06, 2016 leopard 2 expertise from rheinmetall assuring maximum mobility even in the toughest terrain, the leopard 2 main battle tank combines excellent survivability and firepower with superb situational awareness and handling characteristics. Leopard 2 main battle tank development and german army.
Given the limitations of my knowledge and the breadth of my reference library, this list is by no means complete. As of 2010 the number of operational leopard 2a5 have been decreased to 34 2 operational squadrons and 1 in reserve. Kampfpanzer leopard 2 main battle tank development and german army service frank lobitz on. The leopard 2 main battle tank is armed with a fullystabilized rheinmetall rhm120 120mm smoothbore gun. This list was originally compiled by frank lobitz and has been based on his own opinions and observations. The acquisition program for the leopard 2e began in 1994, five years after the cancellation. The leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by kraussmaffei in the 1970s for the west. Is the base model from which all other leopard 2 tank are derived weight 56 tonnes width 3. Is the leopard 2 the best tank for any nato country. It was manufactured in the 1970s and was first put in to service in 1979, upgrading and replacing the leopard 1 as the german armys main battle tank mbt. It was just a couple of years after a previous leopard 1 entered service.
With a total of 6 pages, 290 colour photos, 18 graphics and two 5 scale drawings this twopart publication grants an indepth look at the leopard 2a4 on exercise and shows the tanks technology in great detail. These vehicles received the added m mine armor package and other additional modifications for canadian army service, hence their new designation. This book covers the leopard 2 from the first designs as an upgrade of the leopard 1, until the latest upgrades and export versions as of now. It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, and is powered by a v12 twinturbo diesel engine. Feuertaufe leopard 2 the leopard 2 mbts baptism on fire on army exercises 198486. From the day of its introduction the leopard 2 s design turned out to be the milestone of postwar german tank technology.
Though by 1970 this project was stopped, west germany used the components created for the mbtkpz70 to develop a new main battle tank the leopard 2. With the new century well over three decades old, and a new cold war starting to get uglier every year, it had become clear to the military of the european union that their tank armies were now vastly outclassed by the tank brigades of the sssr. The fuel tanks are protected against explosions as with the leopard 1 a5 dk sfor. Publications about military vehicles of soviet union and warsaw pact, us army, wehrmacht, bundeswehr and europe. Download our 2019 technology, media and telecoms predictions report. Battles in afghanistan, kosovo and elsewhere have earned germanys leopard 2 battle tank a reputation for being indestructible. Germanys leopard 2 main battle tank has a reputation as one of the finest in the world, competing for that distinction with proven designs such as the american m1 abrams and the british challenger 2.
In those days a clash between nato and the warsaw pact was possible and the german army needed a well protected mbt, which was superior. In those days a clash between nato and the warsaw pact was possible and the west german army needed a well protected tank, which would be superior to the models introduced in the eastern block. Leopard 2 main battle tank international service and variants the leopard 2 has repeatedly underlined its leading position as the most capable and most versatile main battle tank of the world. With 679 photographs, 97 graphics and 2 fourside 5 scale drawings on 320 pages this is the most comprehensive study on the leopard 2 mbt ever published. With over 319 pages and 679 photos the author, frank lobitz, takes the reader on a grand tour of the leopard, going into fine detail how, and why, the design of the leopard went as it did. Designed for highintensity conventional combat operations, it is equally effective in asymmetric scenarios. Excerpt t72m1 at haide the bulk of the former eastgerman tanks we. The leopard ii is much more then a simple touch screen for sending. The indonesian ministry of defence has contracted with rheinmetall to. Diecast leopard tank, tanks, for sale, military, model. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. In one case, canadian forces managed to drive a leopard through a massive taliban bomb blast and survive. Leopard 2 wallpapers, leopard 2 backgrounds, leopard 2.
Leopard 2 expertise from rheinmetall rheinmetall defence. A number of minor modifications and the installation of the gunners thermal sight, new ammunition racks. The leopard 2 battle tank was designed and manufactured by kraussmaffei wegmann and is germanys main battle tank. Is the leopard 2 the best tank for any nato country without a. This publication grants an overview on the leopard 2 today in service with no less than 15 export nations. In 2002 germany donated to poland a a total of 128 leopard 2a4 tanks from the german army stocks. For such reason 660mm thick armor block in leopard 2a4 cant be describe as weak spot in compare whit soviet tanks 500600 680 mm thickness. Rheinmetall will soon be modernizing part of the bundeswehrs fleet of leopard main battle tanks, implementing a comprehensive array of. The acquisition program for the leopard 2e began in 1994, five years after the cancellation of the lince. The leopard 2 ng is broadly similar to the rheinmetall revolution upgrade package, which was revealed earlier in 2010. Leopard 2 main battle tank international service and variants.
The collapse of the myth of german tanks series of leopard2. Mar 01, 2009 movie with many pics from the leopard 2 tank. Leopard 2a6 mbt main battle tank technical data pictures. Harald hartwig is a frequent contributor to this list, often informing me of new products that should be added. Introduced in the middle of the cold war, the leopard 2 main battle tank became the successor of the leopard 1 mbt in 1979. The leopard 2 has replaced the leopard 1 in service with many other nations as well, with derived vehicles using the leopard 1 hull still seeing service.
After an initial assessment of the performance of the leopard c2 tank in afghanistan, canada decided to invest in leopard 2 tanks. Russian t90 tank versus german leopard 2a6 tank page 2. Frank provides information on new kits and bits when he is not busy writing leopard 2 books, or recovering from said writing. However, that reputation for nighinvincibility has faced setbacks on syrian battlefields, and placed berlin in. Oct 21, 2012 photo gallery of a leopard 2e, the leopard 2e e stands for espana, spanish for spain is a variant of the german leopard 2 main battle tank, tailored to the requirements of the spanish army, which acquired it as part of an armament modernization program named programa coraza, or program breastplate. In 20 german mod signed a contract with poland to sell another 14 leopard 2a4 tanks, plus 105 newer leopard 2a5 tanks, and bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles from the army stocks.
Leopard 2 vs m1 abrams comparison tanks specifications. However, turkish troops fighting the terrorist group daesh in northern syria have had a different experience. The collapse of the myth of german tanks series of. In the german army, the leopard 1 was completely phased out in 2003 by the leopard 2, while leopard 1based vehicles are still widely used in utility roles. The reason for this was that it did not meet the requirements for a 1944 vehicle. The main change was the addition of the sem8090 digital radio sets also being. Based on current plans, the leopard 2 will be used by the bundeswehr till at least 2040, which means a usage period of 60 years. The leopard 2 is often compared to its near contemporary, the m1 abrams. In truth, the two designs share broadly similar characteristics, including a scaletipping weight of well over 60 tons of advanced composite armor, 1,500 horsepower engines allowing speeds over 40 miles per hour and, for certain models, the same 44caliber 120millimeter.
During the course of modernization, the 128 leopard 2 a4 main battle tanks purchased in 2002 by the polish army from surplus bundeswehr stocks will be upgraded to leopard 2 pl standard, which corresponds to the german leopard 2 a5 and a6. Hence, the very high availability of the system and its low life cycle costs. The ideal companion to our indetail leopard maintenance this publication offers a highly detailed walkaround the bundeswehrs cold war hero, the 2a4 variant of the leopard main battle tank family. For such reason 660mm thick armor block in leopard2a4 cant be describe as weak spot in compare whit soviet tanks 500600 680 mm thickness.
Leopard 2 expertise from rheinmetall assuring maximum mobility even in the toughest terrain, the leopard 2 main battle tank combines excellent survivability and firepower with superb situational awareness and handling characteristics. A new smoothbore gun, the 120mm l55 gun, was developed by rheinmetall waffe munition of ratingen, germany to replace the shorter 120mm l44 smoothbore. Naturally it starts with the history of the development of the leopard 2. The leopard 2 tank was developed in the 1970s to meet the needs of the heer west german army further upgraded during its service life with the deutsches heer german army to more modern models, the leopard 2 tank has since grown into the most successful and widely exported tank in nato. Whilst he first chapter of the book outlines briefly with the background and history of both the leopard 1 and 2, this second chapter begins to deal with the vehicle proper. Owner of this site is not responsible for potential mistakes or lacks of data. The 29th of june 2000 the danish army command signed a contract with kraussmaffei wegmann, concerning the upgrade of 51 leopard 2 a4 to leopard 2 a5 dk standard. In 2015 the polish mod selected rheinmetall of germany as a favorite bidder to upgrade the older leopard 2a4.
Leopard 2 main battle tank development and german army service. The introduction of the leopard 2 main battle tank from 1980 into the german panzertruppe was a highly demanding task. The german armed forces and several other allied customers have equipped the leopard 2 a6 with an additional mine protection system. The aselsan claims that upgraded main battle tanks are superior to the german leopard 2a6 mbts. Leopard 2 main battle tank 197998 new vanguard jerchel, michael, badrocke, mike on. No portion of this report may be reproduced, reused, or otherwise distributed in any form without prior written consent, with the exception of any. Assuring maximum mobility even in the toughest terrain, the leopard 2 main battle tank combines excellent survivability and firepower with. In 1991 the west german army conducted a series of tests involving former east german t72m1s t72a using rounds from both the rhienmantell 120mm gun and the british l7 105mm. The leopardo 2e or leopard 2a6e e stands for espana, spanish for spain is a variant of the german leopard 2 main battle tank, tailored to the requirements of the spanish army, which acquired it as part of an armament modernization program named programa coraza, or program breastplate. Leopard 2 main battle tank 197998 osprey publishing. From the day of its introduction, the leopard 2 s design turned out to be the.
Leopard 2a4 tankograd publishing verlag jochen vollert. Free leopard 2 wallpapers and leopard 2 backgrounds for your computer desktop. The initial production leopard 2 was simply known as leopard 2 with no model designator assigned. Here is the introduction that tankograd released about this book on their website. Development of the leopard 2 main battle tank mbt began in 1970. Introduced in the middle of the cold war, the leopard 2 main battle tanks became the successor of the leopard 1 mbt in 1979. If i do, it will be a total humiliation for russians. Armorama trackpad publishing leopard in australian. The leopard or leopard 1 is a main battle tank designed and produced by porsche in west germany that first entered service in 1965. Jun, 2016 during the course of modernization, the 128 leopard 2 a4 main battle tanks purchased in 2002 by the polish army from surplus bundeswehr stocks will be upgraded to leopard 2 pl standard, which corresponds to the german leopard 2 a5 and a6. It was determined that the lack of adequate air conditioning essential in the searing heat of afghanistan was degrading the tank crews war fighting ability. New thermal sight, deflector plate for the periscope and a large coverplate to protect the existing nbc protection system. The reason many countries have bought leopard 2s over recent years is not because they are particularly good it is becaus. Instead of creating a entirely new tank, designers looked towards the leopard 2.
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