Leopard 2
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Leopard 2 | |
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![]() Danish Leopard 2 MBT | |
Type | Main battle tank |
Place of origin | West Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1979–present |
Used by | See Operators |
Wars | War in Afghanistan Syrian Civil War |
Production history | |
Designer | Krauss-Maffei |
Designed | 1970s |
Manufacturer | Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Maschinenbau Kiel |
Unit cost | 2A6: US$5.74 million (2007) |
Produced | 1979–present |
No. built | 3,480 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 2A6: 62.3 tonnes (68.7 short tons) |
Length | 2A6: 9.97 metres (393 inches) (gun forward) |
Width | 2A6: 3.75 m (148 in) |
Height | 2A6: 3.0 m (120 in) |
Crew | 4 |
Armour | 2A6: 3rd generation composite; including high-hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with ceramic component. |
Main armament | 1× 120 mm Rheinmetall L55 smoothbore gun (42 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 2× 7.62 mm MG3A1 (4,750 rounds) |
Engine | MTU MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel engine 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW) at 2,600 rpm |
Power/weight | 24.1 PS/t (17.7 kW/t) |
Transmission | Renk HSWL 354 |
Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
Fuel capacity | 1,200 litres (264 imperial gallons; 317 US gallons) |
Operational range | 550 km (340 mi) (internal fuel) |
Maximum speed | 68 km/h (42 mph) |
The Leopard 2 is a German main battle tank (Kampfpanzer) developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979. The Leopard 2 replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve other European countries, as well as several non-European nations. More than 3,480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured. The Leopard 2 first saw combat in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian ISAF forces.
There are two main development batches of the tank, the original models up to Leopard 2A4 which have vertically-faced turret armour, and the "improved" batch, namely the Leopard 2A5 and newer versions, which have angled arrow-shaped turret appliqué armour together with a number of other improvements. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun, and advanced night vision and sighting equipment (first vehicles used a low-light level TV system or LLLTV; thermal imaging was introduced later on). The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain. It can drive through water 4 meters (13 ft) deep using a snorkel or 1.2 meters (3 ft 11 in) without any preparation and climb vertical obstacles over one metre high. The tank is powered with a turbo-charged multi-fuel V12 diesel engine that produces 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW).
Operators
Austria
Canada
Chile
Eastern Union
Free Western Army
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland
Germany
Greece
Indonesia
Qatar
Republic of Coruscant: Leopard 2A4s acquired after annexing its satellite state, the German Republic; additional Leopards acquired from Singapore following Operation MacArthur.
German Republic
Singapore
Brotherhood of Steel: Provided by the Coruscanti Armed Forces.
Turkey