Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank - Modern Supertank - Tankfest 2016

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army.

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Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and 12 other European countries, as well as several non-European nations. The Leopard 2 was used in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian contributions to the International Security Assistance Force.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 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.
In 1977, the German Army selected Krauss-Maffei as prime contractor for series production of the Leopard 2 and placed an order, with options, for 1,800 MBTs, 990 of which were to be built by Krauss-Maffei and the remaining 810 by Rheinmetall.
The Leopard 2 is in service with Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, N
Main Variants
Leopard 2: first version of the vehicle
Leopard 2A1: A number of minor modifications and the installation of the gunner's thermal sight, new ammunition racks.
Leopard 2A2: New thermal sight, deflector plate for the periscope and a large coverplate to protect the existing NBC protection system.
Leopard 2A3: The main change was the addition of the SEM80/90 digital radio sets (also being fitted to the Leopard 1 at the same time), and the ammunition reloading hatches being welded shut.
Leopard 2A4: The most widespread version of the Leopard 2 family, the 2A4 models included more substantial changes, including an automated fire and explosion suppression system, an all-digital fire control system able to handle new ammunition types, and improved turret with flat titanium/tungsten armour.
Leopard 2A5: The A5 introduced wedge-shaped, spaced add-on armour to the turret front and the frontal area of the sides. There were also some improvements in the main armour composition. The tank interior received spall liners to reduce fragments if the armour is penetrated. The frontal "heavy" third of the side skirts was replaced with a new, stronger type.
Leopard 2A6: Includes the addition of the Rheinmetall 120 mm L55 smoothbore gun and a number of other changes. The Leopard 2A6M is a version of the 2A6 with enhanced mine protection under the chassis, and a number of internal enhancements to improve crew survivability.
Leopard 2PSO: designed especially for urban warfare, which had been encountered in peacekeeping operations with increasing frequency. Therefore the Leopard 2 PSO is equipped with more effective all-around protection, a secondary weapons station, improved reconnaissance ability, a bulldozer blade, a shorter gun barrel, non-lethal armament, close-range surveillance ability (through camera systems), a searchlight and further changes to improve its perseverance and mobility.
Leopard 2A6EX: A further development of the Leopard 2A6, the private venture Leopard 2A6 EX has been developed for the export market and has a number of additional improvements including an auxiliary power unit, air conditioning unit, and improved armour protection.
Leopard 2A7: is designed to operate in low intensity conflicts as well as in high intensity conflicts. The tank's protection has been increased by modular armour; the frontal protection has been improved with a duel-kit on the turret and hull front, while 360° protection against RPGs and mine protection increase the survivability of the tank in urban operations. It can fire programmable HE munitions and the turret mounted MG3 has been replaced with a stabilized FLW 200 remotely controlled weapon station. The mobility, sustainability and situational awareness have also been improved.

Tankfest by World of Tanks - 24.-25.6.2016
The Tank Museum - Bovington, UK

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