Leopard 2

History of Leopard 2

For most of the Cold War, NATO and the West took on the latest supply of main battle tanks/main battle tanks (MBTs) from the Soviet Union. By the late 1960s, the U.S. Army had the powerful M60 "Patton" main battle tank in its stables, while the West Germans used their first tank design after World War II - the remarkable Leopard 1 main battle tank . It is clear, however, that future Soviet tank designs will exert increasing power over time against any currently available Western proposals.

The Soviet T-62 and its 115mm smoothbore gun led to the development of the original M60 and Leopard 1, and if the Cold War gets "hot", the land war will surely be waged through West Germany and involve all the major NATO players to stop the Soviet armaments (then the USSR administered East Germany).

After the M60 gained a foothold on the U.S. Army's roster in the early to mid-1960s, the U.S. Army began to explore opportunities for a "next-generation" main battle tank and worked with like-minded West Germans to develop this kind of equipment that satisfies every A new type of vehicle for the military's future needs. It is expected that by 1970, the new effort will result in a usable final product.

Thus, the resulting joint program became the "MBT70" - an economically sound, technologically advanced main battle tank with outstanding performance, mobility, protection and firepower.

As the plan proved to be very ambitious from the start, the project was quickly abandoned. There was early disagreement over the choice of main gun.

The Americans preferred the British 105mm L7 system used on the M60 Patton, while the West Germans were keen to deploy the new 120mm Rheimetall L44 gun against the expected Soviet 125mm gun. A consensus was then reached on an unproven but capable 152mm main gun system that could also fire short-range anti-tank missiles (like the M551 Sheridan tank). Project costs then skyrocketed, largely due to the high level of untested technology applied to the new design. That prompted the Germans to abandon the program in 1969, while also drawing the ire of the U.S.

Congress, which was already dealing with a costly Vietnam War. After the Germans left, the Americans tried to go it alone, but following a financial review of the program, overseeing the U.S. Department of Defense immediately and formally stopped MBT70, which happened in January 1970.

In response, the U.S. Army attempted to sell a simplified version of the MBT70AV to Congressthe MBT70AV "Simple Edition"but this move lasted for a year, until it was cancelled in December 1971.

The U.S. Army then embarked on a "low risk" program that would eventually become the first-class M1 Abrams main battle tank. Meanwhile, West Germany is already working on a new homegrown design to improve on the aging Leopard 1 range.

The design of this new tank was entrusted to Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, the designer and maker of the original "Leopard 1". The project grew from "Kampfpanzer 2" to "Keiler" ("wild boar") and finally to the rather unimaginative name "Leopard 2" assigned in 1971.

Military analysts and engineers are not blind to world events. The Yom Kippur War is closely watched as the war rages between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Before the conflict, many predicted the demise of the main battle tank as a key component on the battlefield, but this conflict in the Middle East proved the opposite, with new battlefield threats, such as missile threats, emerging. So Klaus-Maffei modified its prototype vehicle, drawing on lessons from the Yom Kippur War, and the end result was an impressive 55-ton vehicle with improved armor protection.

Prototypes were built between 1972 and 1974 and contained the British 105mm L7 gun (as on the Leopard 1) and the new German Rheinmetall 120mm gun.

Still needing MBT to complement their outdated M60, the Americans continued their internal efforts to develop a homegrown solution, resulting in the XM1 prototype. However, the Leopard 2 was considered "forced" during its development, as it dates back to an agreement signed by West Germany and the United States in December 1974, in which the two countries would jointly produce a new main model?? battle tank. At the time, this made financial and logistical sense, especially in the area of ??NATO stocks where munitions, parts and training could be shared.

However, there was little controversy from the outset that foreign-designed and developed MBTs could never truly fill the U.S. Army's inventory.

The US Army agreed anyway, and West Germany provided a modified Leopard 2 with a 105mm L7 gun - the same gun chosen for the XM1 prototype. This tank is also known as the Leopard 2 "Austere Edition" (AV). Of course, despite outperforming the XM1 in testing (and sometimes even better), Americans still preferred their homegrown designs, citing lower operating weight and lower long-term running costs. In fact, the XM1 was in mass production as a finished M1 even before the U.S. Army was forced to test the modified Leopard 2 tank.

So, in January 1977, the Germans officially gave up hope of stocking their Leopard 2 with the U.S. Army, and the XM1 eventually became the 1980 M1 Abrams. However, the US Army agrees to use interoperable components in your new pool if possible.

Back in September 1977, satisfied with the prototype development and subsequent evaluation, the West German Army ordered their first serial production batch of Leopard 2 tanks in five batches of 1,800. The first vehicles were delivered to the West German unit in 1979, and soon several other potential European customers joined the purchase - including the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The Dutch Army became the first foreign customer for the excellent Leopard 2, ordering the 445 in 1979. Switzerland then ordered 380 prototypes, of which 345 will be licensed locally and the rest will come from West Germany. By the end of 1986, the Dutch order was fully fulfilled.

The tight Cold War-era budget initially kept the Leopard 2 out of reach for most potential buyers, but the arrival of the new and improved model meant that many "pre-owned units" became available. As a result, many came directly from the stockpiles of the West German Army and the Royal Dutch Army. At its peak, the Royal Netherlands Army managed around 445 Leopard 2 tanks on its own, before budget constraints forced them to sell out.

For this purpose, the tank has been used in Austria, Canada, Chile, Finland, Greece, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Turkey during its continuous service life. Possible future operators (as of this writing - 2012) could someday include Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

In every respect, Leopard 2 largely follows traditional tank wisdom and learning values. It has a traditional design, with four staff managing different positions in the vehicle. The driver sits on the right front of the forward fuselage, while the rest of the crew sits in the turret. This includes gunners, tank commanders and loaders. The gunner was located in front of the turret to the right, followed by the commander.

The loader is placed on the left side of the turret and manages the reload function. Ammunition is stored in the turret and hull. On the outside, the Leopard 2 has modern clean lines and understated features. Early production forms had a plate-sided turret, while later versions featured a slimmer "sharper" design with improved ballistic protection (2A5 and later). The turret was placed in the center of the top of the fuselage with a pronounced protrusion.

In turn, the 120mm main gun towers over the front of the hull. Along the sides of the turrets, there are 8 rows of smoke grenade launchers (16 rounds total) per turret side. The hull is basically flat with board edges.

The ramp plates are well graded, while the upper part of the track is protected by a thin rock armor plate. In the traditional trim, the engine and transmission are housed in the rear compartment. One side of each chain consists of seven twin-tire wheels, with the drive sprocket at the rear and the chain idler at the front. NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection is standard, as are night vision goggles - commander, gunner and driver positions are passive.

A fire control computer and laser rangefinder were standard on the first production model.

The first Leopard 2 was simply referred to as "Leopard 2" and had no model number specified. Production of the brand began in October 1979 and continued until March 1982, resulting in the production of the first series of 380 cars (209 by KraussMaffei and 171 by Krupp MaK, respectively). A pair of hulls are reserved for driver training variants - these forms do not have the turret assembly of their combat brethren, but instead install a windowed driver's station. The Leopard 2A1 became the next famous production brand and came out in March 1982. Major additions include thermal sights on the gunner, refined fuel filters for increased efficiency, and a redesigned ammunition carrier to mimic the American M1 Abrams (Abrams launch 1980 commissioned by the U.S.

Army) . The Leopard 2A2, the production form of the Leopard 2 and Leopard 2A1, has been upgraded to the new standard with minor changes. The Leopard 2A3 appeared in December 1984 and production continued until December 1985. The same digital radio that was installed on the existing Leopard 1 was also installed on the new Leopard 2, essentially creating this little modification of the "Leopard 2A3" branding. In addition, the production brand has not changed much from the previous Leopard 2 product. The Leopard 2A4 - released from 1985 to 1992 - introduced an automatic fire suppression system to improve crew survivability in the event of a direct hit.

A digital Fire Control System (FCS) was also introduced, expanding the types of ammunition available to the aircrew, improving the overall tactical effectiveness of the Leopard 2 on the battlefield. The turret has been redesigned to accommodate a tungsten/titanium armor mix for improved ballistic protection. These changes make the Leopard 2A4 the standard Leopard 2, to which the previous brand was updated.

Notable during this period was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which led to the reunification of the German land and people in October 1990, re-establishing the German military itself as a single, unified entity, with the Leopard 2 as the main workhorse battle tank. Most Soviet-era equipment was abandoned in favor of a more NATO-friendly design.

The newer Leopard 2A5 production variant overhauled the Leopard 2 production line more than any other variant, and then resulted in a new, well-sloped turret "arrow" design that has since become the Leopard 2 series identifiable sign. This adds basic protection against kinetic and chemical bombs. The extra armor (also introduced) only helps to protect the crew, especially on the side "rock" fairings. The turret is now fully electric, making it more responsive and efficient in the heat of battle, while the breech block area has been redesigned to accommodate more powerful projectile types.

The updated laser ranging system increases the probability of starting. A rear camera improves the driver's reversing, while the commander station welcomes thermal imaging sights. The Leopard 2A5 appeared in 1998, and KraussMaffei changed its name to KraussMaffei Wegmann GmbH & Co.

KG in the same year.

After some time, the new Leopard 2A6 came online, the main gun armament of this version was upgraded to the more powerful Rheinmetall L55 120mm smoothbore system. Several smaller variants of the brand followed, including the Leopard 2A6M with hull mine protection and the Leopard 2 PSO ("Peace Support Operations") designed to support "Peace Operations".

The latter form is known for its shorter forward fuselage main gun dozer blade.

The pinnacle of Leopard 2 development was perhaps the latest product, the Leopard 2A7, launched in 2010. This version features improved RPG/mine protection and support for modular armor. Included in this version is a remote-controlled weapon station that allows firing from machine guns atop the turret without putting the crew at risk on the battlefield.

The German Army has already started upgrading its existing Leopard 2A6 fleet to the newer Leopard 2A7 standard, and these have also been offered to Saudi Arabia, a deal currently hampered by domestic (German) political debate.