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Leopard 2 Capabilities

This is a discussion on Leopard 2 Capabilities within the Army & Security Forces forum, part of the Global Defense & Military category; With numerous different Mk's and variations of the Leo-2, what are the significant differences in capabilities. For example, is Sweden's ...


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Old January 10th, 2009   #1
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Leopard 2 Capabilities

With numerous different Mk's and variations of the Leo-2, what are the significant differences in capabilities.

For example, is Sweden's Strv122s as capable as the A6 model? etc
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Old January 10th, 2009   #2
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Leopart 2 model uses 2A6 Canada in Afghanistan.

The Swedish version is Sweden's Strv122s a 2A5 changed, I doubt you can change.

The new Leopardo 2 is a project which is nearing completion by Spain and Germany, is basically a 2A6 with more armor on the weak parts of the tank.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_2
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Old January 10th, 2009   #3
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A4:
  • Leo 2 A4 - current baseline version
  • Leo 2 A4 NL - A4 with MAG MGs, Dutch electronics
  • Strv 121 - A4 with Galix smoke launchers
  • Leo 2 A4 CHL - as A4 (ex-German Chilean Leos with specific notation)
  • Leo 2 A4 NO - as A4 NL (ex-Dutch Norwegian Leos with specific notation)
  • Pz 87 - A4 with Swiss MGs, Swiss/US electronics, Nw-87 smoke launchers
  • Pz 87 WE - upgraded Pz 87 with near-A5 level add-on armour; modernized electronics (demonstrator only)
A4 also used by Canada, Finland, Greece, Poland, Singapore, Spain; A4 NL also used by Portugal, Austria.
Exported ex-German and ex-Dutch A4s usually differ in radio equipment used depending on customer nation. In Germany, Netherlands and Sweden A4 standard has been resigned to reserve or training stock.

A5:
  • Leo 2 A5 - add-on armor on turret and crew spaces; improved C2
  • Leo 2 A5 DK - A5 with extra/different spall liner, APU, enhanced hull armour
  • Leo 2 A5 NL - A5 with MAG MGs, Dutch electronics
  • Strv 122 - A5 with increased top and side armour (MEXAS), TCCS C2, Galix smoke launchers
  • Strv 122B - Strv 122 with mine protection armour
  • Leo 2 PSO - "Peace Support Operations" version with vastly increased armour, RWS, dozer shield (demonstrator only)
  • Leo 2 UrbOps - "Urban Operations", reduced PSO variant with less armour (design only, planned for Germany)

A6:
  • Leo 2 A6 - A5 with 120mm L/55 gun and FCS mod for specific ammo
  • Leo 2 A6M - A6 with modified crew space and mine protection armour improvements
  • Leo 2 A6M CAN - A6M with different electronics, AC for Afghanistan, sand filters, added slat cage armour, enhanced hull armour
  • Leo 2 A6 NL - A6 with MAG MGs, Dutch electronics
  • Leo 2 A6 EX - A6 with increased armour similar and AC and APU, typical baseline model for new A6 sales (demonstrator only)
  • Leo 2 E - A6 with Spanish/US C2, optics and electronics, AC, APU, additional armour. Based on A6 EX.
  • Leo 2 HEL - A6 with Greek C2, optics and electronics, AC, APU, additional armour. Based on A6 EX.

Think i got all major variants. Except for the current minor upgrade of German A6M, they're getting AC and APU. As it's an across-the-board minor upgrade, likely no change of sub-version number.

Last edited by kato; January 11th, 2009 at 03:44 PM.
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Old January 11th, 2009   #4
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Some minor points.
The A6M CAN also got some additional frontal hull armor.

And the spall liners should be included in every Leopard version from A5 upwards, no?
Or did the Danish armor guys got some additional spall liners?
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Old January 11th, 2009   #5
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Additional spall liners afaik. I think there might also be some minor difference in arrangement of crew space.

The CAN has no APU, right? (and the add-on armour isn't the same as in EX/E/HEL)

Some changes made in above post, including one major change (PSO to A5)
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Old January 11th, 2009   #6
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Ah, wasn't aware of the DKs getting some additonal liners.

And yes, the additional hull armor of the CANs is not the same like integrated into the other uparmored versions.
Might be a low cost version to get some additional hull protection. And yep it has no APU.

IIRC the biggest problem they had with the original PSO idea was that it wouldn't have been able to use the Panzerschnellbrücke 2 if fully bombed up.
A shame though that they plan to reduce the additional armor protection. IMHO one of the must haves of a good urban combat kit.
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Old January 11th, 2009   #7
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Thanks for the replies, very interesting.
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Old January 11th, 2009   #8
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IIRC the biggest problem they had with the original PSO idea was that it wouldn't have been able to use the Panzerschnellbrücke 2 if fully bombed up.
Or the tank transport trucks SLT-50-3 or SLT-56 either for that matter (max load 59.7 tons with A5/A6 mod for empty transported vehicle).

Still, while nice to have... that projected possible 75 ton max GVW of the PSO? Waaaay too much. Even if it had ended up at "only" 70 tons.
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Old January 11th, 2009   #9
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I understand that one needs to keep the weight down to make the urban leo compatible with the curretn support structure.
And if I face the choice of either having a less well all around armored urban Leo or no urban Leo at all I know what I choose.

Maybe one should really look at getting the europowerpack for the urban Leos.
Might save some weight but in the end I expect it to bee too expensive.
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Old January 24th, 2009   #10
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Youtube video leopardo2 spanish



Change engine very fast,lol

Last edited by METEORSWARM; January 24th, 2009 at 09:43 PM.
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Old February 18th, 2009   #11
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Leopart 2a5 PSO (peace support operations)urban combat.

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Old March 27th, 2009   #12
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Danish Leopards have been in action again providing support to UK troops in A-Stan during recent operations. Having 120mm firepower in direct support is proving a real bonus for the ground troops. 120 men from the Danish Battle Group were involved, one assumes at least a sqn of tanks.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...ySafeHaven.htm
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Old March 27th, 2009   #13
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Originally Posted by riksavage View Post
Danish Leopards have been in action again providing support to UK troops in A-Stan during recent operations. Having 120mm firepower in direct support is proving a real bonus for the ground troops. 120 men from the Danish Battle Group were involved, one assumes at least a sqn of tanks.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...ySafeHaven.htm
Great link and a great battle result. Interesting that the tanks were kept back in overwatch and long distance fires. The town must have been defended by lots of big belly blast IEDs under the roads and using the infantry for a foot advance supported by accurate direct fires was a way around this defence.
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Old March 27th, 2009   #14
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I'll try to get a similar list together as above for overall version for the armor kits now... it's actually less complicated than the above list might imply.

Mine protection:
Simple, because there is only one kit. It's used on the A6M, A6M CAN, Strv 122B and PSO, and might be used for the Leo UrbOps (i doubt it).

Turret top add-on armour:
For top protection, there are exactly two upgrade kits - Strv 122 and A6 EX/E/HEL, however both are related (in an evolutionary fashion - to the point that the A6 EX originally mounted the same kit as Strv 122). Afaik, the older Strv 122 kit is considerably heavier.
Turret side add-on armour:
For side protection of the turret, there is only one kit, exclusively used on the PSO demonstrator. The UrbOps will likely receive some additional side protection derived from this.
Turret front add-on armour:
There are only two basic add-on kits for the turret front - A5 and Pz 87 WE. A5 adds the well-known wedge shape on the front, the Pz 87 WE upgrade basically bolts titanium plates over the already redesigned turret front of the Pz 87. The A5 frontal wedge kit is used by all A5 and A6 versions including Strv 122.

The A6M CAN also adds a slat armour cage around the turret to provide some stand-off protection against HEAT jets.

Skirt armour:
Exists essentially in the old A4 variant, a somewhat better-armoured (newer) variant used on all A5/A6 models, and a heavily armoured variant on the PSO.
The two standard variants only extend over the forward two roadwheels, i.e. along the glacis. The PSO variant extends over the forward five roadwheels, i.e. also the crew compartment (but not the engine).

Hull add-on armour:
Add-on kit versions: (A6 EX/E/HEL / Strv 122 / A5 DK), A6M CAN, PSO / UrbOps. See below.
All other versions have basic A4 protection level on the hull (with some differences in crewspace protection, ie. liner etc), that includes German/Dutch A5 and A6 versions as well as the Swiss Pz 87 WE upgrade.

- The Strv 122 add-on essentially consists of a MEXAS-H kit bolted on the forward hull, including a redesign of the entire frontal hull. The upgrade used with the A5 DK as well as the one for A6 EX/E/HEL is also very similar to this, and externally looks identical to the MEXAS-H kit. Essentially, this is the same add-on kit, but evolving over the space of 10 years.
- The A6M CAN kit has a very distinct look, consisting essentially of armor plates bolted straight onto the basic A6M glacis. No other redesign features hull-armour-wise, which gives the kit a distinct "add-on look" btw, as opposed to the more integrated upgrade above.
- The PSO kit is also not related to the above MEXAS-H kit. There's no additional armour added to the glacis in this upgrade at all, instead the upgrade focusses on protecting other potentially weak points - rear side - against primarily asymmetric threats.

As an aside, there are already certain differences within this "basic A4 hull protection" stemming from the age of the particular hull mostly, or rather the batch in which it was produced - with newer batches, improved composite armour was used; in some of the above upgrades, the old armour was then also replaced by improved composite armour.
As a general notion, one can consider the basic A5/A6 hull to have somewhat improved armour in comparison to a "typical" A4 due to this - but this only stems from improvement to the armour structure, not from a rearrangement of armour or variation of thickness etc in any way.
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Old March 27th, 2009   #15
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Small detail: Not all German A5/A6 are fitted with the new side skirts. Some are still driving around with the old A4 ones (at least until 2007, don't know if they still do these days).
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