Leopard 2 is made in Germany and is the most exported western tank in the world. It has a long history of upgrades and is currently at 2A7+ which now includes a crew-compartment cooling-system. The 2A4M &2A6M have added mine protection (M). Armed with either the 120mm smoothbore L/44 gun (best for finned and explosive rounds) or L/55 (better for range and sabot penatrators against other tanks). Canada has both types.
Leopard 2 Quick Facts:
- Crew of 4
- 12 cyl. twin turbo diesel engine 1,450 hp.
- 62 tons
- Speed 68km/hr
- 120mm smooth bore gun
Canada acquired 100 leopard 2 tanks in 2007 because of lessons learned in Afghanistan (Canada was retiring its leopard C2 and was going to go with a 105 gun system on its LAV 111 chassis). Canada had to quickly borrow/buy 20 of the 2A6M type. Later purchased 20 of the 2A4M type and 40 of the 2A4 type for training. Canada also purchased some additional tanks for parts (mostly for the turrets) and as recovery vehicles. Canada also did its own upgrades on the turret drive system (now electric), optics, slat & bolt on added protection, cooling system and more. These improvements made all the Canadian combat tanks to be comparable with the 2A7+.
image sources
- Leopard2_wiki: Anders Lagerås CC BY 3.0 Unported