What is the Leopard 2, the German tank clamored for by kyiv?
The Leopard 2 tank, which Berlin agreed to deliver to kyiv on Wednesday, is a world-renowned weapon. Designed by the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei, it was built in series from the end of the 1970s to replace the American M48 Patton tanks, then the Leopard 1 tank. The more advanced Leopard 2 combines firepower, mobility and protection.
This tank, which weighs about sixty tons, is equipped with a 120 mm caliber smoothbore cannon allowing it to fight the enemy while moving, up to 70 kilometers per hour, with a range of 450 kilometers. It is also equipped, according to the manufacturer, with a “integral passive protection” effective against mines and rocket launchers. Its crew of four also benefits from technological tools allowing it to locate and target the enemy at long distance.
Another major advantage: the Leopard tank is widespread on the European continent, thus facilitating access to ammunition and spare parts and simplifying maintenance, which is demanding for this type of equipment.
The last four models to date are still in use, from the 2A4, which Poland offers to deliver fourteen copies to kyiv, to the 2A7, which Berlin is unwilling to part with, preferring to keep it for its own defence.
Germany, which possesses a total of 312 Leopard 2s, including a hundred in maintenance, according to the German press, will therefore deliver fourteen copies of the 2A6. It is equipped with a longer barrel of 1.32 meters than the previous versions. It can fire more powerful ammo and with improved accuracy. This tank also has enhanced mine protection.