The Leopard 2 is a modern German 3rd generation main battle tank. The first prototypes of the vehicle were manufactured in 1973, and serial production, which began in 1979, continues to this day. As of today (2018), 3,480 tanks of this type have been produced. The Leopard 2 is equipped with a 1,500 hp MTU MB 873 Ka 501 engine. The vehicle is armed with one 120 mm Rheinmetall Rh-M-120 cannon and two 7.62 mm MG3 machine guns.
The Leopard 2 was developed in response to a demand for a new main battle tank announced by the Bundeswehr in the early 1960s. The new vehicle was to replace the Leopard 1 tanks in the West German army. Initially, cooperation with American companies (e.g. Chrysler) was carried out within the framework of a project called MBT-70. However, after a few years, the cooperation was terminated, and further work was focused only on German companies. Despite a very long process of analytical, research and experimental work, which lasted almost 15 years, the Leopard 2, introduced into service in 1979, turned out to be revolutionary and surpassed the then Soviet developments. Many analysts consider it the first third-generation tank in history, including the M1 Abrams, the French Leclerc or the much later Russian T-90 tank. The Leopard 2 is characterized, first of all, by its unprecedented – until 1979 – mobility and maneuverability among tanks of this class due to the use of a powerful 1,500 hp engine. It also has very good booking, made of composites and a fire control system (FCS). It was also armed with the excellent Rh-M-120 gun, which became the standard for many NATO countries in the 1980s and 1990s. During the series production of the Leopard 2, several versions of the tank were created, two of which deserve special attention: the A 4 and the A 6. The A 4, which first appeared in 1985, has a significantly improved and improved SKO version compared to previous versions, as well as an improved turret and frontal hull armor. It is also the most widely exported version. At the beginning of the 21st century, the A 6 version was created, which mainly received the Rh-M-120 gun with a much longer barrel (L/55), which significantly improved its penetration ability. The latest development of the Leopard 2 tank is the A 7 version, which entered service with the Bundeswehr in 2014. Due to its very high combat value, the Leopard 2 was exported to many countries, including: Austria, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway or Poland, which has 247 tanks of this type in the A 4 and A 5 versions.
