Leopard 2: A New Generation Emerges

From MBT-70 to Leopard 2

In the 1960s West Germany and the United States tried to build a joint super-tank, the MBT-70. It became too complex and expensive, and Germany pulled out in 1969. German engineers carried the lessons into a national program. Seventeen prototypes were built in the early 1970s, and in 1976 a revised version was trialled in the United States against the American XM1 (which became the Abrams). The two countries chose separate tanks but standardized on a common 120 mm gun and ammunition.

Germany placed its first production order in 1977; its purchases eventually totalled 2,125 tanks in five batches. Krauss-Maffei delivered the first production tank in October 1979, with MaK in Kiel as second production line. Krauss-Maffei later merged with Wegmann to form Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), which in turn merged with France's Nexter in 2015 to form KNDS. KNDS Deutschland builds the Leopard 2 today, with Rheinmetall supplying the gun and much of the ammunition.

What made it different

• Composite armor. Unlike the Leopard 1, the Leopard 2 used multi-layer composite armor in the turret front and hull, designed to defeat both kinetic penetrators and shaped charges.
• 120 mm smoothbore gun. The Rheinmetall Rh-120 fires fin-stabilized armor-piercing rounds at very high velocity. The same gun, built under licence as the M256, arms the American Abrams.
• Power. A 1,500 hp twin-turbo V12 diesel gives a power-to-weight ratio that, even at 60+ tonnes, lets the tank accelerate and move cross-country quickly.
• Fire control. Stabilized sights, a laser rangefinder and (from the 2A1) a thermal sight let it hit moving targets while on the move, day or night.

Leopard 2 specifications

For every version side by side, including the 2A5 and 2A8, see the Leopard 2 specifications table.

The main versions in brief

• 2A0–2A3: early production batches with incremental changes (thermal sight from the 2A1, new radios in the 2A3).
• 2A4: built from 1985 to 1992 with digital fire control and an automatic fire suppression system. The most-produced and most-exported version.
• 2A5: mid-1990s upgrade with the distinctive wedge-shaped add-on armor on the turret front.
• 2A6: 2001 onwards, adds the longer L/55 gun for more muzzle velocity.
• 2A7 / 2A7V: better protection against mines and roadside bombs, improved sights, more electrical power and urban-combat features.
• 2A8: the current production model, with the Trophy active protection system and further armor and sensor improvements. Now on order across Europe.

Dozens of national versions exist as well, such as Sweden's Strv 122, Spain's Leopard 2E and Greece's Leopard 2HEL. They are covered on the variants and upgrades page.

Combat record

For most of its life the Leopard 2 never fired in anger. That changed in the 2000s: Canada and Denmark used Leopard 2s in southern Afghanistan from 2007, where crews valued their protection against roadside bombs. Turkey lost several Leopard 2A4s in northern Syria in 2016–17, showing the vulnerability of older versions to modern anti-tank missiles when used without enough infantry support. Since 2023 Ukraine has used several versions against Russia, its first use in a large conventional war. See Leopard tanks in Ukraine.

How it compares

The Leopard 2's closest Western rivals are the American Abrams and the British Challenger. Its main opponent in Ukraine is the Russian T-72/T-90 family. We compare them directly in Leopard 2 vs Abrams, Leopard 2 vs Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 vs T-90.

Frequently asked questions