The Leopardo 2E or Leopard 2A6E (''E'' stands for for, es, España, Spain) is a variant of the German
Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...
main battle tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...
(specifically the
Leopard 2A6 variant), tailored to the requirements of the
Spanish army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
, which acquired it as part of an armament modernization program named ''Programa Coraza'', or Program
Cuirass
A cuirass ( ; ; ) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material.
The term probably originates from the original material, leather, from the Old French word and the Latin word . The us ...
. The acquisition program for the Leopard 2E began in 1994, five years after the cancellation of the
Lince tank program that culminated in an agreement to transfer 108
Leopard 2A4s to the Spanish army in 1998 and started the local production of the Leopard 2E in December 2002. Despite postponement of production owing to the 2003 merger between
Santa Bárbara Sistemas
Santa Bárbara Sistemas is a Spanish defense contractor based in Madrid, integrated under General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS), a business unit of General Dynamics which consolidated in one structure all European subsidiaries of GDLS.
...
and
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...
, and continued manufacturing issues between 2006 and 2007, 219 Leopard 2Es have been delivered to the Spanish army.
The Leopard 2E is superior to the
M60 Patton
The M60 is an American List of main battle tanks by generation#Second, second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. Although developed from the M48 Pa ...
tank, which it replaced in Spain's mechanized and armored units. Its development represented a total of 2.6 million
man-hour
A man-hour or human-hour is the amount of work performed by the average worker in one hour. It is used for estimation of the total amount of uninterrupted labor required to perform a task. For example, researching and writing a college paper ...
s' worth of work, 9,600 of them in Germany, at a total cost of 2.4 billion
euros
The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
. This makes it one of the most expensive Leopard 2s built. Indigenous production amounted to 60% and the vehicles were assembled locally at
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
by Santa Bárbara Sistemas. It has thicker armor on the
turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
and
glacis
A glacis (, ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More generally, a glaci ...
plate than the German Leopard 2A6, and uses a Spanish-designed tank command and control system, similar to the one fitted in German Leopard 2s. The Leopard 2E is expected to remain in service until 2025.
Spanish armor programs 1987–1993
By 1987, the
Spanish army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
was equipped with 299 French-designed
AMX-30E
The AMX-30E (''E'' stands for ''España'', Spanish for Spain) is a Spanish main battle tank based on France's AMX-30. Although originally the Spanish government sought to procure the German Leopard 1, the AMX-30 was ultimately awarded the contrac ...
s, assembled by Santa Bárbara Sistemas, and 552 American
M47 and
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun M48, armored, full-tracked, combat vehicle of the medium-gun tank class. It was designed as a replacement for ...
tanks. The AMX-30Es were put into service in 1970, while the latter went into service in the mid-1950s. Although Spain's M47s and M48s were modernized to M47Es and M48Es, bringing them to near equivalence with the
M60 Patton
The M60 is an American List of main battle tanks by generation#Second, second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. Although developed from the M48 Pa ...
tank,
[Manrique and Molina, ''La Brunete'', p. 73] the Spanish army considered them antiquated. In 1984, when deciding to replace its Patton tanks, the Spanish government declared its intention to produce a whole new main battle tank locally, since known as the
Lince. Five companies expressed interest in bidding, including
Krauss-Maffei
KraussMaffei is a German manufacturing company. It is a manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016.
History
KraussMaffei was forme ...
in a partnership with Santa Bárbara Sistemas,
GIAT
KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned ...
with what became the
Leclerc,
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...
with the
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams () is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heavies ...
and
Vickers
Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...
with the Valiant. While the M1 Abrams and Valiant bids were not accepted, the bidding continued until 1989 when it was officially canceled.
Instead, the Spanish government opted to replace its older Patton tanks with
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
M60 Patton
The M60 is an American List of main battle tanks by generation#Second, second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. Although developed from the M48 Pa ...
tanks retired from Central Europe in accordance with the
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atl ...
. Although the Spanish army was originally to receive 532 M60 and M60A1 tanks, only 260 M60A3s were ultimately delivered, of which 244 were put into active service in the army. In the late 1980s the Spanish Ministry of Defense approved a modernization program for 150 of its AMX-30Es and a reconstruction program for the remaining 149 vehicles of this type, restoring them to their original condition. However, neither the M60s nor the AMX-30s were a considerable improvement over Spain's fleet of M47 and M48 Patton tanks.
Since the existing tank fleet did not meet the Spanish army's needs, Spain opened talks with Germany and Krauss-Maffei over the possibility of future collaboration in regards to Spain's future tank,
[Candil, ''Carros de Combate'', pp. 161–162] and sent a military delegation to Germany in 1994. Although the Germans offered Spain surplus
Leopard 1
The Kampfpanzer Leopard, subsequently Leopard 1 following the introduction of the successive Leopard 2, is a main battle tank designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, first entering service ...
tanks and Soviet equipment incorporated into the
German army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
after the
reunification of Germany
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...
, the Spanish government declined these offers and pressed for the Leopard 2.
[
]
Programa Coraza
In March 1994, the Spanish Ministry of Defense created ''Programa Coraza 2000'' (Program Breastplate 2000), which focused on the procurement and integration of new armament for the Spanish army's modernization. The program included the Leopard 2E and the Pizarro infantry combat vehicle, as well as the Eurocopter Tiger
The Eurocopter Tiger is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter which first entered service in 2003. It is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), which arose from the merger of Aérospatiale's and DASA's respective helico ...
attack helicopter. The program's scope extended to the integration of 108 Leopard 2A4s, which were leased to Spain in late 1995.[Jerchel & Schnellbacher, ''Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979–1998'',p. 42] Apart from procurement, ''Programa Coraza'' was meant to prepare the Spanish army logistically for the introduction of new matériel.
Leopard 2A4
A memorandum of understanding was signed on 1995 between the German and Spanish governments, setting the foundations for an acquisition of up to 308 brand-new Leopard 2Es. These were to be assembled in Spain by Santa Bárbara Sistemas, with 60–70 percent of the components manufactured by Spanish companies, and production taking place between 1998 and 2003. Furthermore, the German government agreed to lend the Spanish army 108 Leopard 2A4
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...
s for training purposes for a period of five years.[González, ''Firmada adquisición de 308 tanques Leopard 2'', El País] These vehicles were delivered between November 1995 and June 1996.[ In 1998, Spain agreed to procure the ceded and reduce production of the brand-new Leopard 2E to 219 vehicles. In 2005 it was declared that the 108 Leopard 2A4s were to cost Spain just €16.9m, to be paid by 2016.
The equipped X and Infantry Brigade, which at the time formed part of ]Eurocorps
Eurocorps (, ), located in the French city of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), is a multinational corps headquarters. Founded by France and Germany in 1992, it is today composed of personnel from six framework nations and five associated nations. The fram ...
. As production of the Leopard 2E began and these units received Leopard 2Es, their Leopard 2A4s re-equipped the ''Alcántara'' Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Melilla
Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...
.
Spain's Leopard 2E is based on the Leopard 2A6,[Candil, ''The Spanish Leopard 2E'', p. 66] and incorporates the add-on wedge armor of the Leopard 2A5
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iteratio ...
on the turret. This armor maximizes the armor depth that a kinetic energy penetrator
A kinetic energy penetrator (KEP), also known as long-rod penetrator (LRP), is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate vehicle armour using a flechette-like, high- sectional density projectile. Like a bullet or kinetic energy weapon, this ty ...
must travel through to enter the internal volume of the turret. Like the Swedish Leopard 2S (Strv 122
Stridsvagn 122 (strv 122, ) is a Swedish main battle tank that, like the German Leopard 2A5, is based on the German Leopard 2 Improved variant using such newer technology as command, control, and fire-control systems, reinforced armour, and l ...
), the Leopard 2E has increased armor thickness on the hull's glacis plate, the turret frontal arc and the turret roof,[ bringing the vehicle's weight close to 63 ]tonne
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...
s (69.4 tons
Tons may refer to:
* Tons River, a significant river in India
* Tamsa River, locally known as Tons in its lower parts (Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India)
* The plural of ton, a unit of mass, force, volume, energy, or power, which includes:
...
). The vehicle's protection is augmented by the added armor that is built into the tank during the manufacturing process, as opposed to being added on after assembly[ as is the case for German Leopard 2A5s and 2A6s. As a consequence, the Leopard 2E is one of the best-protected Leopard 2s in service.][
The tank is armed with ]Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...
's L/55 tank-gun, and is capable of adopting a gun. Both the tank commander and gunner have identical second-generation thermal viewers, derived from those of the TOW 2B Light Launcher System.[Candil, ''Leopard 2E MBT Delivery Begins'', p. 74] These are integrated into the tank by Indra
Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics.[ Indra provides the tank's command and control system, called the Leopard Information and Command Equipment (LINCE),][ based on the Swedish and German ''Integrierte Führungssysteme'' (IFIS).][ Other differences between the Spanish Leopard 2E and other Leopard 2A6s include an ]auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...
, manufactured by SAPA, an air-conditioning system and new rubber pads for the vehicle's tracks to increase their lifespan on the irregular Spanish terrain.[ About 60% of each Leopard 2E was manufactured in Spain, as opposed to 30% for the Swedish Leopard 2s, for example.
Although the final contract for the production of Spanish Leopard 2Es was signed in 1998, calling for a production rate of four tanks per month, the first Leopard 2Es were not manufactured until late 2003.][Candil, ''Leopard 2E Delivery Begins'', p. 73] This was largely due to the merging of Santa Bárbara Sistemas with General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...
,[ and Krauss-Maffei's reservations regarding the sharing of the Leopard 2's technology with a rival company manufacturer of the ]M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams () is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare, it is one of the heavies ...
. Krauss-Maffei delivered 30 Leopard 2Es between 2003 and 2006. Production by Santa Bárbara Sistemas was delayed after assembly had begun; between January and November 2007, for example, only three of the 43 Leopard 2Es to be delivered to the Spanish army were actually delivered—with 15 more being delivered before the end of the year to make up for the earlier production problems.[ By 1 July 2006 the Spanish army had received 48 Leopard 2Es and nine Büffel armored recovery vehicles, which was only a quarter of those contracted. Production of the Leopard 2E was planned to end by 2007 but was extended into 2008.][
The Leopard 2E replaced the Leopard 2A4 in Spanish mechanized units, which in turn replaced M60s in cavalry units. Both versions of the Leopard 2 are expected to remain in service with the Spanish army until 2025.][Candil, ''Un entorno industrial plagado de dificultades'', p. 40] In terms of industrial scale, the production and development of the Leopard 2E represents a total of 2.6 million man-hour
A man-hour or human-hour is the amount of work performed by the average worker in one hour. It is used for estimation of the total amount of uninterrupted labor required to perform a task. For example, researching and writing a college paper ...
s of work, including 9,600 in Germany.[
]
Santa Bárbara Sistemas y el Programa Leopardo 2E
'', Santa Bárbara Sistemas, retrieved 2008-06-05
It is one of the most expensive Leopard 2s built;[Candil, ''Un entorno industrial plagado de dificultades'', p. 45] the original contract was worth €1,910m but the final cost was €2,399m.
Comparison with other tanks in Spanish service
The Spanish army replaced its M60 Patton tanks and AMX-30s with the Leopard 2 between 1995 and 2008, a considerable improvement in capability. Previously, the Spanish army was equipped with M47 and M48 Patton tanks, which were upgraded to near M60 equivalency during the late 1970s and during the 1980s.[ Both the Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2E sport a much more powerful gun than the AMX-30 and M60 tanks. The Leopard 2's engine][ provides greater power than the M60A3's ][ and the AMX-30EM2's engines.][de Mazarrasa, ''Carro de Combate AMX-30E'', p. 81] On the other hand, the Leopard 2 carries fewer, but larger, rounds[ than the M60A3.][
]
Gallery
See also
* Tanks in the Spanish Army
* List of armoured fighting vehicles by country
This is a list of armoured fighting vehicles, sorted by country of origin. The information in round brackets ( ) indicates the number of AFVs produced and the period of use. Prototypes are marked as such.
In the case of multi-national ...
* Stridsvagn 122
Stridsvagn 122 (strv 122, ) is a Swedish main battle tank that, like the German Leopard 2A5, is based on the German Leopard 2 Improved variant using such newer technology as command, control, and fire-control systems, reinforced armour, and ...
* Leopard 2PL
Notes
References
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{{featured article
Main battle tanks of Germany
Main battle tanks of Spain
Post–Cold War main battle tanks
Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s
Germany–Spain military relations