The KVT stage research was used for the next step in the KWS program. This time, two eighth production run Leopard 2A4 vehicles (built in 1991, vehicle nos. 11156 and 11157) were used – they were both referred to as
TVM (Truppenversuchsmuster – troop trial testbed). The second vehicle especially (referred to as TVM max) was upgraded with cutting edge electronics and, as a result, was potentially very expensive. Both were extensively tested between December 1991 and April 1992 in Aachen.
TVM
Times were, however, changing. The fall of the Soviet Union had a dramatic impact on all NATO military budgets. Without the threat of Soviet invasion, many military analysts believed the age of the tank was over and that the future belonged to light, mobile forces. Tank development funding began to dwindle.
The KWS program was subsequently divided into three stages – KWS I, KWS II and KWS III. Each stage focused on a different aspect of Leopard 2 improvement:
- KWS I focused on the installation of a 120mm L/55 gun and the use of new, advanced ammunition (with muzzle velocity of up to 1800 m/s)
- KWS II focused on additional armor (both turret and hull), crew protection systems and advanced battlefield electronics
- KWS III focused on the then-developed 140mm gun to replace the 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore and the integration of the IFIS system from the Leopard 2 IVT phase
This development program led to a breakthrough conference in Mannheim, after which, on March 30 1992, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland signed a contract defining what the future Leopard variant was to look like. A single fifth production run Leopard 2A4 (vehicle no.20823) was then rebuilt as a testbed under the designation of TVM 2 to correspond to the
Mannheim Configuration. It was heavily tested between 1993 and 1994. Compared to the TVM max and KWS II, the Mannheim configuration was a downgrade – additional hull armor, for example, was removed due to budget constraints.
It's worth noting that Sweden – a Leopard 2A4 user – did not accept the Mannheim configuration and chose instead to implement the TVM max configuration along with the additional hull and turret roof armor for its next Main Battle Tank. This is why the Swedish improved Leopard 2 (
Strv 122) is better armored than the German
Leopard 2A5.
Leopard 2A5
As a result of 1993-1994 tests, Germany and Krauss-Maffei signed a contract on December 29 1993 to convert the first 225 Leopard 2A4s from the sixth production run on to the Mannheim Configuration standard, now referred to as the Leopard 2A5. At the same time, the Netherlands signed a contract to convert 330 vehicles.
The most notable difference between the pre-2A5 Leopard 2s and the Leopard 2A5 is the wedge-shaped frontal turret spaced armor with a completely overhauled gun mantlet.
The electric driver's hatch was taken from the KVT program. The driver also has a rear-facing camera, allowing him to reverse much quicker than in the previous versions of the Leopard 2, where he had to depend on the commander for instructions.
Other changes include:
- New internal spall liner, protecting the crew against splinters
- New electric gun control mechanism and stabilizer
- Modified PERI-R17 commander's sight with a thermal imager (PERI-R17A2/TIM)
- Raised the EMES 15 fire control system position, the EMES 15 FCS housing received additional armor
These changes did increase vehicle weight to 59.5 tons, but the mobility of the vehicle was not impacted. The Leopard 2A5 is still armed with the 120mm L/44 smoothbore cannon by Rheinmetall, although two 2A5s were experimentally armed with the L/55, marking the start of the
Leopard 2A6 development.
Leopard 2A6
As for the conversion, the reason why only the newer Leopards 2A4 were selected for conversion was the use of the so-called D-Technologie. Batch 6 or newer Leopard 2s have improved armor composition compared to the older production runs (regardless of their later upgrade to the 2A4 standard), although all details are classified. It's worth noting that only Batch 6+ hulls were used in the conversion program, the turrets were taken from Batch 1 to 4, their armor layout improved. The leftover Batch 1 to 4 hulls were then mated with the leftover Batch 6+ turrets and offered for export.
The first converted Leopard 2A5s were transferred to the Bundeswehr on November 30 1995 and eventually a number of these vehicles became available for export, although not in numbers comparable to the popular Leopard 2A4 variant.
As mentioned above, the main user of the Leopard 2A5 – apart from Germany of course – was the Netherlands with 330 Leopard 2A4s converted to Leopard 2A5 status in 1994. Some were later upgraded to Leopard 2A6 status.
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https://aw.my.com/us/news/general/vehicles-focus-leopard-2a5
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