ce fil un Espagnol est dédié à la voiture merveilleuse de combat le leopard 2e construit dans españa et avec la participation de l'industrie espagnole dans 60 % de la voiture je vous laisse quelques photos
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Ven 9 Déc 2011 - 12:53
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_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Ven 9 Déc 2011 - 12:56
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Leopard 2NG (Left), Leopard 2A4 (Right)
Leopard 2A7.
_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
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_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mar 29 Jan 2013 - 13:51
Citation :
Rheinmetall Leopard 2 MBT Revolution at Indo Defence 2012.
The MBT Revolution at a glance:
Spoiler:
The MBT Revolution at a glance:
Protection concept: Comprehensive protection from all current threats, including RPG 7, landmines, IEDs, bomblets, large-calibre KE ammunition and EO-, IR- and laser-guided weapons.
Digital turret core system: Fully integrated network capabilities, fully interoperable subsystems and components, with significantly shorter reaction times and smaller additional space requirements.
Fire control technology: An improved first round hit probability, especially when firing on the move.
New commander’s periscope: Night fighting and observation capabilities, improved range and higher elevation angles (up to 70°).
Situational awareness system: 360° day and night near-field view of the vehicle’s immediate surroundings, with automatic alarm and target-tracking functions.
Command and control system: New capabilities include real-time blue force tracking and red force visualization, augmented reality and MIP-DEM-based interoperability.
Commander’s brake: A revolutionary innovation that enables the commander to stop the tank if the driver is incapacitated.
Secondary armament: State-of-the-art remote control weapon station, fully stabilized and flexibly configurable
Ammunition: The world’s first temperature-independent KE tank round and the latest generation of programmable HE ammunition.
Climate control: High performance air conditioning coupled with a new insulation concept in the fighting compartment, improved ventilation and thermal protection for the magazine.
Auxiliary power unit: High electric power generation (17 kW) and optimised intelligent energy balance of the vehicle.
External two-way communications system: Enables the crew to communicate with persons outside of the tank.
Embedded logistics: Provides comprehensive monitoring of vehicle- and weapon system-relevant logistical data; linked with a central logistical information and evaluation system.
Weight class: MLC 70
Protection concept
By combining numerous individual components and measures, Rheinmetall has created a comprehensive 360° protection concept that addresses virtually every current threat. Thanks to the use of highly advanced materials and technologies, the increase in weight is comparatively small. Further advantages include easy mounting and dismounting of the protective modules on the vehicle’s exterior; the need for structural alteration is negligible.
Modular in design, the protection package contains the following elements:
Lateral protection of turret and hull against IED blasts, including shrapnel resulting from the detonation of multiple artillery shells or large explosively formed projectiles.
Protection of the hull against large-calibre KE rounds, precision guided munitions and guided and unguided antitank weapons.
Protection of the roof against artillery bomblet fragments.
Protection of the turret against large-calibre KE rounds, precision guided munitions and guided and unguided antitank weapons.
Protection of the vehicle’s underside and interior from mine blasts.
Decoupled magazine
Rosy, Rheinmetall’s unique new smoke/obscurant system, provides 360° protection against TV-, EO-, IR-, IIR-, laser and SCALOS-guided weapons. Unlike conventional smoke/obscurant systems, Rosy not only generates an instantaneous multispectral interruption of the line of sight in less than 0.6 seconds, it also produces a dynamic wall of smoke/obscurant which provides moving vehicles with lasting protection from multiple attacks.
Commander’s brake
Using tanks in contemporary conflict zones imposes certain requirements, some of them entirely new. Today, military operations often take place in built-up, heavily populated places, where great care has to be taken to avoid harming innocent civilians, causing friendly casualties or inflicting other forms of collateral damage; if not, the ensuing political fallout can easily wipe out weeks of operational gains.
In cooperation with RENK, Rheinmetall has developed a commander’s brake for the Leopard 2, which enables the commander to bring the tank to a partial or total halt. Observing, reconnoitring, identifying and engaging targets have long been subject to commander/gunner redundancy; now, for the first time, the critical safety feature of stopping the vehicle is available as an optional backup as well.
The commander’s brake can be integrated into any Leopard 2-type tank or combat support vehicle quickly and cheaply.
Digital turret concept
Today’s tanks are equipped with analogue turret systems which fail to provide the commander with a night vision capability, and which offer only limited possibilities for observing the effectiveness of fire, for example, and no means of digitally transmitting or processing video signals.
Rheinmetall has developed two ways of improving performance here. The first keeps the core analogue systems in place while adding advanced components (laser rangefinder, commander’s periscope, gunner’s thermal imaging system, etc.), which are integrated via interfaces. This economical solution makes it possible to bring important components up to date, and enables at least partial digitization of the system. However, this solution fails to make the best use of the limited space in the turret, and makes obsolescence unavoidable.
Rheinmetall’s globally unique digital turret concept, on the other hand, involves a complete overhaul of the core system, and is in many respects the optimum solution. This system requires considerably less space, and integrates all the components – from the vision system and fire control unit to the weapon engagement system to the C4I technology – into a single, highly efficient digital network, combining outstanding ergonomics, reliability and ease of use even in high-stress situations. The digital system reduces reaction times significantly, and increases the probability of a first-round hit. For the first time anywhere, an automated operating and weapon engagement concept gives the Rheinmetall system a hunter/killer capability. In connection with an intelligent C4I system, moreover, it features augmented reality as well as enabling training to take place directly in the vehicle in simulation mode.
Reconnaissance systems
The Seoss digital fire control unit, which stands for "stabilized electro-optical sensor system", provides an enhanced vision capability. Two-axis stabilized, it is equipped with a Saphir thermal imaging device, a daylight camera and an eye-safe laser rangefinder. The data required for evaluating the situation – including the target, system status, range and ammunition type – appear on a display in the fighting compartment. Seoss enables day and night engagement of targets even when the tank is on the move, including in periods of poor visibility. The user can choose between a 360° panoramic view of the battlefield or a coaxial, weapon-aligned perspective. Seoss also features an integrated fire control computer for six different types of ammunition.
In addition, an integrated situational awareness system (SAS) permits panoramic surveillance of the immediate vicinity of the tank, automatically detecting and tracking potential targets, helping to relieve pressure on the crew. The SAS consists of two to four modules, each covering 3 x 60°, plus high-definition colour cameras and high-performance night vision components. An interface to the fire control unit enables instant transmission of detected target data, enabling immediate engagement of emerging threats, primarily with the RCWS.
Remote control weapon stations
A remote control weapon station (RCWS) forms an essential part of a tank’s self-defence capability. One possible solution is the QIMEK, developed by Rheinmetall Canada, and mounted on the MBT Revolution tank. Modular design and a high degree of flexibility are the twin hallmarks of this fully stabilized remote control weapon station. Equipped with a universal cradle, the system can be fitted with a variety of different weapons, including a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Moreover, virtually any optical system can be built into the QIMEK. Other RCWS models, e.g. from Kongsberg, can be easily integrated as well.
Lethal systems
Rheinmetall is one of the world’s leading suppliers of large-calibre weapons and ammunition. The company’s globally acclaimed smoothbore L44 and L55 tank guns combine tremendous firepower with a high first round hit probability, even when the tank is on the move. Particularly in the field of weapons and ammunition, recent technological breakthroughs have let Rheinmetall make a vital contribution to the unsurpassed combat effectiveness of the Leopard MBT.
Rheinmetall’s latest ammunition product is the DM11, a 120mm HE tank round. Owing to its time-delay fuse, it is especially suitable for supporting infantry units tasked with taking lightly fortified positions as well as for engaging light and medium-weight armoured vehicles. After loading, an electronic module programs the time-delay fuse to detonate at a specific point in the projectile’s flight path: the round can be timed to explode for maximum effect either above, in front or inside of a target (e.g. after penetrating a wall). The DM 11 is thus a perfect match for the altered operational requirements of modern main battle tanks.
Based on the kinetic energy principle, the DM 53 (LKE II) is specifically designed to penetrate the latest multilayer tank armour, including reactive armour modules. The penetrator consists of a special tungsten alloy. The DM 53 can be fired from Rheinmetall L 44 and L55 tank guns.
Rheinmetall has developed the world’s first temperature-independent high-performance tank ammunition, the DM 63 and DM 53A1 (the latter is an upgraded version of the DM 53). What sets this round apart is its temperature-independent propulsion system (TIPS), which maintains its internal ballistic characteristics at a constant level through a broad temperature span. This new generation of ammunition is considerably more accurate and causes substantially less barrel erosion. The DM 63 can be used in climatic zones C2 to A1, and fired from any 120mm smoothbore tank gun.
The company’s newly developed 120mm PELE is an inert round. It contains no explosive and is therefore extremely safe to handle. When it hits its target, the low-density material inside the projectile becomes so compressed that it causes the warhead to burst, resulting in a large number of fragments, which travel exclusively in the round’s trajectory. This is especially advantageous in the case of semi-hard targets. PELE can be retrofitted into multipurpose ammunition or armour piercing rounds.
C4I and network-enabled warfare capabilities
Featuring uniform system architecture, Rheinmetall’s Iniochos command and information system is available for every echelon from brigade headquarters all the way down the individual soldier on the ground. A growing number of countries, including Greece, Spain, Sweden and Hungary have already opted for C4I solutions from Rheinmetall.
Iniochos is a family of tactical command and control systems whose functionalities can be adapted to specific operational spheres, e.g. a tactical operations centre, tactical vehicle or dismounted infantry. One of its most prominent features is systematic application of NATO interoperability standards, a critical advantage during international operations. This standardized system enables soldiers from participating nations to generate and share a common, role-oriented operating picture.
The Iniochos family consists of a command post system for brigade and battalion level operations (Iniochos C), a tactical vehicle C4I system (Iniochos V), and an application optimized for dismounted troops, Iniochos S.
Designed to support modern tactical operations, Iniochos incorporates the full range of current interoperability standards used in combined and joint operations. User- and role-specific configurability, scalability and a concept enabling joint use mean that this system is equally effective at every level from brigade to individual soldier. The flexible communications concept enables all participants to remain in direct contact via the combat radio net.
Climate control
An entirely new air conditioning and ventilation concept ensures maximum crew comfort even in hot climates. Air conditioning and thermal insulation in the fighting compartment, coupled with optimum ventilation and separate cooling of the driver’s compartment, result in a level of efficiency never attained before. Moreover, by ensuring that the ammunition on board remains fully functional, thermal insulation of the magazine contributes to operational safety. Thanks to intelligent control, the new climate control system automatically adapts to changing ambient conditions, assuring optimum use of energy. Simple cleaning and maintenance procedures are an added plus.
Auxiliary power unit
APUs have become increasingly important, especially in light of recent technical developments. Using an APU can optimize a vehicle’s energy balance. In many cases battery capacity is insufficient, especially when older types are used. If the battery power drops below a certain level the engine has to be started to recharge them. This results in excessive fuel consumption as well as producing unwelcome noise and heat. Fitting an APU can solve this problem.
Service portfolio
Both at home and abroad, Rheinmetall’s longstanding experience in the defence technology sector makes it a competent and reliable partner, and service is no exception. The company’s service portfolio encompasses logistical analysis and support, efficient project management as well as innovative holistic concepts such as embedded logistics and telemaintenance for optimizing logistics during deployed operations, etc.
Rheinmetall’s Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) programme merits special mention. CLS is an integrated package of services that guarantees the availability and readiness of an entire fleet of vehicles for . The CLS programme encompasses weapon systems as well as vehicles, and is by no means restricted to routine peacetime operations.
The first service contract of this kind was signed in 1991 with the US Army, primarily in support of operations in the Gulf. Today, along with the US military, CLI clients include the armed forces of the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Arab Emirates. In Germany, the Rheinmetall subsidiary Heeresinstandsetzungslogistik GmbH is responsible for keeping much of the German Army’s fleet of vehicles up and running.
To sum up. Balancing force protection and force projection, the main battle tank clearly has an important part to play in modern warfare and conflict management. No other land system combines firepower, survivability and mobility in quite the same way: its mere presence on the battlefield has the power to reassure friendly troops and break enemy morale. By creating greater operational flexibility, the many options of the MBT Revolution make it an economical solution that enables greater use of potentially decisive weapons systems already in military inventories.
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_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
mbarki_49 Colonel-Major
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mer 29 Juil 2015 - 19:58
Citation :
France et Allemagne s’unissent dans les chars
Le groupe public français Nexter Systems et son homologue privé allemand KMW entérineront leur rapprochement mercredi. Deux chars, un français le Leclerc, un allemand le Leopard descendant côte à côte les Champs-Elysées, le 14 juillet. Ce grondement de chenilles sur les pavés aurait symbolisé le rapprochement des deux fabricants de blindés, Nexter Systems et KMW s’il avait abouti avant la fête nationale. Il s’en est fallu de peu pour entendre ce son métallique, car c’est finalement mercredi 29 juillet que le mariage franco-allemand a été scellé. Cette fusion des numéros quatre et cinq mondiaux donne naissance au numéro deux européen de l’armement terrestre. L’ensemble pèse 1,8 milliard d’euros de chiffre d’affaires et emploie 6 500 personnes. S’il précède l’allemand Rheinmetall, ce nouvel acteur reste loin derrière les deux géants, l’américain General Dynamics et le britannique BAE Systems, quatre fois plus gros. « Historique ». Ainsi fut qualifiée cette opération au nom de code KANT (KMW and Nexter together) quand elle fut présentée officiellement en juillet 2014 à Paris. Elle concrétisait un rapprochement sans cesse évoqué pendant des années de part et d’autre du Rhin sans aller au-delà. Et surtout, il s’agit des premières grandes manœuvres européennes dans la défense depuis la création d’EADS en 1999, aujourd’hui Airbus Group, et dans la foulée de MBDA pour les missiles en 2001. Une longue période de fiançailles d’un an a permis de définir la structure du nouveau groupe. Le principe retenu est une alliance à parité, l’Etat français, propriétaire de Nexter, et la famille Bode-Wegmann, propriétaire de KMW, détenant chacun 50 % du nouvel ensemble, avec pour les Français une action spécifique afin de protéger les activités stratégiques, comme les systèmes d’armes et les munitions. Les discussions ont porté sur la valorisation de chaque ensemble qui ont abouti à un niveau quasi équivalent. La nouvelle entité appelée provisoirement « Newco » sera basée à Amsterdam, aux Pays-Bas. Cette société de droit néerlandais sera la holding de tête des deux structures opérationnelles, basées chacune dans un pays. En France, le siège sera à Satory, en Allemagne, à Munich. Les deux entités restent juridiquement indépendantes et conserveront leurs propres marques. Cette dualité se retrouvera dans la gouvernance. En dessous d’un chairman (président), pas encore désigné, devraient être nommés deux directeurs généraux, Philippe Burtin, actuel PDG de Nexter, et Frank Haun, le dirigeant de KMW. « Verrous administratifs » Plusieurs « verrous administratifs » devront cependant être levés avant que cette holding puisse être créée, à commencer par la publication de la loi Macron, qui autorise la privatisation de Nexter, l’Etat ramenant sa part de 100 % à 50 % dans le groupe d’armement. L’opération devra aussi obtenir le feu vert des autorités de la concurrence des deux pays et de Bruxelles. Cela ne devrait pas poser de problèmes, car l’industrie de l’armement terrestre reste très morcelée en Europe et le nouvel acteur franco-allemand ne sera pas en position dominante. Ces « conditions suspensives indépendantes des entreprises » devraient être levées d’ici à la fin de l’année estime un proche du dossier précisant que ce rapprochement n’aura « pas de conséquences sur l’emploi ». Cette future entité permettra aux deux constructeurs de « mutualiser leurs forces commerciales » et d’« avoir rapidement un catalogue commun », précise t-il, en attendant de développer ensemble de nouveaux armements dans quelques années. D’ici là, Nexter et KMW devront harmoniser la concurrence que se font à l’exportation le VBCI français et le Boxer allemand sur le marché des blindés à roues. De part et d’autre du Rhin, chacun poursuivra ses programmes nationaux, comme Scorpion pour Nexter, qui consiste à moderniser les chars Leclerc et à les équiper des technologies les plus récentes. Le contrat porte sur la rénovation d’un parc de deux cents chars, ainsi que sur celle de dix-huit dépanneurs de char (DCL rénové) pour 330 millions d’euros. Les premières livraisons sont prévues à partir de 2018. Vigilance allemande Le nouveau groupe se donne cinq ans pour préparer sa fusion, avec une mise en commun progressive de certains services. « MBDA a mis quinze ans avant de commencer à unifier ses activités et Airbus vingt ans pour ses hélicoptères », souligne un expert du secteur. En matière d’armement, l’une des difficultés consiste à spécialiser des sites dans l’un ou l’autre pays, chaque Etat veillant jalousement sur ses technologies sensibles, étant réticent aux transferts de certains composants. Autre frein, la différence de conception d’exportation des armements entre les deux pays. Si Paris soutient et encourage de telles ventes, Berlin est plus vigilant, provoquant parfois des tensions. Cette question est particulièrement sensible en Allemagne : « Le régime d’exportation ne bougera pas », a confirmé à l’AFP le ministère de l’économie allemand, précisant que « tout ce qui est développé et fabriqué dans des usines allemandes avec de la technologie allemande devra être soumis à autorisation » de Berlin. image: http://s1.lemde.fr/image/2014/04/15/24x24/1100512027_4_c588_13975752946093-telechargement_7083c4906ca953e0cb394b03fbc11fc5.jpg Dominique Gallois
En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2015/07/28/francais-et-allemands-creent-l-airbus-du-char-d-assaut_4702327_3234.html#QTxeY0yxATS5w9wy.99
PGM Administrateur
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mer 29 Juil 2015 - 21:11
Ça va faciliter à terme les ventes de Leo. Il vont alléger le processus d'agrément du parlement.
jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mer 9 Déc 2015 - 16:18
Citation :
L'industrie c'est fou : tank qui roule ne renverse pas sa mousse
Par Julien Bonnet - Publié le 09 décembre 2015
VIDÉO Après le char d'assaut japonais amateur de vin, voici le tank allemand accro à la bière ! Dans ce documentaire mis en ligne par l'armée allemande, la Bundeswehr, on peut en effet voir le véhicule blindé transporter une chope au bout de son canon de 120 mm. Lancé à pleine vitesse et sur un terrain accidenté, le tank n'en perd pas une goutte. Mais, non, il ne s'agit pas d'un nouveau service de livraison de bière en milieu hostile. Le but de cet exercice était de montrer l'extrême stabilité du canon alors que le char se déplace. Grâce à des systèmes de suspension très poussés et à des gyroscopes, les tanks modernes sont en effet capables de tirer en mouvement, en faisant une cible moins facile qu'auparavant pour les défenses ennemies.
Le documentaire sur le développement du char Léopard II (la vidéo démarre au moment de ce fameux "test de la bière") :
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Jeu 15 Déc 2016 - 22:33
Citation :
Two Turkish Leopard-2 main battle tanks were destroyed in Syria
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Dec 14, 2016
ISIS propagandists have released pictures of the strikes on Turkish Leopard-2 main battle tanks in Syria.
ISIS has targeted two Turkish Leopard 2A4s near Syria’s northern city of Al-Bab, making it the third anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) strike on Turkish Leopards in two days. Military experts believe that the tanks were hit with the Soviet-produced Fagot or Konkurs anti-tank guided missile system.
Earlier, Turkish troops in Syria, have lost the Leopard 2A4 tank, which was hit by an antitank guided weapons system near of Al-Bab. As a result of the missile hit, four armor crewmen were wounded.
German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks operated by the Turkish Armed Forces have been deployed to Syria for the first time since the start of Turkey’s Euphrates Shield incursion.
The quantity of deployed Leopard 2A4s could be estimated at around 50 tanks.
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Dim 25 Déc 2016 - 21:35
Citation :
More pics of damaged Turkish Leopard 2A4's.
Thanks to Darkness 99 for the pics.
That first pic is telling. That armor failed and the vehicle burned. Don't know about the second pic. The top panel is off and the ammo is exposed. What hit these tanks?
Regardless its two more Turkish Leopard 2A4's headed to the repair depot if they haven't been captured by ISIS.
That brings up another question. Why aren't the Turks making an effort to deny these tanks to the enemy? I would have thought that F-16 strikes would be launched to destroy any vehicle captured by ISIS but we haven't seen that.
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Dim 25 Déc 2016 - 22:16
Pourtant le char est bien dans une fosse ce qui a apriori exclus l'atgm...est-sûre qu'il n'a pas été sabordé par l'équipage ?
_________________
jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mer 28 Déc 2016 - 18:39
Sur la première photo le char a du être touché sur le coté droit de la tourelle par un projectile qui peut-être un atgm ou une roquette qui à noirci une parti de la tourelle ainsi que le sol et que le système anti-incendie a certainement fonctionnait limitent les dégâts et pour l'autre char sur la 2ème photo, la tourelle est tournée à 6 h peut-être que lui a été sabordé par son équipage, car le char n'a pas l'air d'avoir brulé contrairement au premier ou l'on peut voire la terre noirci sur le coté droit, ici rien.
jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: Leopard 2 Mer 18 Jan 2017 - 18:29
Citation :
Syrie : Les jihadistes de l’EI ont trouvé le point faible des chars Leopard 2A4 turcs
Posté dans Forces terrestres, Moyen-Orient, Opérations par Laurent Lagneau Le 18-01-2017
Á en croire un récent avis rendu par la Defense Security Cooperation Agency, une agence américaine qui gère les demandes d’exportation de matériels militaires, les forces saoudiennes auraient perdu au moins 20 chars M1 Abrams dans les combats au Yémen. Et l’armée turque, engagée depuis août dernier dans l’opération « Bouclier de l’Euphrate », menée dans le nord de la Syrie, connaît une mésaventure similaire avec ses Leopard 2A4 de facture allemande.
Ainsi, d’après les informations que l’on peut recueillir via les réseaux sociaux, les forces turques auraient perdu au moins 10 Leopard 2 lors de leur offensive contre l’État islamique (EI ou Daesh) à Al-Bab. Des pertes confirmées par le quotidien allemand Die Welt, pour qui la réputation du char de Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, qui passait jusqu’alors pour être « indestructible ».
Conçu pour contrer une offensive soviétique en Europe, le char Leopard a été vendu à 18 pays (toutes versions confondues), dont la Turquie, qui en a acquis 354 exemplaires d’occasion, modernisés en 2005 par ASELSAN.
Mais, visiblement, il n’est pas adapté au combat urbain étant donné que, au moment de sa mise au point, les ingénieurs allemands ont cherché le bon compromis entre la protection, la puissance de feu et la manoeuvrabilité sur le champ de bataille.
L’accent a donc été mis sur le blindage avant du char (il fallait résister à un choc frontal). Du coup, le Leopard 2 présente des faiblesses, notamment au niveau des flancs et de l’arrière de la tourelle. Et les jihadistes de l’EI l’ont très bien compris puisqu’ils visent ces parties vulnérables avec des missiles antichars Kornet, de fabrication russe.
Qui plus est, les Leopard turcs, contrairement aux versions ultérieures de ce char, ne disposent pas de systèmes de protection active et de blindage réactif qui permet de réduire les effets de l’impact d’une munition.
Une autre raison à ces pertes serait aussi le manque d’expérience des équipages turcs et l’absence d’une doctrine précise d’emploi des chars en combat urbain.
En tout cas, cela expliquerait, du moins en partie, les difficultés des forces turques et des groupes rebelles syriens soutenus par Ankara à chasser l’EI d’Al-Bab.
Germany’s Leopard 2 Tank Was Considered One of the Best — Until It Went to Syria
Germany’s Leopard 2 main battle tank has a reputation as one of the finest in the world, competing for that distinction with proven designs such as the American M-1 Abrams and the British Challenger 2. However, that reputation for nigh-invincibility has faced setbacks on Syrian battlefields, and placed Berlin in a uniquely awkward national-level dispute with Turkey, its fellow NATO member.
Ankara had offered to release a German political prisoner in exchange for Germany upgrading the Turkish army’s older-model Leopard 2A4 tank, which had proven embarrassingly vulnerable in combat. On Jan. 24, public outrage over reports that Turkey was using its Leopard 2s to kill Kurdish fighters in the Syrian enclaves of Afrin and Manbij forced Berlin to freeze the hostage-for-tanks deal.
The Leopard 2 is often compared to its near contemporary, the M-1 Abrams. In truth, the two designs share broadly similar characteristics, including a scale-tipping weight of well over 60 tons of advanced composite armor, 1,500 horsepower engines allowing speeds over 40 miles per hour and, for certain models, the same 44-caliber 120-millimeter main gun produced by Rheinmetall.
Both types can easily destroy most Russian-built tanks at medium and long ranges, at which they are unlikely to be penetrated by return fire from standard 125-millimeter guns.
Furthermore, they have better sights with superior thermal imagers and magnification, that make them more likely to detect and hit the enemy first — historically, an even greater determinant of the victor in armored warfare than sheer firepower. A Greek trial found that moving Leopard 2s and Abramses hit a 2.3-meter target 19 and 20 times out of 20, respectively, while a Soviet T-80 scored only 11 hits. Above — a U.S. M-1 Abrams tank and Leopard 2Avs during an exercise in Germany. U.S. Army photo. At top — a captured Turkish Leopard tank in Syria.
The modest differences between the two Western tanks reveal different national philosophies.
The Abrams has a noisy 1,500-horsepower gas-guzzling turbine, which starts up more rapidly, while the Leopard 2’s diesel motor grants it greater range before refueling. The Abrams has achieved some of its extraordinary offensive and defensive capabilities through use of depleted uranium ammunition and armor packages — technologies politically unacceptable to the Germans.
Therefore, later models of the Leopard 2A6 now mount a higher-velocity 55-caliber gun to make up the difference in penetrating power, while the 2A5 Leopard introduced an extra wedge of spaced armor on the turret to better absorb enemy fire.
German scruples also extend to arms exports, with Berlin imposing more extensive restrictions on which countries it is willing to sell weapons to — at least in comparison to France, the United States or Russia. While the Leopard 2 is in service with 18 countries, including many NATO members, a lucrative Saudi bid for between 400 and 800 Leopard 2s was rejected by Berlin because of the Middle Eastern country’s human-rights records, and its bloody war in Yemen in particular. German leopard 2A6. U.S. Army photo
The Saudis instead ordered additional Abramses to their fleet of around 400.
This bring us to Turkey, a NATO country with which Berlin has important historical and economic ties, but which also has had bouts of military government and waged a counter-insurgency campaign against Kurdish separatists for decades. In the early 2000s, under a more favorable political climate, Berlin sold 354 of its retired Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ankara.
These represented a major upgrade over the less well protected M-60 Patton tanks that make up the bulk of Turkey’s armored forces.
However, the rumor has long persisted that Berlin agreed to the sale under the condition that the German tanks not be used in Turkey’s counter-insurgency operations against the Kurds. Whether such an understanding ever existed is hotly contested, but the fact remains that the Leopard 2 was kept well away from the Kurdish conflict and instead deployed in northern Turkey, opposite Russia.
In the fall of 2016, Turkish Leopard 2s of the Second Armored Brigade finally deployed to the Syrian border to support Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkey’s intervention against Islamic State. Prior to the Leopard’s arrival, around a dozen Turkish Patton tanks were destroyed by both ISIS and Kurdish missiles. Turkish defense commentators expressed the hope that the tougher Leopard would fare better.
The 2A4 model was the last of the Cold War – era Leopard 2s, which were designed to fight in relatively concentrated units in a fast-paced defensive war against Soviet tank columns, not to survive improvised explosive devices and missiles fired by ambushing insurgents in long-term counter-insurgency campaigns where every single loss was a political issue.
The 2A4 retains an older boxy turret configurations which affords less protection from modern anti-tank missiles, especially to the generally more vulnerable rear and side armor, which is a bigger problem in a counter-insurgency environment, where an attack may come from any direction.
This was shockingly illustrated in December 2016 when evidence emerged that numerous Leopard 2s had been destroyed in intense fighting over Islamic State-held Al Bab — a fight that Turkish military leaders described as a “trauma,” according to Der Spiegel. A document published online listed Islamic State as apparently having destroyed 10 of the supposedly invincible Leopard 2s — five reportedly by anti-tank missiles, two by mines or IEDs, one to rocket or mortar fire, and the others to more ambiguous causes.
These photos analyzed by Bellingcat confirm the destruction of at least eight. One shows a Leopard 2 apparently knocked out by a suicide VBIED — an armored kamikaze truck packed with explosives. Another had its turret blown clean off. Three Leopard wrecks can be seen around the same hospital near Al Bab, along with several other Turkish armored vehicles.
It appears the vehicles were mostly struck the more lightly protected belly and side armor by IEDs and AT-7 Metis and AT-5 Konkurs anti-tank missiles. Undoubtedly, the manner in which the Turkish Army employed the German tanks likely contributed to the losses.
Rather than using them in a combined arms force alongside mutually supporting infantry, they were deployed to the rear as long-range fire-support weapons while Turkish-allied Syrian militias stiffened with Turkish special forces led the assaults. Isolated on exposed firing positions without adequate nearby infantry to form a good defensive perimeter, the Turkish Leopards were vulnerable to ambushes.
The same poor tactics have led to the loss of numerous Saudi Abrams tanks in Yemen, as you can see in this video. A Danish soldier guides a Leopard 2 during an exercise in Germany. U.S. Army photo
By contrast, more modern Leopard 2s have seen quite a bit of action in Afghanistan combating Taliban insurgents in the service of the Canadian 2A6Ms — with enhanced protection against mines and even floating “safety seats” — and Danish 2A5s. Though a few were damaged by mines, all were put back into service, though a Danish Leopard 2 crew member was mortally injured by an IED attack in 2008.
In return, field commanders praised the tanks for their mobility and for providing accurate and timely fire support during major combat operations in southern Afghanistan.
In 2017, Germany began rebuilding its tank fleet, building an even beefier Leopard 2A7V model more likely to survive in a counter-insurgency environment. Now Ankara is pressing Berlin to upgrade the defense on its Leopard 2 tanks, especially as the domestically produced Altay tank has been repeatedly delayed. The German Leopard 2A7. Photo via Wikimedia
The Turkish military not only wants additional belly armor to protect against IEDs, but the addition of an Active Protection System, or APS, that can detect incoming missiles and their point of origin, and jam or even shoot them down. The U.S. Army recently authorized the installation of Israeli Trophy APS on a brigade of M-1 Abrams tanks, a type that has proven effective in combat.
Meanwhile, Leopard 2 manufacturer Rheinmetall has unveiled its own ADATS APS, which supposedly poses a lesser risk of harming friendly troops with its defensive countermeasure missiles.
However, German-Turkish relations deteriorated sharply, especially after Erdogan initiated a prolonged crackdown on thousands of supposed conspirators after a failed military coup attempt in August 2016. In February 2017, Turkish authorities arrested German-Turkish dual-citizen Deniz Yücel, a correspondent for periodical Die Welt, ostensibly for being a pro-Kurdish spy. His detention caused outrage in Germany.
Ankara pointedly let it be known that if a Leopard 2 upgrade were allowed to proceed, Yücel would be released back to Germany. Though Berlin publicly insisted it would never agree to such a quid pro quo, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel quietly began moving towards authorizing the upgrade in a bid to improve relations in the face of what looks suspiciously like tank-based blackmail. Gabriel presented the deal as a measure to protect Turkish soldiers’ lives from Islamic State.
The Turkish government has confirmed deploying German #Leopard tanks against the Kurdish #YPG in Syria (#Afrin). Reports of their use in the offensive on the Kurdish-held Afrin region had provoked heated debate in Germany. https://t.co/rZN1AUsXAy via @dwnews pic.twitter.com/viNsjx4jrH
— Kaveh Ghoreishi (@KavehGhoreishi) January 30, 2018
However, in mid-January 2018, Turkey launched an offensive against the Kurdish enclaves of Afrin and Manbij in northwestern Syria. The attack was precipitated generally by Turkish fears that effective Kurdish control of the Syrian border would lead to a de facto state that would expand into Turkish territory, and proximately by an announcement by the Pentagon that it was recruiting the Kurds to form a “border security force” to continue the fight against Islamic State.
Photos on social media soon emerged showing that Leopard 2 tanks were being employed to blast Kurdish positions in Afrin, where there have several dozen civilian casualties have been reported. Furthermore, on Jan. 21, the Kurdish YPG published a YouTube video showing a Konkurs anti-tank missile striking a Turkish Leopard 2.
It is not possible to tell if the tank was knocked out; the missile may have struck the Leopard 2’s front armor, which is rated as equivalent to 590 to 690 millimeters of rolled homogenous armor on the 2A4, while the two types of Konkurs missiles can penetrate 600 or 800 millimeters of RHA.
In any event, parliamentarians both from German left-wing parties and Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union reacted with outrage, with a member of the latter describing the Turkish offensive as a violation of international law. On Jan. 25, the Merkel administration was forced to announce that an upgrade to the Leopard 2 was off the table, at least for now.
Ankara views the deal as merely postponed, and cagey rhetoric from Berlin suggests it may return to the deal at a more politically opportune time.