The German armored fleet will increase by 40% by 2023
On 8th May Germany launched an ambitious project to modernize its armored fleet Leopard 2, which will see it increase by 40% between 2019 and 2023. Awarded to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) by BAAINBw, the German counterpart Of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), this contract worth € 760M provides for the upgrade to standard 2A7V of 104 Leopard 2A4 currently put under cocoon. In addition to the 100 kits 2A7V, the BAAAINBw also ordered 32 chassis to become engineers and other pontoon tanks.
The evolution of security policy in recent years has convinced us of the importance of armored vehicles for our defense capability, "said Armin Schmidt-Franke, vice president of the BAAINBw in an official statement. The German armored fleet, consisting of more than 350 tanks during the Cold War, has gradually fallen to 225 platforms in service at present, including 152 2A6 and only 20 to the last 2A7 standard. But the invasion of the Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, coupled with the terrorist threat, have favored the rearmament of a Germany which must now ensure that it can deploy well-equipped troops in a very short period of time.
This contract will therefore enable the objective of 328 Leopard tanks announced by the German Ministry of Defense in April 2015 to be achieved. This will enable the six armored battalions, theoretically equipped with 44 tanks each, to operate again at full speed.
The Leopard 2A7V, or 2A7 +, is an evolution specifically designed to improve its survivability in urban environment. This kit includes a reinforced case for better protection against mines and other improvised explosive devices, as well as the addition of modular composite armor that can be fixed around the tank. Next, crew protection will be enhanced by the addition of a FLW-200 remote operated turret capable of being armed with a 7.62 or 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.
Finally, this program includes the installation of modernized infrared cameras and optics installed 360 ° around the tank, a support for the addition of a bulldozer blade or a demining tool, and New intercom installed outside the tank to allow the Allied troops to communicate with the crew.
If it is a major technological leap in comparison with the Leopard 2A4, the introduction of the 2A7V standard corresponds more to the desire for a revalorization of the armored park than to the constitution of a new generation of battle tanks . This will probably wait until 2030 to appear, through the hypothetical project of Franco-German tank.
