Last week, the Canadian Army took delivery of 20 modernised Leopard 2 A4M CAN main battle tanks (MBTs) from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). The Munich-based armoured vehicle manufacturer handed over the tanks to Canadian military representative during a roll-out ceremony at the training area at Bergen, Germany. According to KMW, the enhanced Leopard 2s are soon expected to be deployed to Afghanistan in order to provide the Canadian soldiers with a high level of protection and firepower. The Canadian Forces have already made very positive experiences with the Leopard 2 A6M main battle tank in Afghanistan.
This was also emphasised by Daniel Hebert, Project Manager Tank Replacement Project, during the ceremony by stating: “The flexibility, professionalism and teamwork exhibited by KMW over the past three years to support Canada’s Leopard 2 A6M in Afghanistan was exceptional. Now, with the Leopard 2 A4M, KMW continues to be instrumental in providing Canada with superior firepower, mobility and the protection required to save lives.”
Besides Denmark’s Leopard 2A5DK, 19 Leopard 2A6M’s are operated by Canada in this demanding terrain and special conditions of the Central Asian country. The military leadership, as well as the Ministry of Defence, has repeatedly expressed their satisfaction with this weapon system. Particularly a statement by Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay of early 2009 underlines Canada’s recognition of the Leopard 2: “Those Leopard tanks are lifesavers. They are game changers and we want to get those tanks where they can be used to save lives and to further the aims of the mission,” the Minister said.
It is the first deployment in which the Leopard 2 has been exposed to several attacks, particularly with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Major André Picard of the Canadian Equipment Management Ram for Heavy Armoured Vehicles told defpro.com at a KMW celebration for the tank’s 30-year anniversary (see http://goo.gl/VJ3T) that the Leopards had suffered an unnamed number of IED hits and were involved in several attacks by insurgents. Picard did not confirm any attacks with rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), which have become one of the major threats in the combat zones of Afghanistan. However, he emphasised that troops are very satisfied with the tank and its show of force and fire power has significantly helped to suppress attacks. Picard confirmed in 2009 that Canada would keep the Leopard 2 in the Afghan theatre as long as the mission continues.
The modernisation of 20 Leopard 2s of the Canadian Forces was launched in July 2009 in order to adapt the tanks to the troops’ special requirements in Afghanistan. Thus, the successful implementation of the modernisation programme, including development, retrofitting and overhaul, took a little more than a year since the contract was awarded to KMW.
The result of this modernisation effort, the Leopard 2 A4M CAN, takes into account the Canadian Forces’ experiences with this weapon system in Afghanistan of the past years. In cooperation with the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and the Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB), a range of new technologies have been integrated with the successful basic tank platform.
According to KMW, “the main focus of the new design was consistent protection of the crews, who are subjected to enemy attacks with powerful anti-tank projectiles and are in constant danger from mines and IED’s. The starting point for the protection concept is outstanding protection from mines and good all-round protection.”
In addition, the tanks now feature a pioneer equipment interface, which allows the troops to carry out more tasks with a single heavy combat vehicle platform. The applicable equipment includes mine rollers, mine ploughs and dozer blades. The modernisation also takes into account the extreme climate conditions of Afghanistan’s arid southern provinces.
Leopard 2A4M
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09-10-2010, 23:42
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