Leopard C1/C2

     Notes: By the mid-1970s, it was becoming more and more obvious that Canada’s MBT fleet was aging to the point of being near-useless on the modern battlefield.  The bulk of the tank fleet consisted of Centurions, which had been put into service in the early 1960s, and though they were upgraded a number of times, they were by no means a match for Soviet tanks of the mid-1970s, let alone projected Soviet developments in the 1980s.  The Canadians looked at several tanks to replace them, including several French designs such as the AMX30B2 and AMX32, British designs such as the Chieftain, and the German Leopard 1.  In the end, they chose the Leopard 1 as the best compromise between effectiveness and survivability and price point.  The Leopard 1 was available in different levels of upgrading, was semi-modular in construction, and could be further modified easily. They entered service in 1978.

Leopard C1

     The Canadians called their variant of the Leopard 1 the C1.  It’s base was the Leopard 1A3; however; they had a number of customized features and equipment added. The major difference was the addition of the SABCA Fire Control System, a Belgian-made system featuring a laser rangefinder, seven sensors for wind, barometric pressure, temperature, tank motion, barrel droop, cant, gun wear, and the effects of any recent previous shots. These were assembled for the gunner by a new fire control computer. This system was quite advanced for the time and more advanced than that fitted to most NATO tanks of the time. The C1 also had Lexan passive armor added to the turret sides, hull sides, and glacis, over the already-improved armor of the 1A3.  This additional armor was lighter than standard steel or aluminum appliqué armor of the time, though the bolts fastening it on had to be tightened with a torque wrench instead of an ordinary wrench to avoid cracking at the mounting holes in the Lexan.  (The Lexan itself was a cheap method of making applique armor, but not a very effective one.) Another difference is the use of C-6 machineguns instead of MG-3s.

Leopard C1A1

     A handful of Leopard C1s received a further upgrade in the mid-1990s, and were deployed as part of KFOR in 1999.  These tanks, designated Leopard C1A1, had a thermal imager added to the fire control suite (accessible by the commander), and the fire control computer and sights were modernized.  However, the primary modifications were in the armor suite – 57mm of steel belly armor was added.  The side skirts had their outer layer of steel backed with rubber, which increased armor value without an undue increase in weight or cost.  The front third of the skirts, however, were improved with additional steel armor. 

     Six C1A1s, which did not receive any additional designator, were equipped with MEXAS appliqué composite armor, and a rather thick set of appliqué at that – the front of the turret actually acquired the same wedge-shaped front as that of the later Leopard 2A5 (though the armor was not as heavy); the appliqué was applied to the glacis, hull sides, turret sides, and turret front.

Leopard C2

     In 2000, the 114 remaining C1 tanks (out of an original 127) were upgraded to the C2 standard.  The C2 was made by fitting Leopard 1A5 turrets onto the C1 hulls (and modifying them, of course).  Equivalent fire control and sighting equipment of different manufacture was also fitted to the Leopard 1A5 turrets.  The result is essentially the same as the Leopard C1A1 in game terms, though inside the turrets were redesigned to give the crew a bit more elbow room, and of course the exterior shape of the turret is also a bit different. Differences are primarily in interior arrangement of the turret, some stowage, and of course modernized fire control, sighting, and electrical systems. The C2s still remain in service, and were used and are to an extent still used in Afghanistan. 

     Shortly after their appearance in Afghanistan, the Leopard C2s were fitted with the same MEXAS appliqué armor kit as was used on the six C1A1s mentioned above for the KFOR mission.  The C2s with MEXAS may be, in game terms, be treated the same as the C1A1 with MEXAS. Though their combat performance was acceptable, crew fatigue was a problem – the heater proved inadequate in the winter and high heat was a big problem for the crew in the Afghanistan summers, especially in the southern regions of the country.  Though a few were fitted with air conditioners on the rear deck, this was a stopgap, cumbersome, and ultimately unsuccessful modification, and led directly to Canada investing in the Leopard 2A6M.  The Canadian Army also cited some dissatisfaction with the armor protection, and the inability of the main gun to fire canister rounds.

     In 2007, the Canadian Army announced their intent to replace the 66 remaining Leopard C2s with LAV III MGSs.  This replacement, however, has been delayed indefinitely due to budgetary problems; in addition, Canadian experiences in Afghanistan convinced the Canadian Army that tanks were still necessary in a modern army, and they don’t intend to get as many LAV III MGSs even when the money is there.

     Note that 23 Leopard C1s and C2s have been sold to various companies in North America (probably to museums or collectors, though I know of a ski resort in Colorado that uses a T-55 for avalanche control; maybe some ski resort is using a Leopard C1 or 2…), 4 were put on display in museums or used as monuments in Canada, and 11 were put on target ranges.

*The front third of the hull sides has an AV of 20Sp.  Belly AV is 10.

**The front third of the hull sides has an AV of 23Sp. Belly AV is 10.

Canadian Leopard 2s

     The Canadians’ deployment to Afghanistan in Summer 2007 was a bit rushed, and the Canadians basically went to war with what they had.  They had some slightly modified Leopard 2A4s, but the bulk of their tank force consisted of the Leopard C2, which in 2007 was approaching 40 years old and proved inadequate for conditions in Afghanistan as well as not being protected enough.  (There was also one incident where the insurgents got a mobility kill on a C2 using an ancient RPG-2.) Canada borrowed 80 Leopard 2A4Ms and 2A6Ms from Germany, and then another 20 from the Netherlands.  Only five 2A4Ms were deployed to Afghanistan; instead, the 2A6Ms were deployed in large numbers, and most of the 2A4s were actually converted into various engineer and support vehicles, including the Buffel and Dachs variants. Some 40 were retained for the tank crews to tear them up while training). Some were also put in storage to supply a stock of spare parts. (Many of the parts of the 2A4M can also be used on the 2A6M; the 2A4M CANs used for parts are euphemistically called “Logistic Supply Vehicles.”.)

Leopard 2A4M CAN

     The Leopard 2A4Ms loaned by Germany are essentially stock versions, except that the turret drive is improved to permit faster rotation; they also have air conditioning.  The 20 borrowed from the Dutch, on the other hand, were loaned to the Canadians under the condition that no major changes that are not easily reversible would be made.  Since Dutch 2A4Ms do not have air conditioning, neither do the borrowed Canadian tanks, and the black boxes at the rear of the hull, rumored to be an air conditioning unit, is actually extra Canadian-built communications gear (they were not permitted to remove the Dutch commo gear). The 2A4M CAN has the 2A4’s upgrades to the automatic fire detection and suppression system and a new digital fire control module able to compute fire with newer projectile types.  Part of the turret armor was replaced with a titanium/tungsten/steel sandwich on the 2A4, and this carried over to the 2A4M CAN.

     The 2A4Ms borrowed from the Germans retain their MG-3 machineguns, while the ones borrowed from the Dutch retain the MAG machineguns that the Dutch use.  The most obvious change, however, is that the hull and turret are surrounded literally by two cages (turret and hull) of bar/slat armor to increase protection against HEAT rounds; equipment storage baskets built into part of this structure can be used not only for storage, but to further increase protection.  The cages do not interfere with sighting equipment, rotation of the turret, or use of the commander’s machinegun. 

     Canada later bought the loaned tanks from both Germany and the Netherlands to allow for even more modifications to be made, and they intend to buy as many as 40 more. Some of the first modifications were the replacement of the MG-3s and MAGs with C-6s.  The glacis and turret are upgraded with applique composite armor kits, and the turret has the distinctive wedge shape usually found on European Leopard 2A4Ms and 2A6s. Additional belly armor was added to increase protection against mines and IEDs; this is a result of lessons the Canadians learned in Afghanistan. (Perhaps unique in the world so far, the Canadians have even applied some MEXAS to the bellies of the 2A6M CANs and 2A6M CANs.) Most of the cage armor was removed after the Canadians returned home, but it remained on the rear of the turret rear and hull rear.  Air conditioning was installed on all of Canada’s 2A4M CANs, as was a 12kW APU.

     Before the Afghanistan deployment, the Canadian Army was seriously considering replacing the 120mm L/44 guns with L/55 guns; however, the L/44 guns proved to be adequate and the L/55 guns were put on the back burner.  Still, I have included the Leopard 2A4M CAN with an L/55 gun in the stats below.  A CITS was installed.  Leopard 2A4M CANs may be fitted with a mine plow, mine roller, or dozer blade with little work or time.

Leopard 2A6M CAN

     Much of the above (Including the general 2A6 version listed in German Tanks) applies to the Leopard 2A6M CANs, but an upgrade in armor like the 2A4M CAN was deemed not necessary; many armor experts, like the Canadian Army, consider Leopard 2A6 armor to be on par with tanks like the M1A2 and Challenger 2.  However, the Leopard 2A6M CAN has lugs for ERA on the glacis, turret sides, turret front (and one quarter of the turret roof) and hull sides.  For deployment to Afghanistan, the 2A6M CANs were fitted with cage armor on the turret sides, turret rear, hull rear, and back half of the hull sides.

     The Leopard 2A6M CAN uses an L/44 gun instead of the L/55 guns which are standard on most Leopard 2A6s.  The Canadians feel that this gun is more useful in urban and mountainous terrain. The Canadians are currently still considering rearming the 2A6M CANs with L/55 guns, and of course I put in an L/55 version below. A CITS did not need to be installed, as the 2A6 already has one. The Leopard 2A6M CAN also uses a 20 kW APU which provides much more power, and has an air conditioner.  Ammunition stowage is also rearranged to reflect newer ammunition types available.  The land navigation system is a combination of inertial navigation, GPS, a mapping system, and a computer to tie all the information together.  The bulkhead between the engine and crew compartment has been reinforced, and the engine compartment has its own fire detection and suppression system. 

     The standard engine is still the 1500-horsepower MTU MB-873 engine, but a version of the EuroPowerPack with 1650 horsepower has been tested in the Leopard 2A6 and found satisfactory. The Canadian Army has not yet made a decision about whether to change to the EuroPowerPack, but I included it below in the stats anyway.

     Leopard 2A4M CANs and 2A6 CANs have recently had a BMS installed, with vehicle state sensors and GPS.

**Turret roof AV for the 2A6M CAN is 14Sp.  Hull floor AV is 15Sp.