User:Catalan/sanboxleopard2e

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Leopard 2E

Spanish Leopard 2E in Madrid, October 2006
Type Main Battle Tank
Place of origin Germany and Spain
Service history
In service December 2003 to present
Used by Spain
Production history
Designer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Manufacturer Santa Bárbara Sistemas
Produced 2003 - 2008
Number built 219
Specifications
Weight approx. 63 tonnes
Length 7.7 m
Width 3.7 m
Height 3.0 m
Crew 4
Armor Composite armor, with increased thickness on glacis plate, turret mantel and turret roof
Primary
armament		 Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55
Secondary
armament		 2x 7.62 mm MG3s
Engine MTU MB 873 Ka-501 12-cylinder diesel
1,500 hp (1,103 kW) at 2600 RPM
Transmission Renk HSWL 354
Suspension torsion-bar
Fuel capacity 1,060 liters
Operational
range		 550 km
Speed 72 km/h

Spain's Leopard 2E program is part of an armament modernization program named Programa Coraza, or Program Armor. The tank's development represents a total of 2.6 million manhours worth of work, including 9,600 in Germany.[1] Procurement efforts began in 1994, culminating with an agreement to tranfer of 108 Leopard 2A4s to the Spanish Army in 1998 and the beginning of production of the Leopard 2E in December 2003.

Contents

[edit] Spanish Armor Programs 1987 - 1993

By 1987 the Spanish Army was equipped with 299 AMX-30Es, assembled by Santa Bárbara Sistemas,[2] and 552 M47 and M48 Patton tanks.[3] The former began to enter into service beginning in 1970,[4] while the latter in the mid-1950s.[5] Although Spain's M47s and M48s were modernized to M47Es and M48Es, bringing them to near equivalency to the M60 Patton tank,[6] they were considered antiquated.[7] In an attempt to replace its Patton tanks, the Spanish government declared its intent of locally producing a new main battle tank in 1984, subsequently known as the Lince.[8] Five companies expressed interest in bidding, including Krauss-Maffei in a partnership with Santa Bárbara Sistemas, GIAT with what became the Leclerc, the Italian MK3 tank, General Dynamics with the M1 Abrams and Vickers with the Valiant.[9] While the M1 Abrams and Valiant were not accepted,[10] the bid continued until 1989 when it was officially canceled.[11]

Instead, the Spanish government opted to replace its older Patton tanks with American M60 Patton tanks being retired from Central Europe in accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.[12] Although the Spanish Army was originally slated to receive 532 M60 and M60A1 tanks,[13] only 260 M60A3s were ultimately accepted, of which 244 were put into active service.[14]

[edit] Programa Coraza

[edit] Leopard 2A4

[edit] Leopard 2E

[edit] Production

[edit] References

  1. ^ Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Santa Bárbara Sistemas y el Programa Leopardo 2E, retrieved 2008-06-05
  2. ^ de Mazarrasa, Carro de Combate AMX-30E, p. 60
  3. ^ Manrique and Molina, La Brunete, pp. 69-74
  4. ^ de Mazarrasa, Carro de Combate AMX-30E, p. 58
  5. ^ Zaloga, The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks, pp. 36-37
  6. ^ Manrique and Molina, La Brunete, p. 73
  7. ^ Gonzáles, España negocia la adquisición de hasta 500 carros de combate que serán retirados de Centroeuropa, El País
  8. ^ El País, Cinco empresas compiten para cofabricar un carro de combate en España
  9. ^ Yarnóz, El Gobierno elegirá el mes próximo el carro de combate de los noventa, El País
  10. ^ Yarnóz, Serra descarta a EE UU y Reino Unido para cofabricar los nuevos carros, El País
  11. ^ Yarnóz, España eliminará decenas de carros de combate al concluir la negociación sobre desarme en Europa, El País
  12. ^ El País, El tanque de los noventa
  13. ^ Gonzáles, Defensa cifra en 1.500 millones el coste de los 532 tanques estadounidenses que recibirá a partir de 1992, El País
  14. ^ Military Technology, Europe, p. 192

[edit] Bibliography