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BG Archive
— CF Leased & Purchased Leopard 2A6M / 2A4 Tanks |
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On 12 April 2007, DND confirmed rumours that Canada would
acquire 'new' Leopard tanks. As reported in Der Spiegel, Canada will first lease 20
mine-protected Leopard 2A6Ms from Bundeswehr stocks. But the follow-on purchase was not
for ex-German tanks. Instead, 100 "slightly used" tanks would come from the Netherlands
in an order for 20 Leopard 2A6s and 80 early Leopard 2A4s, all refurbished.[1]
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Apparently, the Dutch government swung Canada a better deal than the Germans. [2]
The $650M cost was to cover both the leased and purchased tanks. Logistics and training were to be
included as well. [3] The ex-Dutch Leopard 2s have a slightly different equipment fit, some
suit Canada well (like machinegun commonality) but many others will be 'Canadianized'.
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On 02 August 2007, Leopard 2 maker KMW announced delivery of "the first of 20 main battle
tanks Leopard 2 A6M CAN to the Canadian Forces". This press release said that, in
the preceding weeks, "...KMW has readapted those tanks ... to a configuration that meets all
requirements for the current missions [including] the installation of slat armor". The slat armour came as a
surprise (although the anti-RPG "cages" were appearing on CF TLAVs in Afghanistan too). These vehicles were fitted
with CF electronics and air conditioners but retained some German equipment (MG3 machineguns). Under the loan terms,
Canada would restore the tanks to Bundeswehr standards replace any destroyed vehicles. It turns out that the
surviving 2A6Ms will serve until July 2011.
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The 20 Leopard 2A6M CANs on loan were flown into
Kandahar in Aug 2007. Although modified to CF standards, the add-on armour of the 2A6Ms originally stopped
use of mine-rollers and ploughs. This meant old Leopard
C2s had to be retained in Afghanistan. In the 2007 plans, while the loaned tanks deployed, ex-Dutch
tanks would arriving in Canada for training [4] in the Autumn of 2007.
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KMW Leopard
2A4 / 2A6M Main Battle Tank – Specifications
| Crew: |
driver, gunner, loader / radio op.,
commander |
Armament:
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Rheinmetall L/55 120mm / L/44 120mm main gun,
42 rounds, main gun range: 3,500 m (11,483 ft) |
Size:
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L x 9.97m / 9.67m (gun fwd.), 7.74 / 7.72m
(hull),
W x 3.74m / 3.54, H x 3.0m / 2.8m (cupola top) |
| Weight: |
Combat weight: 62 tonnes / 55.15 tonnes
[5] |
| Engine/trans: |
1100 kW MTU MB 873. Renk HSWL 354 [6] |
| Max. Speed: |
68 - 72 km/h, off-road 55 km/h, reverse 31 km/h |
| Range: |
500 / 550 km (road cruising), off-road varies |
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[1] Other sources said 40 "Canadianized" Leopard 2A6 NLs, 40 Leopard 2A4 NLs for
training in Canada, and a mix of Leopard 2-based support vehicles to replace the CF's Leopard
1-based Taurus recovery
vehicles, Badger
engineering vehicles, and Beaver bridgelayers. It was later revealed that a further
13 Leopard 2s would be bought to form the basis for Force Mobility Enhancement Project conversions.
[2] There is a highly competitive Leopard 2 resale market. The Dutch had sold Leopard 2 A4s to Norway
(for 1.5 B kroner – about $285 M or $5.5M per vehicle) and Denmark. Germany then undercut the
Netherlands on a sale to Greece. The CF sale may be Holland's revenge.
[3] Training and logistics were said to be included in the initial $650M cost. On 18 May 2007, the Harper
government announced a 20-year $650M in-service support contract for the used Leopard 2s. This ISS announcement
effectively doubled the original of used Leopard 2s.
[4] Early reports suggested that both ex-Dutch types (Leopard 2A6Ms and 2A4s) would be sent to
Canada. This seems not to have been the case. When the first 40 tanks arrived by sea in Montreal in Dec 2008, all
were Leopard 2A4s. These tanks were to be rebuilt at the 202 WD but that didn't
happen. It now seems that these tanks will be shipped back to Europe for rebuild (with others now stored in
Holland ).
[5] Some sources give Leopard 2A6 combat weights as high as 62.5t. Neither figure allows for the additional
weight of the 2A6M mine kit.
[6] The powerplant is a liquid-cooled 47.6L turbo-charged V-12 multi-fuel MB 873 Ka 501 producing 1,500
hp at 2,600 rpm. Some sources say that the Ka 501 is capable of 1,325 kW (or 1,800 hp) at 2,600 rpm. The
Renk automatic transmission has 4 forward and 4 reverse gears.
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The