MBT Leopard 2 - Meta-Defense.fr

The Czech Republic negotiates the acquisition of 50 Leopard 2A7+ heavy tanks

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the Czech Republic has been one of the countries most involved in providing military support to Ukrainian fighters. Despite a reduced armed force of only 25.000 soldiers and reservists, and a defense budget capped at €4 billion per year, Prague did not hesitate to transfer part of its stock of T-72M1 tanks to Kyiv. reserves, but also artillery, anti-aircraft defense and ammunition systems, and intends to continue this effort until the end of the conflict. The country obtained, in this perspective, the support of Berlin, which announced the transfer of…

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Greece ready to spend €2 billion to modernize its Leopard 1 and 2 heavy tanks

May 11thMay 11th

If the United States and some of the Europeans tend to soften their positions vis-à-vis Turkey, the Greek authorities and military, for their part, are far from sharing this hope about a possible change of method. and objectives on the part of the Turkish President, R. T Erdogan, and a normalization of relations with Ankara. While Greece can rely on solid growth of 8,1% in 2021 and more than 7% expected in 2022, and its public finances are again in the green, Athens can now focus on modernizing its its ground forces, after devoting…

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MGCS: Italy, Poland, Norway and Great Britain could join the program from 2023

April 11thApril 11th

Resulting from a preliminary study launched jointly by France and Germany in 2012, the Main Ground Combat System program, or MGCS, was officially launched in 2017 by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel to replace in 2035 the French Leclerc tanks and the German Leopard 2s, alongside 3 other emblematic programs of Franco-German cooperation in the defense industry, the Future Air Combat System or SCAF to replace the Rafale and Typhoon in 2040, the Common Indect Fire System or CIFS to replacing self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers in 2035, and the Maritime Airborne Warfare System or MAWS to…

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Israeli Trophy active protection system proves its worth on German Leopard 2s

November 4, 2021November 8, 2021

Last February, Berlin announced that it had ordered from the Israeli Rafael the active protection system Trophy to equip the equivalent of a company of Leopard 2A7 tanks. This Hard-Kill system, which notably equips Merkava tanks and Namer Infantry Combat Vehicles, had already largely demonstrated its operational effectiveness during Israeli engagements in the Middle East since 2011, by displaying an exceptional capacity to intercept rockets and anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli tanks. This system was also meticulously tested by the US Army, which decided to equip some of its M1A2 Abrams heavy tanks with it as an interim solution, in…

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Leopard 2, Leclerc, Merkava: What are modern battle tanks worth? (1/3)

August 30, 2021September 7, 2021

Since its first appearance on the battlefields during the First World War, the battle tank has been the subject of both extreme fascination for some, and total denial for others. Over the course of the conflicts, and the appearance of new weapon systems, such as the anti-tank missile or more recently the wandering ammunition, the end of the supremacy of the tank in land combat has many times been prophesied, following the example other major armaments such as aircraft carriers or combat aircraft. However, it is clear today, as geopolitical tensions continue to grow, that the market...

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By confirming the acquisition of Abrams tanks, Poland takes a strong position in Europe

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021

Barely a few days after the Polish press aired discussions between Warsaw and Washington about a possible acquisition of Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 (or M1A2C) tanks, the Polish Ministry of Defense confirmed this morning that it had signed a memorandum of agreement to replace the 232 T-72 currently in service within 4 armored battalions by the American heavy tank, with the first deliveries which should take place as early as 2022. The exact amount of the contract, as well as its terms, have for the Time not communicated, but it would seem that a large part of the armored vehicles thus acquired would be assembled in Poland, and that a dedicated center...

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New partners, new capabilities: Berlin has big ambitions for the MGCS program

May 17thMay 17th

If the first discussions around the Main Ground Combat System program, or MGCS, date from 2012, this program intended to replace the heavy armored component in France (Char Leclerc) and Germany (Leopard 2 tank) has come to the fore. from 2017 and the election of French President Emmanuel Macron, when he integrated it with a set of other Franco-German programs including the SCAF intended to replace the Rafale and Typhoon aircraft, and the MAWS intended to replace the aircraft Maritime Patrol Atlantic 2 and P3C Orion. The Franco-German couple, stimulated by tensions between Berlin and Washington following the arrival of Donald…

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Nexter challenges Rheinmetall with its ASCALON cannon for the MGCS program

April 15thApril 15th

For the German Rheinmetall, the case was understood: the experience and the reputation acquired by the designer of the Rh-120 L44 120 mm gun which equips the Leopard 2 justified, according to the Düsseldorf group, on their own, that the design of the main gun of the Franco-German MGCS program is attributed to him. For this, Rheinmetall intended to rely on its new 130 mm L/51 gun, presented 5 years ago, despite the tests carried out by the French Nexter, who had experimented with a new 140 mm gun. on Leclerc chassis in 2019, as part of the Future Tank Main Armament program,…

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Germany chooses Israeli hard-kill protection system TROPHY for its Leopard 2

February 23 2021February 24 2021

The German authorities have decided to follow in the footsteps of the US Army by choosing to acquire the Hard-Kill TROPHY protection system, designed and manufactured by the Israeli Rafael, to protect its front-line Leopard 2 tanks, and this in a relatively short time since the announced objective is to have a combat tank company equipped with this device by 2023, to join NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). The announcement was made directly by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the contract will be awarded in a government-to-government procedure. This contract is not about equipping…

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Turkish Industry presents Leopard 2 hybrid tank - Altay

January 25 2021May 16th

The Turkish Army aligns nearly 3000 combat tanks in its inventory. But this impressive number masks significant disparities in equipment, since only 350 of them are really modern tanks, in this case the Leopard 2A4s acquired second-hand from Germany in 2005. The remaining 2650 tanks consist of German Leopard 1s and American M60s and M48 pattons, all dating from the 60s and 70s. Many of them have certainly been modernized, but they cannot compete with the firepower or armor of modern tanks. This is the reason why Ankara set out to develop its own heavy tank,…

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