European coalition shapes up for Leopard 2A8 tank orders

A significant armored coalition is taking shape in Europe, which could see Germany's industry bagging an order for several hundred Leopard 2A8 tanks. In this article, we'll explore the features of these tanks and highlight the countries showing interest in them.

The conflict in Ukraine has prodded European NATO members to reconsider developing or rebuilding their own armored divisions. Thus far, Germany has decided to procure 18 Leopard 2A8 tanks as part of a framework agreement from May 2023, with the potential to purchase up to 123 tanks. Shortly after, the governments of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, and the Netherlands expressed interest in the tanks.

Collectively, this coalition could order hundreds of tanks. The Czech Republic and Lithuania alone have expressed interest in acquiring 70 and 54 Leopard 2A8s respectively.

The Leopard 2A8 tanks represent the first significant improvement in tank design compared to the Leopard 2A7 model, which has been on the market for 15 years. In this updated design, more modern armor materials are used, and an important active defense system is incorporated.

In today's defensive landscape, an active defense system is an essential feature engineered to protect tanks from anti-tank guided missiles, which can penetrate up to 3.3 feet of steel armor. These missiles often target the side armor of tanks, which provides considerably less protection than the front armor.

Footage from conflicts in Ukraine and Israel exhibit frequent instances of such ambushes. Turkey also experienced a similar predicament a few years ago during its fights with the Islamic State (ISIS). Turkey lost at least 10 Leopard 2A4 tanks in the battle for Al-Bab in December 2016.

This necessitated the Leopard 2 tank designers to incorporate the Trophy system, developed by the Israeli company Rafael. This system's primary responsibility is to intercept and neutralize incoming missiles from any direction. The same technology is also used in the M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams tanks, employing radars and missile interceptors to eliminate threats.

It's worth noting that in the case of Leopard 2A8 tanks, this system hasn't merely been added onto the turret—as with the Leopard 2A7A1/2A7V model—but has been fully integrated with it. Furthermore, the tank's roof has been reinforced to withstand attacks from cluster weapons, akin to the Puma APC and PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer defenses. In line with this, Igelpanzerung mats were used on the tank roof.

The Leopard 2A8 tank retains its existing weaponry, consisting of a 4.7-inch caliber gun with a length of 216.5 inches, rather than, for example, the 5.1-inch gun proposed by Rheinmetall for their future tank KF51 Panther. In addition, the entire optoelectronic system has been updated with the most recent solutions, and the tank's interior has been significantly modernized and digitized, thereby enhancing the crew's effectiveness and operational speed.