The Leopard C2A1 MEXAS is a Canadian heavy modification of the Leopard 1A3, which is the fourth variant of the Leopard 1 main battle tank family. In the late 1970s, Canada purchased 127 units of the Leopard 1A3 variant. In order to lengthen their service lives, around 114 units of Leopard C1 were upgraded to the Leopard C2 standard in 2000. The Canadian Leopard C2 was an improved Leopard C1 (Leopard 1A3) with a Leopard 1A5 turret purchased from the German Ministry of Defence. The turret features an updated and improved fully stabilized 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A3 tank gun. This tank gun can fire effectively when the tank is moving and is capable of using all NATO 105 mm tank ammunition. Thermal imaging equipment and a new computerized fire control system are standard on the Leopard C2A1. It was deployed during the Afghanistan War by the Canadian Army. There were intentions to replace these tanks with Stryker Mobile Gun Systems, but they were never carried out. Since the Leopard C2s are about 40 years old, maintenance is getting increasingly challenging. They were in service until 2015 when they were replaced by the more modern Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A6 variants. In general, the Leopard C2 has better armour protection than the Leopard C1. It includes NBC protection and automatic fire suppression equipment. In 2006, MEXAS add-on heavy composite armour kits were installed on them before being shipped to Afghanistan. This armour proved itself to be extremely resistant against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Introduced in Update "Starfighters" as a reward for the 2020 Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. event, the Leopard C2A1 MEXAS is a heavily modified Leopard 1A3 that is almost a unique variant in its own way. The Leopard C2A1, a hybrid between the Leopard 1A3 and the Leopard 1A5, is an attempt by the Canadian Army to extend the service life of its armoured units. MEXAS add-on heavy composite armour kits were developed primarily to counter small anti-tank weapons commonly utilized in Middle Eastern urban warfare, particularly rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). However, keep in mind that the MEXAS add-on heavy composite armour is only effective against high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) ammunition and is only marginally effective against the standard armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding-sabot (APFSDS) ammunition used by most tanks.