Leopard 2A5

This page is about the German medium tank Leopard 2A5. For other versions, see Leopard 2 (Family).

Leopard 2A5

Leopard 2A4

Leopard 2A6

Leopard 2A5

Leopard 2A4

Leopard 2A6

Germany

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
12.0	12.0	12.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:400 000

Purchase:1 080 000

Show in game

Description

The Leopard 2A5 is the sixth variant of the Leopard 2 main battle tank family. The Leopard 2A5 variant (introduced in mid-1998) is visually distinct from previous variants due to the addition of wedge-shaped spaced add-on armour over the entire front as well as the forward sides of the turret. The ideology behind this wedge-shaped, spaced add-on armour is that it may deflect and erode kinetic-energy penetrators as well as neutralize a hollow charge before it reaches the base armour. The shot-trap effect was investigated and avoided as a result of the first layer, which does not deflect penetrators into the hull, as well as angle calculations and the material utilized for the outer layer. As a result, the gun mantlet had been modified to fit in with the new add-on armour. Furthermore, the entire composite armour composition was revised and improved. To prevent fragmentation, spall liners were installed in the crew compartment, and the frontal area of the side skirts was improved and strengthened. To reduce weight and simplify maintenance and reliability, the turret traverse and systems were entirely electric. The tank commander's sight was relocated behind the hatch, and separate thermal imaging equipment was installed. The gunner's sight was also relocated to the turret roof (previous versions had it built into the cavity in the front turret armour). The driver's hatch has also been modified. Since this variant was designed to be upgraded to the new 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55 tank gun in the future Leopard 2A6 variant, the entire gun brake system was modified as well.

Introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On", the Leopard 2A5 variant provides higher turret protection than the preceding Leopard 2A4 variant due to the addition of spaced add-on armour covering the frontal area and forward flanks of the turret. Despite being a spaced add-on armour, the distinctive wedge-shaped design effectively disrupts and decreases the energy of incoming enemy tank ammunition rounds, resulting in significant armour penetration reduction. The tank layouts are identical to the Leopard 2A4, but there are minor differences in crew locations. The tank commander's sight has been substantially upgraded, providing the tank commander with an independent sight equipped with thermal imaging equipment, introducing the hunter-killer capabilities.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull80 / 30 / 20

Turret75 / 80 / 20

Crew4 people

Visibility87 %

The Leopard 2A5 has improved armour compared to its predecessor, the hull is much better protected and the already impenetrable turret cheeks have more protection on the side of the turret. Add-on armour boosts the ability to protect against HEAT-FS and early APFSDS rounds. The wedges on the front of the turret are able to be blown off if a round with enough energy hits it.The gunners optic is also moved into the roof to eliminate the weak spot which was easily penetrated by any tank.

One big changeover along with the armour wedges in the front is the repositioning of the gunner's sight. In the 2A4, the gunner's sight in the turret front presented a weakness that was easily compromised. In the 2A5, the gunner's sight was relocated to the turret roof, and so this weakness is no longer present on the 2A5. Additionally, the large mantlet of the 2A4 has been replaced by a far smaller and more armoured mantlet, making it far harder to hit, though most ammunition at top tier can still penetrate it easily.

Be aware of Soviet tanks though! Most of them will carry their HE rounds that can easily destroy you anywhere they hit. A hit directly to the turret will most likely send fragments into your hull, penetrate and lets your fuel tank explode or at least set a fire and knock out the gun barrel.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm (53-82°) Upper glacis 40 mm (50-51°) Lower glacis	10 mm (5°) Upper hull 35 mm Lower forward hull 20 mm Lower rear hull	20 mm (12-50°)	20 mm (0-8°) Hull roof incl. engine deck
Turret	80 mm (57-59°) Right cheek add-on 80 mm (55-58°) Left cheek add-on 30 mm (63°) Upper mantlet add-on 400 mm Mantlet armour 250 mm (9°) Mantlet shroud	80 mm (20-22°) Right add-on 80 mm (22°) Left add-on 35 mm Forward 15 mm Rear	20 mm (10°) Basket 20 mm (70°) Turret underside	35 - 40 mm (80-89°) Forehead Armour 14 mm (68-82°) Forward sides 20 mm (89°) Rear turret 20 mm (83°) Basket

The frontal KE protection of the Leopard 2A5 against 3BM42 at 500 m.

The frontal CE protection of the Leopard 2A5 against MIM-146.

Composite armour	Front	Sides
Hull	Upper+Lower glacis 400 mm Kinetic 600 mm Chemical	N/A
Turret	Turret cheeks 800 mm Kinetic 1200 mm Chemical Gun mantlet (Center) 260 - 325 mm Kinetic 600 - 690 mm Chemical Gun mantlet (Outer) 425 - 460 mm Kinetic 825 - 905 Chemical	Side armour 260 mm Kinetic 230 - 285 mm Chemical

Notes:

• Upper hull and Lower rear hull overlap (10 + 20 mm thick)
• Upper mantlet add-on and Mantlet armour overlap (30 + 400 mm thick)
• Holes in the engine deck are covered by 8 mm of mesh

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB76 / 35 km/h

RB and SB69 / 31 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight59.5 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB48.1 hp/t

RB and SB25.2 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	76	35	59.5	2,032	2,862	34.15	48.1
Realistic	69	31		1,327	1,500	22.3	25.21

The only drawback compared to the previous model would be the Leopard 2A5's mobility since, despite the 4 tons increase in weight, the engine remains the same, so the Leopard 2A5 is both slower and less manoeuvrable compared to the Leopard 2A4, but it can still keep up with the other nations MBTs. The engine remains the same MTU MB 873 Ka-501 engine which produces 1,500 hp (1,100 KW) at 2,600 RPM.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 665 → 6 941

RB4 530 → 6 740

SB5 737 → 8 536

Total cost of modifications277 100

467 000

Talisman cost3 100

Crew training310 000

Experts1 080 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

250 / 250 / 250 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420 Suspension Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Brake System Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Filters Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 310 Transmission Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420 Engine Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420	Improved Parts Research: 6 000 Cost: 31 000 420 Improved FPE Research: 5 100 Cost: 26 000 360 Crew Replenishment Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 310	Horizontal Drive Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420 Adjustment of Fire Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Elevation Mechanism Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 310 Smoke grenade Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 310 NVD Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 310 Artillery Support Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420 Laser rangefinder Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 420

The first modifications to research should be Parts and FPE. After those, aim for the NVD, DM33/DM53, laser rangefinder, or mobility upgrades, depending on the desired playstyle.

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm Rh120 L/44 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition42 rounds

First-order15 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.8 → 6.0 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 20°

The Leopard 2A5 has access to DM53 APFSDS shells which make it a deadlier foe as few tanks can stand against it.

120 mm Rh120 L/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	42	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
DM12A1	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
DM33	APFSDS	481	478	470	461	450	440
DM53	APFSDS	623	620	610	598	586	573

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM12A1	HEATFS	1,140	13.5	0.05	0.1	2.15	65°	72°	77°
DM33	APFSDS	1,640	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
DM53	APFSDS	1,670	5	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Leopard 2A5

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	16 (+26)	1 (+41)	No

Notes:

• The 2nd rack serves as first-stage ammo stowage.

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 400 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,500 (1,000)	1,200	N/A	N/A
Pintle	2,000 (1,000)	1,200	-8°/+20°	±120°

Usage in battles

The Leopard 2A5 is slower, but it has much better armour and access to the DM53 round. With these new changes, the playstyle changes a bit too:

• Hull down: In the 2A4, the gunners optic was easily penetrated so the hull-down was still vulnerable. However, in the 2A5, this weak spot is eliminated and the armour of the turret is much better, so a hull-down position can now leave the Leopard 2A5 invulnerable, but try to keep your turret protected as well, so then the armour package could last longer throughout the battle.
• Sniping: With the DM53 APFSDS round, the Leopard 2A5 can now make use of the great distance in combat to deal damage while tanking incoming shots. Try also make use of hull-down positions whilst sniping.
• Flanking: Due to the worse mobility compared to the 2A4, it is better to stick to more stationary tactics like hull-down and sniping. However, with a little bit of caution, flanking can still be successful.
• Staying with nearby teammates: Try and stick to nearby teammates as this can improve your lifespan throughout the game.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent 120 mm gun, DM53 APFSDS is capable of penetrating up to 623 mm maximum at point-blank range
• Impenetrable turret cheeks, the add-on wedge armour makes the turret immune from every shell in the game (average of 850 mm against long rod APFSDS and 1,450 mm against HEAT)
• Good armour on the UFP (430 mm against APFSDS), immune to older shells; though many top-tier tanks possess shells which can go straight through
• Great gun handling: 40°/s turret rotation speed (with Ace crew) and -9°/+20° of vertical guidance
• Side turret covered by add-on armour can bounce early APFSDS shells
• Gunner optics are now mounted on top of the turret, removing the annoying weak spot present on the Leopard 2A4
• Cannon barrel and cannon breech absorbs impact rounds which may otherwise penetrate the turret and injure crews
• Gun breech and mantlet has a smaller profile than other western MBTs
• Good thermal imaging quality (Generation 2 for Binoculars, 800 x 600, and Generation 1 for Gunner's view, 500 x 300)
• Very good all round tank especially when played properly

Cons:

• Lower glacis can still be penetrated by most shells (but is expected for most MBTs)
• 16 shells in the ready-rack may be insufficient when playing in Arcade Battles
• If your turret ammo rack is shot, you might survive but then you lose all your unloaded ammo storage
• Huge hull ammo-rack if more than 16 shells are carried consequently making the tank extremely vulnerable to HE shells
• A penetrating shot on the left side of the hull will most likely knock out the driver, gunner and commander, thus destroying the tank
• A penetrating shell on the right side of the hull will most likely hit the ammo-rack, destroying the tank
• Just like all Leopard series, raised engine deck means less gun depression when the turret is facing the rear
• The wedges can be shot off with several hits, though the turret cheeks alone provide 650 mm against KE
• Tank's weight is 4 tons increased while the engine is still the same, making the Leopard 2A5 slower compared to the 2A4
• Despite all the added armour, the turret ring and driver's hatch are both easily penetrated, and the enemy will most likely aim at these two spots to disable or destroy the tank
• Is outperformed by its successor, the Leopard 2A6, in terms of firepower. The longer L/55 cannon on the Leopard 2A6 increases the performance of both DM33 and DM53 shells.

History

The Leopard 2A5 is a third-generation main battle tank (MBT) developed by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). It is an upgrade to the Leopard 2A4, which was the mainstay of the German Army in the late 1990s. The Leopard 2A5 was first introduced in 1995 and served as the backbone of the German Army until the Leopard 2A6 replaced it in 2001.

The Leopard 2A5 features improved armor protection and a new gunner's sight. The tank's armor consists of composite armor, reactive armor, and spaced armor, providing it with superior protection against anti-tank weapons. The Leopard 2A5 also features a modified turret design, which provides better protection for the crew.

The tank's main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun, which is capable of firing a variety of ammunition types, including high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), and high-explosive, variable time fuze (HE-VT) rounds. The Leopard 2A5 also features a secondary armament consisting of a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on the commander's hatch (which on some versions may be a 7.62mm one).

The Leopard 2A5 has been used in several conflicts around the world, including in Kosovo and Afghanistan. The tank has proven to be highly effective in combat, with its superior armor protection and firepower providing a significant advantage on the battlefield. During the Kosovo conflict, the German Army deployed a battalion of Leopard 2A5s, which saw significant action against Serbian forces. The tank's superior protection and firepower proved to be critical in the success of the German mission.

The tank proved to be incapable, though, of urban combat, as German forces suffered heavy losses to shoulder anti-tank weapons, like the RPG-7 and M136, which were highly used by guerilla and insurgency forces from rooftops and areas where the Leopard's defenses couldn't reach. Around 1997, the Leopard 2A5M TUSK I prototype was created, featuring an all-around ERA protection, as well as blowout panels, an autoloader, a shorter barrel, and a remote-controlled machine gun (to prevent the commander/loader from having to turn out of the tank to fire it). Although some units were produced, the project was abandoned quickly due to the replacement of the tank by the Leopard 2A6, along with the high production cost of the new variant.

Production of the Leopard 2A5 began in 1995, and the tank was in service until it was replaced by the Leopard 2A6 in 2001. The Leopard 2A5 was produced in Germany and exported to several other countries, including Austria, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Norway, and Poland.

Despite its successes, the Leopard 2A5 was not without its production issues. The tank was initially delayed due to problems with the new armor technology, and production costs were higher than expected. The tank also had some reliability issues, particularly with its engine, which was prone to overheating.

In conclusion, the Leopard 2A5 is a highly effective third-generation MBT that provided a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Leopard 2A4. The tank's superior armor protection and firepower made it a formidable opponent on the battlefield, and it has seen successful combat deployment in several conflicts around the world. While the Leopard 2A5 had some production issues, it was a critical asset for the German Army during its time in service.

Devblog

In 1988, German engineers began work on modernizing the Leopard 2 main battle tank. Improvements were made to the tank’s defensive capabilities, primarily the turret armour. Moreover, the 2A5 model was fitted with an electric stabiliser instead of the electro-hydraulic variant that the previous versions used.

The gunner received improved and less vulnerable optics, and the tank commander – a panoramic periscope with thermal imaging. The build of the driver’s hatch was also modified, along with several other minor improvements made to the general design.

Leading to the 2A5 modernization program being officially approved by the military officials of Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. It is interesting to note that the models exported to the last two countries on the list were actually different from the ones issued to the German army – for instance, the Bundeswehr tanks received no extra frontal hull armour. Production of Leopard 2A5 tanks began in 1995. Overall, 350 earlier-version Leopards were upgraded as a result of the program.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Leopard 2A5 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

German Efficiency Continued - Leopard 2A5 - JustinPlaysYT

Should You Grind The Leopard 2A5? - Sako Sniper

German ground forces Tier VI/VII - Oxy (Leopard 2A5 at 27:52)

Leopard 2A5 - Much WoW, Such GooD - Napalmratte

See also

␙Leopard 2A5, currently only owned by content creator Slickbee

Related development

• Leopard 2A4 - (Preceding vehicle)
• ␙Leopard 2A5 - (YouTube Cup 2019 prize)
• Strv 122A
• Strv 122B PLSS

External links

• [Devblog] Leopard 2A5: This Time We Are Dead Serious