Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123)

This page is about the German premium MBT Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123). For other uses, see Leopard 2 (Family).

Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123)

Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123)

Germany

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.7	10.7	10.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The Leopard 2A4, Panzerbataillon 123 is a premium gift rank VII German medium tank with a battle rating of 10.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".

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 / 65 / 25

Turret80 / 80 / 25

Crew4 people

Visibility95 %

The Leopard 2A4's kinetic protection is reasonable, with the turret cheeks near-invulnerable to all but the most powerful rounds (e.g. CL3143) and the upper front plate capable of protecting against less powerful rounds (e.g. M735) - however besides these sections the remainder of the vehicle is largely vulnerable to high-powered kinetic rounds; of note are the weak lower front plate and the gun mantlet, both of which are reasonably visible targets, as well as the gunner's optics.

The vehicle sports significantly better all-round chemical protection, with an upper hull and turret essentially immune to all but the most powerful ATGMs frontally, with upwards of 800mm worth of equivalent protection in places. Despite this, it's advisable to be wary of incoming ATGMs as a well-placed round may sneak past the heavily protected areas - and some missiles such as those of the ADATS will slice straight through even the turret cheeks.

As with most other MBTs, the 2A4 is particularly vulnerable from the sides and back.

The Leopard 2A4 is reasonably survivable, with some degree of crew spacing. However, from certain angles, the crew are placed in a straight line and successful penetration may impact three of the four crew members, resulting in a crew knock-out. In addition, well-placed side shots may impact all three turret crew members.

Ammunition is stored in the primary ammunition storage in the rear of the turret, or in the secondary storage next to the driver. The primary rack provides crew protection through the use of blow-out panels, however only has space for 15 rounds. When more than 16 rounds are taken to battle, ammunition will be stored in the significantly more vulnerable hull rack.

The Leopard 2A4's protection proves acceptable for long-range combat, although it's ill-advised to remain in one location for any extended period of time to avoid opposing vehicles being able to hone their shots onto your weak spots. The 2A4's protection should not be relied upon in urban or other close-range environments.

Armour type:

Hull	35 mm (53-82°) Upper glacis 40 mm (50-51°) Lower glacis 30 mm (82°) Driver's hatch||10 mm (5°) Upper hull 35 mm (0°) Lower forward hull 20 mm (0°) Lower rear hull 5 mm (0°) Side Skirts 100 mm (0°) Composite screening||20 mm (12-50°) All rear||20 mm (0-8°) Hull roof incl. engine deck
Turret	35 mm (0-6°) Cheeks incl. Gunner optics 35 mm (1°) Mantlet 120 mm Rear Mantlet Plate||35 mm (0°) Forward 15 mm (0°) Rear	10 mm (10°) Basket 20 mm (70°) Turret underside	40 mm (82-85°) Forehead Armour 14 mm (72-77°) Forward sides 20 mm (89°) Rear turret incl. cupolas 5 mm (84°) Basket

Composite armour	Front	Sides
Hull	Upper+Lower glacis90 - 350 mm Kinetic 243 - 600 mm Chemical
Turret	Turret cheeks 420 - 800 mm Kinetic 535 - 820 mm Chemical Gun mantlet 100 - 270 mm Kinetic 300 - 480 mm Chemical	Side armour 194 - 260 mm Kinetic 280 - 400 mm Chemical

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB76 / 35 km/h

RB and SB69 / 31 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight55.2 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB51.8 hp/t

RB and SB27.2 hp/t

The Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) is powered by an MTU (MOTOREN-UND TURBINEN-UNION FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH) MB 873 Ka-501 engine which produces a whopping 1,500 hp (1,100 KW), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of slightly over 27 hp per tonne, compared to the ratio of the early Abrams and identical to the T-80U. As such, the Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) is quite mobile despite weighing over 55 tonnes, comfortably able to reach 72 km/h on-road and well capable of keeping up with its competitors. This allows for an active, aggressive playstyle, using the Leopard's high speed and good acceleration characteristics to get into an early flanking position or take early cap points - though it is important to keep in mind that opposition forces might attempt the same.

The Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) has a maximum reverse speed of 31 km/h which it reaches easily, allowing for a quick retreat in sub-optimal situations.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB3 381

RB3 259

SB3 789

Crew training10 000

Experts1 160 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces2 150 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 150 / 190 / 240 %

2 × 232 / 232 / 232 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment Camouflage net	Horizontal Drive 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Adjustment of Fire Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade NVD Artillery Support 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Laser rangefinder

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 famous Rheinmetall L/44 120 mm cannon is mounted as the primary armament on the Leopard 2A4, offering a balance of firepower, accuracy and sustained rate of fire. The 2A4 has three rounds available to it: DM12 HEATFS, DM13 APFSDS and DM23 APFSDS. Of these, only DM12 is available when the vehicle is stock, with DM13 a tier 1 and DM23 a tier 4 modification. The L/44 is reasonably accurate at long range with any ammunition, however minor round deviation may be evident at extreme ranges (over 2000m).

It's advisable to primarily rely on the best available APFSDS round for engaging other MBTs, however, retaining a couple of DM12 rounds can prove valuable against lighter vehicles such as the ADATS.

120 mm Rh120 L/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	42	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3
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
DM12	HEATFS	__	__	__	__	__	__
DM13	APFSDS	__	__	__	__	__	__
DM23	APFSDS	__	__	__	__	__	__

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM12	HEATFS	___	_.__	__	_._	___	__°	__°	__°
DM13	APFSDS	___	_.__	__	_._	___	__°	__°	__°
DM23	APFSDS	___	_.__	__	_._	___	__°	__°	__°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 600 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

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
	___ (___)	___	__°	__°
	___ (___)	___	__°	__°

Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

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History

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Media

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See also

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