Difference between revisions of "Leopard 2K"
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{{About | {{About | ||
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}''' | | about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}''' | ||
| − | | usage = other | + | | usage = other versions |
| − | | link = Leopard (Family) | + | | link = Leopard 2 (Family) |
}} | }} | ||
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=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' --> | <!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' --> | ||
| − | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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!Armour!!Front (Slope angle)!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof | !Armour!!Front (Slope angle)!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | |Hull||160 mm Upper | + | |Hull||160 mm ''Upper'' |
120 mm ''Lower'' | 120 mm ''Lower'' | ||
| − | |65 / 95 mm ''Top'' | + | |65 / 95 mm ''Top'' |
35 / 110 mm ''Bottom'' | 35 / 110 mm ''Bottom'' | ||
|38 / 48 mm||20 mm | |38 / 48 mm||20 mm | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | |Turret||160-350 / 220-500 mm ''Turret front'' | + | |Turret||160-350 / 220-500 mm ''Turret front'' |
|60 / 90 mm||46 / 96 mm||20 mm | |60 / 90 mm||46 / 96 mm||20 mm | ||
|} | |} | ||
| + | |||
| + | <nowiki/>* Kinetic/Chemical mm | ||
| + | |||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | <!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | ||
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{{main|Rheinmetall L44 (120 mm)}} | {{main|Rheinmetall L44 (120 mm)}} | ||
| − | The Leopard | + | The Leopard 2K's gun is a 120 mm Rheinmetall L44. It can be found on the later models of the tank, such as the [[Leopard 2A4]] and [[Leopard 2A5]], but does not get all of the later rounds. The rounds that the Leopard 2K gets are a DM12 HEATFS and DM13 APFSDS just like the [[Leopard A1A1 (L/44)]]. Being fitted with a 120 mm Rheinmetall gun it is effective at all ranges, capable of penetrating tanks even 1,000 m away |
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%" | ||
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'''Stock Gameplay:''' | '''Stock Gameplay:''' | ||
| − | As with any vehicle, the Leopard 2K finds itself at a serious disadvantage while stock. Without access to the DM13 APFSDS round, users will need to play more carefully. While the DM12 HEAT-FS round is powerful, it struggles against composite | + | As with any vehicle, the Leopard 2K finds itself at a serious disadvantage while stock. Without access to the DM13 APFSDS round, users will need to play more carefully. While the DM12 HEAT-FS round is powerful, it struggles against composite armour and ERA, as well as having lacklustre post-penetration effects. Players will have to aim more carefully to deal effective damage with the DM12 HEAT round. |
'''Spaded Gameplay:''' | '''Spaded Gameplay:''' | ||
| − | The Leopard 2K is a powerful | + | The Leopard 2K is a powerful tank. The DM13 APFSDS round has adequate penetration, and it should be easy to destroy most enemy vehicles. The gun, ammo, and reload rate are comparable to other main battle tanks of the battle rating. The Leopard 2K does however struggle in some regards against top of the line tanks such as the [[Leopard 2A5]] and [[M1A2]]. The armour on the Leopard 2K is rather limited, only effective against autocannon fire. Additionally, the lack of thermals means that it will be difficult for Leopard 2K players to spot enemy tanks before they are spotted. The biggest advantages of the 2K are the 20 mm which is effective against light vehicles and aircraft, and the speed of the 2K. |
'''Close Range Engagements:''' | '''Close Range Engagements:''' | ||
| − | The Leopard 2K is very capable at close range. It has impressive acceleration and gun handling, giving it an edge over other vehicles. The | + | The Leopard 2K is very capable at close range. It has impressive acceleration and gun handling, giving it an edge over other vehicles. The 20 mm will easily destroy enemy light vehicles and cannon breaches, while the reload rate on the main gun is comparable to its adversaries. Brawling is one of the Leopard 2K tanks' strong suits. |
'''Long Range Engagements:''' | '''Long Range Engagements:''' | ||
| − | The Leopard 2K is capable at long range, but is outclassed by many other vehicles. The cannon is powerful, but not especially so compared to | + | The Leopard 2K is capable at long range, but is outclassed by many other vehicles. The cannon is powerful, but not especially so compared to its adversaries. The biggest issues the Leopard 2K will face in regards to long range engagements are the thin turret armour and lack of thermals. While the DM13 APFSDS round will fail to penetrate the turret cheeks of vehicles like the [[Challenger Mk.2]] and [[T-64B]], their rounds will have no such trouble with the Leopard 2K. The lack of thermals makes it difficult to scout for enemies through foliage, meaning trying to snipe is not an effective strategy against any enemies equipped with thermals, as they will almost certainly spot you first. |
'''Gameplay summary:''' | '''Gameplay summary:''' | ||
| − | Although the Leopard 2K is somewhat weak when stock, it is an adequate frontline tank while spaded. The good APFSDS round and | + | Although the Leopard 2K is somewhat weak when stock, it is an adequate frontline tank while spaded. The good APFSDS round and 20 mm give it a strong position in the German high tier lineup. However, Leopard 2K tank commanders should play to mitigate their disadvantages in thin armour and lack of thermals. The Leopard 2K does best in close to medium range fights. |
=== Modules === | === Modules === | ||
| Line 214: | Line 216: | ||
* Thin armour overall | * Thin armour overall | ||
* Relatively high profile, the 20 mm gun often sticks out behind cover | * Relatively high profile, the 20 mm gun often sticks out behind cover | ||
| − | * Stock HEAT-FS round struggles against some enemy vehicles | + | * Stock HEAT-FS round struggles against some enemy vehicles armour, especially enemy vehicles with ERA or composite armour |
* lack of thermals | * lack of thermals | ||
| Line 235: | Line 237: | ||
Sixteen out of seventeen Leopard 2 prototypes were built and tested, yielding many refinements to the Leopard 2 design. Subsequent models further increased the Leopard 2's capabilities, with each variant making it more powerful—and ultimately into the Leopard 2 known today. | Sixteen out of seventeen Leopard 2 prototypes were built and tested, yielding many refinements to the Leopard 2 design. Subsequent models further increased the Leopard 2's capabilities, with each variant making it more powerful—and ultimately into the Leopard 2 known today. | ||
| − | ''- From [[wt: | + | ''- From [[wt:en/news/5309-development-leopard-2k-a-legend-in-the-making-en|Devblog]]'' |
== Media == | == Media == | ||
| Line 243: | Line 245: | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | ||
| − | |||
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;'' | * ''reference to the series of the vehicles;'' | ||
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | ||
| Line 253: | Line 254: | ||
* ''other literature.'' --> | * ''other literature.'' --> | ||
| − | * [[wt: | + | * [[wt:en/news/5309-development-leopard-2k-a-legend-in-the-making-en|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Leopard 2K: A Legend In The Making]] |
{{Germany medium tanks}} | {{Germany medium tanks}} | ||
Revision as of 10:03, 20 June 2020
Contents
| This page is about the German medium tank Leopard 2K. For other versions, see Leopard 2 (Family). |
Description
The Leopard 2K is a rank VII German medium tank
with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".
General info
Survivability and armour
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 160 mm Upper
120 mm Lower |
65 / 95 mm Top
35 / 110 mm Bottom |
38 / 48 mm | 20 mm |
| Turret | 160-350 / 220-500 mm Turret front | 60 / 90 mm | 46 / 96 mm | 20 mm |
* Kinetic/Chemical mm
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 81 | 81 | 50 | 2,032 | 2,862 | 40.64 | 57.24 |
| Realistic | 73 | 73 | 1,327 | 1,500 | 26.54 | 30 | |
The mobility of the Leopard 2K is astonishing, making it one of the most agile MBTs in its BR, able to reach a speed of 70 km/h (RB) on road.
Armaments
Main armament
The Leopard 2K's gun is a 120 mm Rheinmetall L44. It can be found on the later models of the tank, such as the Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A5, but does not get all of the later rounds. The rounds that the Leopard 2K gets are a DM12 HEATFS and DM13 APFSDS just like the Leopard A1A1 (L/44). Being fitted with a 120 mm Rheinmetall gun it is effective at all ranges, capable of penetrating tanks even 1,000 m away
| 120 mm Rheinmetall L44 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 41 | -9°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | ||||||||
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 | ||
| DM13 | APFSDS | 393 | 390 | 384 | 376 | 367 | 359 |
| DM12 | HEATFS | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| 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% | |||||||
| DM13 | APFSDS | 1,650 | 4.44 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
| DM12 | HEATFS | 1,140 | 13.50 | N/A | 0.1 | 2,150 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
The tank has a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun situated on top of the turret which can fire over cover and be used to knock out gun barrels, light tanks, helicopters and planes. The belts are alternating HEFI-T/HVAP-T, with 57 mm of penetration at 0 degrees at 10 m. The 20 mm has quite good elevation, and rotates independently from the turret, able to surprise light tanks attempting to flank following turret ring immobilization.
| 20 mm Rh202 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 750 (750) | 900 | -9°/+45° | ±180° |
| 7.62 mm MG3A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 4,000 (1,000) | 1,200 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
Stock Gameplay:
As with any vehicle, the Leopard 2K finds itself at a serious disadvantage while stock. Without access to the DM13 APFSDS round, users will need to play more carefully. While the DM12 HEAT-FS round is powerful, it struggles against composite armour and ERA, as well as having lacklustre post-penetration effects. Players will have to aim more carefully to deal effective damage with the DM12 HEAT round.
Spaded Gameplay:
The Leopard 2K is a powerful tank. The DM13 APFSDS round has adequate penetration, and it should be easy to destroy most enemy vehicles. The gun, ammo, and reload rate are comparable to other main battle tanks of the battle rating. The Leopard 2K does however struggle in some regards against top of the line tanks such as the Leopard 2A5 and M1A2. The armour on the Leopard 2K is rather limited, only effective against autocannon fire. Additionally, the lack of thermals means that it will be difficult for Leopard 2K players to spot enemy tanks before they are spotted. The biggest advantages of the 2K are the 20 mm which is effective against light vehicles and aircraft, and the speed of the 2K.
Close Range Engagements:
The Leopard 2K is very capable at close range. It has impressive acceleration and gun handling, giving it an edge over other vehicles. The 20 mm will easily destroy enemy light vehicles and cannon breaches, while the reload rate on the main gun is comparable to its adversaries. Brawling is one of the Leopard 2K tanks' strong suits.
Long Range Engagements:
The Leopard 2K is capable at long range, but is outclassed by many other vehicles. The cannon is powerful, but not especially so compared to its adversaries. The biggest issues the Leopard 2K will face in regards to long range engagements are the thin turret armour and lack of thermals. While the DM13 APFSDS round will fail to penetrate the turret cheeks of vehicles like the Challenger Mk.2 and T-64B, their rounds will have no such trouble with the Leopard 2K. The lack of thermals makes it difficult to scout for enemies through foliage, meaning trying to snipe is not an effective strategy against any enemies equipped with thermals, as they will almost certainly spot you first.
Gameplay summary:
Although the Leopard 2K is somewhat weak when stock, it is an adequate frontline tank while spaded. The good APFSDS round and 20 mm give it a strong position in the German high tier lineup. However, Leopard 2K tank commanders should play to mitigate their disadvantages in thin armour and lack of thermals. The Leopard 2K does best in close to medium range fights.
Modules
| Tier | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tracks | Parts | Horizontal Drive | DM13 | ||
| II | Suspension | Brake System | FPE | Adjustment of Fire | ||
| III | Filters | Crew Replenishment | Elevation Mechanism | Smoke grenade | ||
| IV | Transmission | Engine | Artillery Support | Laser rangefinder | NVD | |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 120 mm gun with effective rounds
- Sloped armour has a tendency to bounce shots
- 20 mm cannon very effective against light armour, cannon barrels, and aircraft
- Excellent mobility
Cons:
- Thin armour overall
- Relatively high profile, the 20 mm gun often sticks out behind cover
- Stock HEAT-FS round struggles against some enemy vehicles armour, especially enemy vehicles with ERA or composite armour
- lack of thermals
History
In the 1960s, Germany and the United States were jointly-developing the MBT-70, and Germany was contractually prevented from developing any new MBTs independently until the joint project with the US was completed.
But development problems plagued the MBT-70 project, and it appeared that the vehicle would not be finished within an acceptable time frame—so Germany found a way to bypass contractual limitations for the MBT-70 development.
Instead of ordering the development of a new tank, the German government issued an order to the Porsche company to research ways to improve the Leopard I tank already in service with the German army. This enabled Germany to research a more advanced fighting vehicle without breaching the contract signed with the US.
Porsche's first study of the Leopard I revealed a lot of room for improvement, and second study focusing on upgrading the Leopard I to match the MBT-70's firepower was launched almost immediately. This eventually resulted in the construction of two prototype vehicles—one in 1969 and one in 1970—nicknamed Keiler (tusker).
In the early 1970s, Germany was able to back out of the MBT-70 project due to spiraling development costs. Instead, they continued work on the development of the Keiler, which was renamed to Leopard 2.
The Leopard 2 project was expected to yield two versions: the Leopard 2K armed with a cannon, and the Leopard 2FK armed with a gun/launcher similar to the MBT-70. In 1971, ten prototypes were ordered, and seven more orders followed shortly thereafter.
To get the most out of their prototypes, German engineers equipped each one with different components to determine what worked best. Some Leopard 2 versions were equipped with a 105mm smoothbore cannon, whereas others were fitted with 120mm smoothbore cannons. Some prototypes received a hydraulic suspension while others didn't, and there was even a version equipped with the 20mm anti-air mount on the turret (similar to the one found on the Kpz-70).
Sixteen out of seventeen Leopard 2 prototypes were built and tested, yielding many refinements to the Leopard 2 design. Subsequent models further increased the Leopard 2's capabilities, with each variant making it more powerful—and ultimately into the Leopard 2 known today.
- From Devblog
Media
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| Germany medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Pz.III | Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N |
| Pz.IV | Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J |
| Pz.V | VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II |
| M48 upgrades | M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super |
| Leopard 1 | Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III |
| Leopard 2 | PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV |
| Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V | |
| Trophies | ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r) |
| Other | Nb.Fz. · KPz-70 |
| USA | mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C |
| USSR | ◊T-72M1 |
