Leopard 2A6

This page is about the German medium tank Leopard 2A6. For other versions, see Leopard 2 (Family).

Leopard 2A6

Leopard 2A5

Leopard 2 PSO

Leopard 2A6

Leopard 2A5

Leopard 2 PSO

Germany

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
12.0	12.0	12.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:200 000

Purchase:1 100 000

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Description

The Leopard 2A6 is a rank VIII German medium tank with a battle rating of 12.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "New Power".

The succeeding variant of the Leopard 2A5, the Leopard 2A6 is distinguished by a longer gun barrel, the 120 mm Rh120 L/55, a 55 calibre (6.6 m) long gun, 11 calibres (1.32 m) longer than its predecessor.

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 frontal KE protection of the Leopard 2A6 against 3BM42 at 500 m.

The Leopard 2A6 retains the same excellent armour than its predecessor, the hull remains well 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 ADFSDS 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.

The frontal CE protection of the Leopard 2A6 against MIM-146.

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 (0°) Lower forward hull 20 mm (0°) Lower rear hull	20 mm (12-50°) All rear	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 (1°) Mantlet armour 250 mm (9°) Mantlet shroud	80 mm (20-22°) Right add-on 80 mm (22°) Left add-on 35 mm (0°) Forward 15 mm (0°) 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
Composite armour	Front		Sides
Upper+Lower glacis 440 - 480 mm Kinetic 600 mm Chemical		N/A
Turret	turret cheeks 850 - 950 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

Weight59.9 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB47.8 hp/t

RB and SB25.0 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	59.9	2,032	2,862	33.92	47.78
Realistic	69	31		1,327	1,500	22.15	25.04

The only drawback compared to the previous model would be the Leopard 2A6's mobility since, despite the half ton increase in weight, the engine remains the same, so the Leopard 2A6 remains relatively slow and relatively unmanoeuvrable like the Leopard 2A5, but it can still keep up with the other nations MBTs. The engine remains the same MTU (MOTOREN-UND TURBINEN-UNION FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH) MB 873 Ka-501 engine which produces 1,500 hp (1,100 KW) at 2,600 RPM.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 712 → 7 011

RB4 567 → 6 795

SB5 780 → 8 600

Total cost of modifications287 700

483 000

Talisman cost3 200

Crew training310 000

Experts1 100 000

Aces2 300

Research Aces1 350 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

160 / 200 / 210 %

256 / 256 / 256 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 21 000 Cost: 32 000 430 Suspension Research: 18 000 Cost: 28 000 370 Brake System Research: 18 000 Cost: 28 000 370 Filters Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 330 Transmission Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 410 Engine Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 410	Improved Parts Research: 6 300 Cost: 32 000 430 Improved FPE Research: 5 400 Cost: 28 000 370 Crew Replenishment Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 330	Horizontal Drive Research: 21 000 Cost: 32 000 430 Adjustment of Fire Research: 18 000 Cost: 28 000 370 Elevation Mechanism Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 330 Smoke grenade Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 330 NVD Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 330 Artillery Support Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 410 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 410 Laser rangefinder Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 410

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/55 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 2A6 has access to the DM53 APFSDS shells, the APFSDS shell with the highest penetration as of Version 2.1.0.46. Such shell is able to penetrate M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2 and T-80U more easily than its predecessor.

120 mm Rh120 L/55					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	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
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	496	494	486	476	466	456
DM53	APFSDS	652	650	640	628	616	604

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%
DM12A1	HEATFS	1,190	13.5	0.05	0.1	2,150	65°	72°	77°
DM33	APFSDS	1,690	4.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°
DM53	APFSDS	1,750	5	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Leopard 2A6

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 2A6 remains as slow, but as well armoured, as its predecessor, but it has access to the DM53 round. With the new shell, the playstyle remains similar:

• Hull down: In the 2A6, the turret is well armoured thanks to the add-on wedge armour, so a hull-down position can now leave the Leopard 2A6 invulnerable. Even then try to find cover, so then the armour package can last longer throughout the battle.
• Sniping: With the DM53 APFSDS round, the Leopard 2A6 has an incredibly powerful gun with the highest penetrating shell in the game, therefore it can now make use of the great distance in combat to deal damage while tanking incoming shots. Making use of hull-down positions whilst sniping is recommended.
• Flanking: Due to the Leopard 2A6 inheriting the relatively slow mobility compared to the other vehicles sharing the same battle rating, 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:

• Incredibly powerful gun with the highest penetrating shell in the game, the DM53 with 650 mm of penetration at 100 m
• 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
• Very good thermal imaging quality (Generation 2 for Binoculars, 800 x 600, and Generation 1 for Gunner's view, 500 x 300)

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
• 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
• The wedges can be shot off with several hits, though the turret cheeks alone provide 710 mm against KE
• 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
• Slower reload than contemporary (NATO) tanks

History

Following the rollout of the Leopard 2A5 modification with enhanced protection, German engineers, in cooperation with international partners, immediately began working on improving the MBTs firepower.

This was achieved by, among other minor modifications, lengthening the Rh 120 L44 cannon by 1,320 mm, thus creating the Rh 120 L55. As a result, the Leopard 2A6's firing range was extended in addition to other ballistic properties being improved.

Production of the vehicle began in the early 2000s by converting older Leopard 2A4 and A5 models to the new standard. Initially, around 225 Leopard 2A6s were produced for the German Bundeswehr. Apart from domestic use, the Leopard 2A6 also sees service with Dutch, Canadian, Greek and Portuguese forces, among others. In particular, the Leopard 2A6 was deployed with Canadian forces to Afghanistan in 2007, marking its first operational use.

The Leopard 2A6 is still in service today and, along with other variants, forms the spearhead of the armoured units of the German Bundeswehr.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Leopard 2A6 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• Leopard 2A6 Devblog Images
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Videos

The Shooting Range #229 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the Leopard 2A6.

Should You Grind The Leopard 2A6? - Sako Sniper

Leopard 2A6 Tank Review - Napalmratte

See also

• Leopard 2A5 - Preceding vehicle

External links

• [Devblog] Leopard 2A6: Deadlier than ever