Leopard 2 PL

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

Leopard 2 PL

Leopard 2 PL

Germany

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.7	11.7	11.7

Class:

SQUADRON

Medium tank

Research:570 000

Purchase:1 140 000

Show in game

Description

The Leopard 2 PL is a squadron rank VIII German medium tank with a battle rating of 11.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".

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 %

Due to volumetric armour, HEAT-FS rounds are not able to penetrate the GPS

APFSDS dart is able to penetrate the Gunner Primary Sight taking out both gunner and commander. However the add-on armour reduces the chances of killing them both in a single shot.

The Leopard 2PL features the strongest and most armoured turret for the Leopard 2 series tanks seen in game so far. It features a stronger turret armour compared to all the Leopard 2 seen in game but has no add-on hull protection as the Strv 122A and the Strv 122B PLSS. This version is based on the 2A4 series, and so features the same problems with the hull armour, barely enough to stop rounds seen in game. However, it completely removes the armour issues from the turret. At first sight, the GPS (Gunner Primary Sight) can be seen as the main weak point since it is the same weak spot the 2A4 has. However, taking into consideration the new armour package, hitting the GPS makes is far harder without hitting add-on armour first. As seen in the image, the GPS is mostly safe from HEAT-FS and other chemical shells due to the volumetric armour, meaning they will either prematurely explode, or simply not be able to penetrate the 500+ mm of protection offered by the add-on armour package. However, for sub-calibre rounds like APFSDS, the composite armour offers less protection. As seen in the Leopard 2A4, any hit to the GPS means both gunner and commander will be knocked out. However, chances of hitting the GPS in the exact place for it to disable both crew members is reduced immensely thanks to the add-on armour. Most of the time, any hit to the GPS will result in the knock-out of the commander only with partial damage to the gunner. As seen in picture, the area highlighted is the place in which both the gunner and commander can be killed with a single shot (more specifically the lower section of the rectangular optic in the GPS).

MILAN ATGM is unable to penetrate the turret sides.

DM53 round is unable to penetrate the add-on armour.

The 2PL is also the first tank in game to be able to withstand more than one hit of CL3143, DM53 and 9M119 to the turret. Previous Leopards (specifically the 2A5 and 2A6 including the Strv 122) can withstand 9M119 to the turret. However, the wedge panels of these tanks are exploded with a single hit, which means the turret is exposed to further enemy fire. This changes with the 2PL. Due to the fact that the armoured add-on package is a permanent part of the tank, it is able to withstand up to 4 9M119 hits and continuous firing of the CL3143 and DM53 at any ranges. Despite this, all of them are able to penetrate the gun mantlet with no issues at all. However, for your enemies it is rather tricky to achieve this since if they are aiming at the turret's front, you can also kill them as well. Moving to turret's add-on side armour, it is able to withstand all types of HEAT-FS and chemical shells seen in game. However, the armour protection is increased gradually as we move to the turret front. The first section of the side armour (the one covering the smoke launchers) is relatively weak and is able to be penetrated by all ammunitions seen in the battle-rating. The second section (covering the first half of the sides of the crew compartments) is able to withstand all HEAT-FS in game and MILAN ATGM (meaning is able to withstand up to 580 mm of penetration). The third section of the side armour (covering the second half of the crew compartment) is able to withstand all penetration up to 800 mm of CE (Chemical). When we talk about KE (Kinetic) protection, the side armour offers little to no protection whatsoever, and can be penetrated by nearly all high-calibre weapons at its battle rating.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	Composite Armour Upper Glacis 35 mm (53°)	20 mm Top 35 mm Bottom	20 mm	20 - 35 mm
Turret	35 mm Turret front 35 mm Gun mantlet Variable thickness add-on armour	15 - 35 mm 300 mm Composite Screen Variable thickness add-on armour	25 mm	20 mm

Composite armour	Front	Sides
Hull	Upper+Lower glacis 400 mm Kinetic 600 mm Chemical	N/A
Turret	Turret cheeks 1010 mm Kinetic 1520 mm Chemical Gun mantlet (Center) 478 - 615 mm Kinetic 730- 1400 mm Chemical Gun mantlet (Outer) 524 - 915 mm Kinetic 535 - 1520 mm Chemical	Side armour 260 mm Kinetic 230 - 600 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

Weight59.2 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB48.3 hp/t

RB and SB25.3 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	59.2	2,032	2,862	34.32	48.34
Realistic	69	31		1,327	1,500	22.42	25.34

The Leopard 2PL features a similar mobility to the rest of the Leopard 2 series (with exception of 2K). Has no particular upgrade or drawback compared to 2A4, 2A5 or 2A6. It should be noted, as the rest of Leopard 2 series, it features a relatively low acceleration in neutral steering.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 627 → 6 884

RB4 517 → 6 721

SB5 734 → 8 532

Total cost of modifications281 200

473 000

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: 31 000 440 Suspension Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 310 Brake System Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 310 Filters Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 330 Transmission Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440 Engine Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440	Improved Parts Research: 6 000 Cost: 31 000 440 Improved FPE Research: 4 200 Cost: 22 000 310 Crew Replenishment Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 330	Horizontal Drive Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440 Adjustment of Fire Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 310 120mm_DM_HE_FS_ammo_pack Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 310 Elevation Mechanism Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 330 Smoke grenade Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 330 NVD Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 330 Artillery Support Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440 Laser rangefinder Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 440

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 2PL is fitted with the powerful Rh120 L/44 120 mm gun, a gun that has been seen since the Leopard 2K. This gun features the same ballistics of the Leopard 2A4 and 2A5 using the same darts, meaning the gun handling is the same and it should not be a hassle when firing.

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

The 2PL has access to all the ammunition seen in Leopard 2 series past 2A4 with exception of DM53. It has access to a unique round, DM11, proximity fuze HE shell. All are capable rounds which are not new and have same handling.

DM12A1; HEAT-FS - The DM12A1 is the first round the 2PL has access to, it can be considered a mediocre round as most of the enemies which will be faced will be able to withstand it due to composite armour. However, it is particuallary useful when facing light armoured vehicles which are prompt to get overpressured (SPAA, light tanks, etc) and useful when facing enemy helicopters as it has enough explosive mass and flight speed to be competitive as last resort. As a hollow charge, it is prompt to detonate mid air due to trees, bushes and fences. This makes the round difficult to use when in long range engagements as some field elements may not be rendered.

DM33 & DM43; APFSDS - The 2PL has access to 2 types of APFSDS: the DM33 and DM43. The DM33 is a decent round with decent penetration and stopping power. While it lacks penetration to frontally penetrate some MBTs, it is enough to hit and cause critical damage in weak spots and side shots. DM43 however has much more penetration, and can typically penetrate all tanks from all sides.

DM11; HE - The DM11 is the a new HE-VT proxy shell for germany. It is pretty much useless against non lightly armoured vehicles (even 20 mm roofs will stop the spalling if an air explosion is done) but can be devastating against helicopters as there will be no need for direct hit in order to cause critical damage. It should be noted that the round has to fly at least 400 m to arm the fuse. It has a trigger radius of 10m.

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
DM11	HE-TF	37	37	37	37	37	37
DM33	APFSDS	481	478	470	461	450	440
DM43	APFSDS	536	534	528	521	514	507

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	1,140	13.5	0.05	0.1	2,150	65°	72°	77°
DM11	HE-TF	950	19	0	0.1	3,930	79°	80°	81°
DM33	APFSDS	1,640	4.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°
DM43	APFSDS	1,660	4.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Leopard 2 PL

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

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been loaded.
• Rack 2 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 15 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is 2 - 1.
• If you pack 16 (+26) shells, it will keep the frontal hull rack empty.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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 2PL playstyle is identical to the 2A4 (and also subsequent German MBTs). One of the key differences between the 2PL over the rest is the stronger turret armour. In terms of armament, the 2PL has the powerful Rh120 L/44 which German tankers are already familiar with.

Enemies worth noting:

• M1 Abrams: Turret frontal plates are very strong, ensure an angle within 45° when using DM33.
• Leopard 2A4/Strv 121: UFP and turret frontal plates can be penetrated by DM33.
• Leopard 2A5/Leopard 2A6: UFP and turret frontal plates can be penetrated by DM33. Turret wedges should be blown out first in order to penetrate the turret frontal plate.
• Strv 122A/Strv 122B PLSS: UFP impenetrable by DM33 unless MEXAS armour package is destroyed. Turret wedges should be blown out first in order to penetrate the turret frontal plate.
• Leclerc/Leclerc S2: Leclerc front is impenetrable by all rounds unless shots are made entirely into the lower half of the LFP, DM43 is advised.
• Challenger 2: Front impenetrable by all rounds unless shots are made to driver's port.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good turret armour
• Good gun
• Good mobility, due to its powerful engine
• Has access to the DM11 HE-TF round that can counter helicopters
• Good reload rate
• Has access to 2nd generation thermals for both the gunner and commander

Cons:

• Nearly no gun mantlet armour
• Hull armour is also not so good, is based on the Leopard 2A4
• GPS is a big weak spot (against APFSDS)

History

Devblog

The Leopard 2PL is an ongoing joint project for the modernization of the Leopard 2A4 tanks in service with the Polish army, currently being carried out by the German company Rheinmetall AG and the Polish state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa. The aim of the program is to improve the combat efficiency of the elderly Leopards to 3rd generation plus level main battle tanks.

The main areas of modernization are improving the tank's protection and firepower. The Leopard 2PL has additional modular turret armour (forehead and sides), enhanced protection of the gun mantlet. On the turret's rear, massive boxes appeared, which under some circumstances can work as spaced armour for protection against HEAT shells. The L44 cannon remains the same, but the upgraded fire control system has modern thermal imaging equipment and is adapted for firing more powerful rounds. Since the power plant and chassis of the Leopard 2A4 remained unchanged, the additional protection of the hull had to be abandoned, as the weight of the tank approached 60 tons. In total, 128 Leopard 2A4's in service are to be upgraded under the Leopard 2PL program.

Media

Skins

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

Images

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See also

• Leopard 2A4

External links

• [Development] Squadron vehicles: Leopard 2PL: Polish cavalry
• [Defence24.com] Leopard 2PL Programme Showcased. Modernization Package For The Polish Main Battle Tanks.

Squadron ground vehicles
USA	M901 · M1A1 AIM
Germany	Leopard 2 PL
USSR	BMP-2M · T-80UK
Britain	Bhishma TWMP
Japan	RCV (P)
China	Object 122MT "MC"
France	CV 9035NL
Sweden	T 80 U
Israel	Magach 6B Gal