Difference between revisions of "Leopard 2K"

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{{Specs-Card|code=germ_leopard_2k}}
 
{{Specs-Card|code=germ_leopard_2k}}
 +
{{About
 +
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 +
| usage = other uses
 +
| link = Leopard (Family)
 +
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]].
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== 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 helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
<!--''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?''-->
 
+
The Leopard 2K is one of the most thinly armoured MBT in the German tree, having only 50 mm of actual thickness and 144 mm of effective thickness upper frontal plate and actual 59 mm with an effective thickness of 118 mm for its lower frontal plate. Thin armour would tend to cause concern for the tanker, however, much of this is negated due to the angles in the armour. For survivability, it is almost comparable to the T-64s but without blowing up, playing this tank is a 50/50.
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
 
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
+
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.''-->
 +
The Mobility of the Leopard 2K is astonishing, making it one of the most agile MBTs in its BR, reaching the speed of 70km/h on road.
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
 +
{{main|Rheinmetall L44 (120 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
The Leopard 2Ks 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 this does not mean it gets all of the later rounds, the rounds that the Leopard 2K gets is a DM12 and DM13 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 1,000 m away
 +
 
 +
==== Ammunition ====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 +
! colspan="8" |Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" |Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" |Type of warhead
 +
! colspan="6" |'''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
 +
|-
 +
!10m
 +
!100m
 +
!500m
 +
!1000m
 +
!1500m
 +
!2000m
 +
|-
 +
|DM12
 +
|HEATFS
 +
|480
 +
|480
 +
|480
 +
|480
 +
|480
 +
|480
 +
|-
 +
|DM13
 +
|APFSDS
 +
|393
 +
|390
 +
|384
 +
|376
 +
|367
 +
|359
 +
|}
  
 
=== Additional armament ===
 
=== Additional armament ===
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
<!--Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.-->
 +
{{main|Rh202 (20 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
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 AP-IT/HEF-IT, with 47 mm of penetration at 90 degrees at 0 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.
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
''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.''
+
<!--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.-->
 +
{{main|MG 3A1 (7.62 mm)}}
  
== Usage in the battles ==
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="7" |[[MG 3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG 3A1]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" |''Coaxial mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" |Fire rate
 +
(shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" |Vertical
 +
guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" |Horizontal
 +
guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" |5,500 (1,000)||1,200||N/A||N/A
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''-->
 +
As mentioned earlier, the Leopard 2K is very agile, well equipped and thinly armoured. Overall the tank fits well into both flanker and sniper roles. The mobility of the tank can take you to places where the enemy will not expect a tank to be in such a short period of time. It is not a good idea to lead the advance or brawl because of the lack of armour on this vehicle, and it's best to instead let the well-armoured tanks take the lead. This tank is just an M18, but has a good gun and is even faster if you utilize its speed, doing so will allow for potential domination of the matches
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!--Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".-->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
*
+
 
 +
* 120 mm gun with effective rounds
 +
* APFSDS is a tier 1 modification - high-velocity rounds allow for long-range shots with ease
 +
* Sloped armour has a tendency to bounce shots, somewhat making up for the lack of actual thickness
 +
* 20 mm cannon very effective against light armour and aircraft
 +
* Excellent mobility - one of the most mobile tanks on the battlefield
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
 
  
== Historical part ==
+
* Thin armour, ineffective if angles and cover not utilised
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
* Relatively large profile, the 20 mm Rh 202 gun often sticks out behind cover, making an easy target for Russian HE-Frag-FS shells
 +
* Slow reload time relative to tanks with smaller guns or autoloaders
 +
* Stock round is HEAT-FS, and struggles against allied vehicles, especially ones outfitted with ERA blocks (such as the T-64BV it often faces)
 +
* Infrared imager is less effective than thermal imager during night battles
 +
* Thin top armour and auto cannon means you are a priority target by rocket helicopters and aircraft due to the tanks ability to destroy them with relative ease once they get close
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''-->
 +
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 [[wt:n/news/5309-development-leopard-2k-a-legend-in-the-making-en|Devblog]]''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!--An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.-->
 +
 
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|FM-V6Rp1Cgs|20 Minutes of JUST Leopard 2k, But I ONLY use HEAT - War Thunder
 +
<br>''-By Ruskii9000''}}
 +
== See also ==
 +
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
  
== Read 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;''
 
* ''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.''
''ETC.''
 
  
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''page on the Wikipedia;''
+
* ''encyclopedia page on tank;''
* ''other literature.''
+
* ''other literature.''-->
 +
 
 +
* [[wt:n/news/5309-development-leopard-2k-a-legend-in-the-making-en|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Leopard 2K: A Legend In The Making]]
 +
 
 +
{{Germany medium tanks}}

Revision as of 16:17, 12 November 2019

Rank VI Israel | Premium | Golden Eagles
Merkava Mk.2D Pack
Leopard 2K
germ_leopard_2k.png
Leopard 2K
AB RB SB
9.7 9.7 9.7
Class:
Research:260 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:710 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the German medium tank Leopard 2K. For other uses, see Leopard (Family).

Description

The Leopard 2K is a rank VII German medium tank with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".

General info

Survivability and armour

The Leopard 2K is one of the most thinly armoured MBT in the German tree, having only 50 mm of actual thickness and 144 mm of effective thickness upper frontal plate and actual 59 mm with an effective thickness of 118 mm for its lower frontal plate. Thin armour would tend to cause concern for the tanker, however, much of this is negated due to the angles in the armour. For survivability, it is almost comparable to the T-64s but without blowing up, playing this tank is a 50/50.

Mobility

The Mobility of the Leopard 2K is astonishing, making it one of the most agile MBTs in its BR, reaching the speed of 70km/h on road.

Armaments

Main armament

The Leopard 2Ks 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 this does not mean it gets all of the later rounds, the rounds that the Leopard 2K gets is a DM12 and DM13 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 1,000 m away

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of warhead Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
DM12 HEATFS 480 480 480 480 480 480
DM13 APFSDS 393 390 384 376 367 359

Additional armament

Main article: Rh202 (20 mm)

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 AP-IT/HEF-IT, with 47 mm of penetration at 90 degrees at 0 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.

Machine guns

Main article: MG 3A1 (7.62 mm)
7.62 mm MG 3A1
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate

(shots/minute)

Vertical

guidance

Horizontal

guidance

5,500 (1,000) 1,200 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

As mentioned earlier, the Leopard 2K is very agile, well equipped and thinly armoured. Overall the tank fits well into both flanker and sniper roles. The mobility of the tank can take you to places where the enemy will not expect a tank to be in such a short period of time. It is not a good idea to lead the advance or brawl because of the lack of armour on this vehicle, and it's best to instead let the well-armoured tanks take the lead. This tank is just an M18, but has a good gun and is even faster if you utilize its speed, doing so will allow for potential domination of the matches

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 120 mm gun with effective rounds
  • APFSDS is a tier 1 modification - high-velocity rounds allow for long-range shots with ease
  • Sloped armour has a tendency to bounce shots, somewhat making up for the lack of actual thickness
  • 20 mm cannon very effective against light armour and aircraft
  • Excellent mobility - one of the most mobile tanks on the battlefield

Cons:

  • Thin armour, ineffective if angles and cover not utilised
  • Relatively large profile, the 20 mm Rh 202 gun often sticks out behind cover, making an easy target for Russian HE-Frag-FS shells
  • Slow reload time relative to tanks with smaller guns or autoloaders
  • Stock round is HEAT-FS, and struggles against allied vehicles, especially ones outfitted with ERA blocks (such as the T-64BV it often faces)
  • Infrared imager is less effective than thermal imager during night battles
  • Thin top armour and auto cannon means you are a priority target by rocket helicopters and aircraft due to the tanks ability to destroy them with relative ease once they get close

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 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