Leopard C2 in Afghanistan - by Abinyah Walker

There is serious concern over the Canadian Afghanistan combat mission when improvised explosives are ripping through our multi-million dollar state of the art equipment and killing our soldiers; when simple roll overs in LAV-IIIs on rough terrain are unexpectedly causing non-combat casualties. We begin to question the ideology of the acquisition programs, especially the Future Combat Systems (FSC) that calls for high-tech weapons when they are unable to compete against low tech weapons such as IEDs. The Future Combat System (FCS) designed to lure countries into arms races financed by exorbitant national debt funding, centered around upgraded equipment like the LAV-III and integrated network centric with non-line of sight fighting. Prosecuting last centuries future combat system these new and old enemies have grossly simplistic cobra-command type dumb armor. It turns out that we are cobra command.

When sending tanks to Afghanistan after years of calling for greater armor protection for our light infantry was finally approved along with native airlift capabilities, all Canadians breathed a sigh of relief. the Leopard tank compliments our full spectrum combat capabilities by protecting the few troops that we actually have.

This entry documents the Leopard tank and will later complement the Canadian Fighting Forces overview later on in the Digital Archive series.

The Canadian army planned on switching to the Stryker like mobile gun system after the retirement of the Leopard C2, but their experience in Afghanistan convinced them that heavy armored and tracked combat vehicles were a vital operational necessity. The Leopard 2A6 proved that they can survive IED strikes and bring their crews home safely.

KMW developed mine protection system for the Leopard 2, with the first mine-protected tank being delivered in July 2004. The kit consists of add-on armour elements including a new plate under the tank floor, new vision systems and restowage arrangements for ammunition. Trials in February 2004 demonstrated that, with the new armour package, Leopard 2 tank crews could survive the detonation of an anti-tank mine under the tank without suffering any injuries. November 2, 2007 Canadian Leopard tank survived an IED attack thanks to the protection system.

The Leopard 2A5, and newer versions, have angled arrow-shaped turret appliqué armour and a number of other improvements. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun, and advanced night vision and sighting equipment. The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain. It can drive through water 4 meters (13 ft) deep using a snorkel or 1.2 meters (3 ft 11 in) without any preparation and climb vertical obstacles over one metre high. The tank is powered with a turbo-charged multi-fuel V12 diesel engine that produces 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW).



Links
[Army-Technology]
[Wikipedia Leopard 2]
[LAV III on Wikipedia] [LAV III on CASR]