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Tanks for the Lesson: Leopards, too, for Canada
Jun 18, 2014 by Defense Industry Daily staff
June 17/14: Sensors.Airbus and Carl Zeiss’ Cassidian Optronics partnership has been awarded over EUR 15 million in contracts to modernize more than 100 Leopard 2 main battle tanks in Germany, Canada and Denmark with ATTICA thermal imaging in their commander’s and gunner’s sights.
German Leopards already use Cassidian’s 3rd-generation thermal imaging device in the PERI R17 commander’s sight, and will upgrade the gunner’s sight. Canada’s Leopard 2A6CANs and Denmark’s Leopard 2A5s will install ATTICA in both commander and gunner’s sights, creating the ability to seamlessly pass views from commander to gunner with no change in quality. Sources: Airbus DS, “Cassidian Optronics delivers sighting systems for the modernisation of several NATO states’ Leopard 2 main battle tanks”.
Canadian Forces took some of the lessons re-learned during Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, directly to heart. Canada’s DND:
“The heavily protected direct fire capability of a main battle tank is an invaluable tool in the arsenal of any military. The intensity of recent conflicts in Central Asia and the Middle East has shown western militaries that tanks provide protection that cannot be matched by more lightly armored wheeled vehicles… [Canada's existing Leopard C2/1A5] tanks have also provided the Canadian Forces (CF) with the capability to travel to locations that would otherwise be inaccessible to wheeled light armoured vehicles, including Taliban defensive positions.”
In October 2003
, Canada was set to buy theStyker/LAV-III 105mm Mobile Gun System
to replace itsLeopard C2
tanks. By 2007, however, the lessons of war took Canada down a very different path – one that led them to renew the very tank fleet they were once intent on scrapping, while backing away from the wheeled vehicles that were once the cornerstone of the Canadian Army’s transformation plan. This updated article includes a full chronology for Canada’s new Leopard 2 tanks, adds information concerning DND’s exact plans and breakdowns for their new fleet, and discusses front-line experiences in Afghanistan.
Why New Tanks Now?
As noted above, existing Leopard 1A5-CAN tanks (designated C2) have been a welcome addition to the fighting in Afghanistan, and their MEXAS ceramic-composite armor kits and combat engineering attachments increase their versatility. The Canadian Forces are also deploying tracked M113 armored personnel carriers, which offer much less complete protection but similar mobility benefits.
Canada’s LAV-III wheeled armored personnel carriers have played useful roles, using their sensor suites and 25mm autocannon in road overwatch and patrols. The Panjwai district’s mud-brick compounds and its irrigation ditches, however, presented the LAV-IIIs with limits they could not easily overcome – and would have done the same for the LAV-III/Stryker MGS systems, had Canada gone ahead with that purchase.
Canadian sources tell DID that in addition to direct fire support from the Leopard C2s’ 105mm gun, the tanks’ heft and traction are equally significant because they can crumble low-lying brick walls by using front-mounted engineering attachments like dozer blades – or just their own weight. This clears a path for other forces, and allows the tanks to continue moving forward and providing fire support.
The Leopard C2s have their own deficiencies, however. The first – and biggest – issue, is heat. Temperatures in southern Afghanistan can reach 50C/122F in the summer time, which can easily become a life-threatening 65C/150F inside the vehicle due to its enclosed nature plus heat generated by the tank’s hydraulic systems.Australia managed
to add air conditioning to its Leopard 1s, but the Canadian version has a number of unique characteristics; any retrofit project risked delays and complications. With vehicles committed to the fight and needed in the field, however, failure was not an option.
The second issue was protection. Even with itsadd-on MEXAS armor
, the 1970s vintage Leopard 1s lack the all-around protection possible in the latest main battle tanks like the American M1 Abrams, German Leopard 2, et. al. The M1 TUSK and Leopard 2A6M versions can ignore single-warhead anti-tank rockets like the RPG-7, and can also add belly armor kits to improve protection against IED land mines.
The third issue was electronics and maintenance. Retrofitting modern digital communications and force tracking systems into tanks like the 6th generation Leopard 1 is a strain at the best of times, while 7th generation vehicles are designed and equipped to include them. In addition, by 2012 there would no longer be logistics support and spare parts for the turrets of Leopard 1s. By 2015, the Canadians believed that it may become impossible to maintain them.
Standing pat was not an option, and a simple switch had sharp limitations. With their LAV-III MGS and the combined anti-air/anti-armor LAV-III MMEV procurements in limbo, and the tactical rationale for these programs brought into question, the Canadians accepted the verdict of circumstances, and chose a different path. Instead of new 8×8 APCs, they would field new heavy armor.
Choices, Choices: Leopard 2s For Canada
A number of options for renewing Canada’s tank capability were considered, ranging from refurbishment, to surplus, to new. Delivery time was of the essence, and DND’s examination determined that the cost of any new vehicles involved paying up to 3 times as much as buying the same basic tank models on the surplus heavy tank market. New medium tank options like the 32-tonne CV90-120 light tank also offered full tracked mobility and similar firepower at less cost, but Canada had learned that heavier weight was often a tactical plus in theater, and decided that they needed vehicles sooner rather than later.
Accordingly, the Canadian government approached 6 allied nations regarding surplus main battle tank sales, and received proposals from 3 of them. It then went ahead and made 2 purchases, plus another 2 follow-on buys.
Their tank choice is a modern mainstay for many countries. Thanks in part tothe great DeutschePanzerSchlussverkauf(German Panzer fire sale), theLeopard 2 and its variants
have now been bought by Germany, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, and Turkey.
Canada’s 1st step was a lease, in order to get modern, air-conditioned tanks to the front lines immediately. Germany won that order, and 20 German Leopard 2A6M mine-protected tanks were delivered by the summer of 2007 to replace existing Leopard 1A5/C2 tanks in Afghanistan. The new tanks’ electric turret systems produce less heat than the C2s did, and air conditioning was added to the new German tanks in theater. This was a relief to Canadian tank crews, who had needed protective suites in the 140F/ 60C interiors of their Leopard 1A5 tanks.
The 2A6M is the most modern serving Leopard variant, though KMW had proposed a “Leopard 2 Peace Support Operations” variant with improved protection, and integrated combat engineering capabilities. By the time modifications were finished, the Leopard 2A6 CAN turned out to fall somewhere between the conventional 2A6M and the PSO. Canada actually ended up keeping the leased and modified German tanks, and sending 20 Leopard 2A6Ms from its follow-on purchases back to Germany.
The follow-on purchases of 127 tanks were won by 3 countries. The biggest order for 100 tanks went to the Dutch, who are serving under NATO ISAF beside Canadian forces in southern Afghanistan. Training for 5 years and initial spares will also be provided. Cooperation between these nations is not new. Dutch PzH-2000 mobile howitzers have alreadyproven very helpful during Operation Medusa
, and so had their CH-47 Chinook medium-heavy helicopters – some of which were bought as surplus from the Canadians in the 1980s. The cycle continues. And so it goes.
In the aftermath of their sales to Norway, Denmark, and now Canada, The Dutch were left with 110 Leopard 2A6-NL tanks in their arsenal. Other sales dropped that total further, and on On April 8/11, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that the last tank unit was to be dissolved and all remaining Leopard tanks sold.
The additional Leopard 2 buys totaled 27 tanks/ hulls. First, another 15 Leopard 2A4s were bought from Germany, to be used for spare parts. This hadn’t been contemplated in the initial plan, but it was necessary. The initial set of 20 leased German Leopard 2A6Ms were experiencing readiness problems, as tanks were cannibalized in order to keep others running. A 2010 buy from Switzerland added 12 stripped Pz 87s (Leopard 2A4 variants) for conversion to specialty vehicles, under Canada’s Force Mobility Enhancement (FME) program.
Structure
Canada’s initial 100-tank buy from the Netherlands included 20 Leopard 2A6-NL tanks, and 80 older Leopard 2A4s. Why 100? Because Canada’s Department of National Defence believed this was the minimum fleet size to support a deployed tank squadron:
40 for deployed operations.The Canadian Forces need 2 combat-ready squadrons of approximately 20 tanks each: 1 for deployment and a 2nd for rotation into theater to allow for depot repair and overhaul of the 1st.
40 for training.Another 2 squadrons of 20 tanks each are required for collective and individual training in Canada: individual training at the Combat Training Centre at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick; and squadron training at CFB Wainwright at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre in Alberta. These tanks do not need the same up-armoring conversion as the 2A6Ms, but they do need the same guns ad electronics to ensure that the training is consistent and useful.
Tanks for the Lesson: Leopards, too, for Canada
Jun 18, 2014 by Defense Industry Daily staff
June 17/14: Sensors.Airbus and Carl Zeiss’ Cassidian Optronics partnership has been awarded over EUR 15 million in contracts to modernize more than 100 Leopard 2 main battle tanks in Germany, Canada and Denmark with ATTICA thermal imaging in their commander’s and gunner’s sights.
German Leopards already use Cassidian’s 3rd-generation thermal imaging device in the PERI R17 commander’s sight, and will upgrade the gunner’s sight. Canada’s Leopard 2A6CANs and Denmark’s Leopard 2A5s will install ATTICA in both commander and gunner’s sights, creating the ability to seamlessly pass views from commander to gunner with no change in quality. Sources: Airbus DS, “Cassidian Optronics delivers sighting systems for the modernisation of several NATO states’ Leopard 2 main battle tanks”.
Canadian Forces took some of the lessons re-learned during Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, directly to heart. Canada’s DND:
“The heavily protected direct fire capability of a main battle tank is an invaluable tool in the arsenal of any military. The intensity of recent conflicts in Central Asia and the Middle East has shown western militaries that tanks provide protection that cannot be matched by more lightly armored wheeled vehicles… [Canada's existing Leopard C2/1A5] tanks have also provided the Canadian Forces (CF) with the capability to travel to locations that would otherwise be inaccessible to wheeled light armoured vehicles, including Taliban defensive positions.”
In October 2003
Why New Tanks Now?
As noted above, existing Leopard 1A5-CAN tanks (designated C2) have been a welcome addition to the fighting in Afghanistan, and their MEXAS ceramic-composite armor kits and combat engineering attachments increase their versatility. The Canadian Forces are also deploying tracked M113 armored personnel carriers, which offer much less complete protection but similar mobility benefits.
Canada’s LAV-III wheeled armored personnel carriers have played useful roles, using their sensor suites and 25mm autocannon in road overwatch and patrols. The Panjwai district’s mud-brick compounds and its irrigation ditches, however, presented the LAV-IIIs with limits they could not easily overcome – and would have done the same for the LAV-III/Stryker MGS systems, had Canada gone ahead with that purchase.
Canadian sources tell DID that in addition to direct fire support from the Leopard C2s’ 105mm gun, the tanks’ heft and traction are equally significant because they can crumble low-lying brick walls by using front-mounted engineering attachments like dozer blades – or just their own weight. This clears a path for other forces, and allows the tanks to continue moving forward and providing fire support.
The Leopard C2s have their own deficiencies, however. The first – and biggest – issue, is heat. Temperatures in southern Afghanistan can reach 50C/122F in the summer time, which can easily become a life-threatening 65C/150F inside the vehicle due to its enclosed nature plus heat generated by the tank’s hydraulic systems.Australia managed
The second issue was protection. Even with itsadd-on MEXAS armor
The third issue was electronics and maintenance. Retrofitting modern digital communications and force tracking systems into tanks like the 6th generation Leopard 1 is a strain at the best of times, while 7th generation vehicles are designed and equipped to include them. In addition, by 2012 there would no longer be logistics support and spare parts for the turrets of Leopard 1s. By 2015, the Canadians believed that it may become impossible to maintain them.
Standing pat was not an option, and a simple switch had sharp limitations. With their LAV-III MGS and the combined anti-air/anti-armor LAV-III MMEV procurements in limbo, and the tactical rationale for these programs brought into question, the Canadians accepted the verdict of circumstances, and chose a different path. Instead of new 8×8 APCs, they would field new heavy armor.
Choices, Choices: Leopard 2s For Canada
A number of options for renewing Canada’s tank capability were considered, ranging from refurbishment, to surplus, to new. Delivery time was of the essence, and DND’s examination determined that the cost of any new vehicles involved paying up to 3 times as much as buying the same basic tank models on the surplus heavy tank market. New medium tank options like the 32-tonne CV90-120 light tank also offered full tracked mobility and similar firepower at less cost, but Canada had learned that heavier weight was often a tactical plus in theater, and decided that they needed vehicles sooner rather than later.
Accordingly, the Canadian government approached 6 allied nations regarding surplus main battle tank sales, and received proposals from 3 of them. It then went ahead and made 2 purchases, plus another 2 follow-on buys.
Their tank choice is a modern mainstay for many countries. Thanks in part tothe great DeutschePanzerSchlussverkauf(German Panzer fire sale), theLeopard 2 and its variants
Canada’s 1st step was a lease, in order to get modern, air-conditioned tanks to the front lines immediately. Germany won that order, and 20 German Leopard 2A6M mine-protected tanks were delivered by the summer of 2007 to replace existing Leopard 1A5/C2 tanks in Afghanistan. The new tanks’ electric turret systems produce less heat than the C2s did, and air conditioning was added to the new German tanks in theater. This was a relief to Canadian tank crews, who had needed protective suites in the 140F/ 60C interiors of their Leopard 1A5 tanks.
The 2A6M is the most modern serving Leopard variant, though KMW had proposed a “Leopard 2 Peace Support Operations” variant with improved protection, and integrated combat engineering capabilities. By the time modifications were finished, the Leopard 2A6 CAN turned out to fall somewhere between the conventional 2A6M and the PSO. Canada actually ended up keeping the leased and modified German tanks, and sending 20 Leopard 2A6Ms from its follow-on purchases back to Germany.
The follow-on purchases of 127 tanks were won by 3 countries. The biggest order for 100 tanks went to the Dutch, who are serving under NATO ISAF beside Canadian forces in southern Afghanistan. Training for 5 years and initial spares will also be provided. Cooperation between these nations is not new. Dutch PzH-2000 mobile howitzers have alreadyproven very helpful during Operation Medusa
In the aftermath of their sales to Norway, Denmark, and now Canada, The Dutch were left with 110 Leopard 2A6-NL tanks in their arsenal. Other sales dropped that total further, and on On April 8/11, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that the last tank unit was to be dissolved and all remaining Leopard tanks sold.
The additional Leopard 2 buys totaled 27 tanks/ hulls. First, another 15 Leopard 2A4s were bought from Germany, to be used for spare parts. This hadn’t been contemplated in the initial plan, but it was necessary. The initial set of 20 leased German Leopard 2A6Ms were experiencing readiness problems, as tanks were cannibalized in order to keep others running. A 2010 buy from Switzerland added 12 stripped Pz 87s (Leopard 2A4 variants) for conversion to specialty vehicles, under Canada’s Force Mobility Enhancement (FME) program.
Structure
Canada’s initial 100-tank buy from the Netherlands included 20 Leopard 2A6-NL tanks, and 80 older Leopard 2A4s. Why 100? Because Canada’s Department of National Defence believed this was the minimum fleet size to support a deployed tank squadron:
40 for deployed operations.The Canadian Forces need 2 combat-ready squadrons of approximately 20 tanks each: 1 for deployment and a 2nd for rotation into theater to allow for depot repair and overhaul of the 1st.
40 for training.Another 2 squadrons of 20 tanks each are required for collective and individual training in Canada: individual training at the Combat Training Centre at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick; and squadron training at CFB Wainwright at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre in Alberta. These tanks do not need the same up-armoring conversion as the 2A6Ms, but they do need the same guns ad electronics to ensure that the training is consistent and useful.
Tanks for the Lesson: Leopards, too, for Canada
