Leopard 2 - Operators

Operators

  • Austria: The Austrian Army acquired 114 Leopard 2A4s from surplus Dutch stocks plus one turret.
  • Canada: The Canadian Army acquired 100 Leopard 2A4 tanks from the Netherlands in 2007. Twenty Leopard 2A6M were borrowed from the German Army beginning in mid-2007 to support the Canadian deployment in Afghanistan, with the first tank handed over after upgrading by KMW on August 2, 2007, and arriving in Afghanistan on August 16, 2007. Two Bergepanzer 3 Büffel were loaned from the German Army for use with the Canadian deployment in Afghanistan. An additional fifteen Leopard 2A4 tanks were purchased from the German Army for spare parts. An additional 12 surplus Pz 87 were purchased from Switzerland in 2011 for conversion to protected special vehicles. The Canadian Army will be able to deploy 40 combat tanks (20 2A4M CAN and 20 2A6M CAN) with 42 2A4s for training, all supported by 13 to 18 AEVs, 12 ARVs and 15 Logistic Support Vehicles.
  • Chile: The Chilean Army acquired 132 Leopard 2A4s upgraded to the Leopard 2A4CHL standard (plus 8 to be used as spares) from German stocks in 2007.
  • Denmark: The Danish Army operates 51 Leopard 2A5DK (equal to Leopard 2A6 minus the L55 gun) and 6 Leopard 2A4 (for spares) from German stocks.
  • Finland: The Finnish Army originally bought 124 2A4s from surplus German stocks in 2003. 20 have been converted into bridge-laying and combat engineering tanks. 12 tanks have been disassembled for use as spares, leaving 92 operational tanks. in 2009 The Finnish Army bought 15 more German surplus Leopard 2A4s for spare parts of existing fleet Finland currently possesses 139 Leopard 2s.
  • Germany: The German Army has operated about 2,350 Leopard 2s of all versions. Large numbers have been sold to other countries after the end of the Cold War or placed in storage. Currently some 408 Leopard 2s are in service, of which 225 are Leopard 2A6s. 395 Leopard 2s are planned to remain in service by 2012.
  • Greece: The Hellenic Army operates 353 Leopard 2s (183 ex-German 2A4s and 170 newly built Leopard 2A6 HEL vehicles)
  • Norway: The Norwegian Army operates 52 ex-Dutch Leopard 2A4s, designated A4NO. The Norwegian Leopards will be upgraded to 2A5 standard.
  • Poland: The Polish Land Forces operate 128 ex-German Leopard 2A4s. All Polish Leopard 2 tanks serve with the 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade based in Świętoszów
  • Portugal: The Portuguese Army has 37 ex-Dutch Leopard 2A6s in service.
  • Singapore: The Singapore Army acquired a total of 96 ex-German Leopard 2A4s, including 30 spare tanks. Upgraded with additional AMAP composite armour in 2010 by IBD & ST Kinetics and was renamed L2SG in October 2010.
  • Spain: The Spanish Army operates 327 Leopard 2s (108 ex-German Leopard 2A4s and 219 new-built Leopard 2A6+ (Leopard 2E).
  • Sweden: The Swedish Army operates 120 Leopard 2(S) (local designation Strv 122) and has operated 160 ex-German Leopard 2A4s (Strv 121). Only the Strv 122s are still in active service.
  • Switzerland: The Swiss Army operates 380 2A4s designated Pz 87. 35 of these were bought from Germany while the remaining ones were license manufactured locally.
  • Turkey: The Turkish Army operates 354 Leopard 2A4s.
Former operators
  • Netherlands: The Royal Netherlands Army has operated 445 Leopard 2s. Many were sold after the end of the Cold War. On April 8, 2011, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that until the last remaining tank division will be dissolved and the remaining Leopard tanks sold due to large budget cuts. On May 18, 2011, the last tank fired the final shot at the Bergen-Hohne Training Area. They were due to be delivered to the Indonesian Army, which planned to purchase the entire Dutch stock of Leopard 2A6. However, the deal was scrapped after opposition from the Dutch Parliament.
Future/pending
  • Indonesia: The Indonesian Army had planned to buy 100 Leopard 2A6s from the Netherlands in November 2011. If Netherlands approved to sell their Leopard 2A6s to Indonesia, the delivery is estimated to be by 2014. It has caused somewhat of a controversy however as there is an ongoing debate whether the tank is suitable for Indonesian terrain. The GroenLinks party of the Dutch Parliament also expressed concern of the purchase. Indonesia has given the Netherlands a deadline to decide whether or not to sell its surplus Leopard main battle tanks (MBTs). Indonesia also had planned to buy the German-made MBT from its origin country in case Netherlands did not meet the deadline. The Dutch offer eventually fell through, and on 24 May 2012, General Pramono Edhie Wibowo announced that Germany has been chosen and that the first batch of 30 tanks should arrive by October and a second batch will be delivered in 2013.
  • Qatar: The Qatari government is interested in buying up to 200 Leopard 2 tanks from KMW. Whether or not the deal will take place depends in part on an approval from the German Bundessicherheitsrat (Federal Security Council). The council has not yet evaluated the request.
  • Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Arabian government is seeking to buy Leopard 2A7s (total of 600-800 desired). In early July 2011, German press reported that the Bundessicherheitsrat (Federal Security Council) approved the sale by KMW of more than 200 units of the 2A7+ tanks to Saudi Arabia. This news was met with criticism both inside and outside of Germany, because of the autocratic nature of the Saudi Arabian state and its involvement in repressing popular protests in neighboring country Bahrain. Criticism also came from within the Chancellor Angela Merkel's government coalition, and, later from within KMW. In June 2012, reports surfaced that Saudi Arabia had raised the number of tanks it is interested in to 600-800. So far a contract has not been finalized, and the issue is debated both in the German public and in Germany's federal parliament.

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