Leopard 2E - Leopard 2E

Leopard 2E

Spain's Leopard 2E is based on the Leopard 2A6, and incorporates the add-on wedge armor of the Leopard 2A5 on the turret. This armor maximizes the armor depth that a kinetic energy penetrator must travel through to enter the internal volume of the turret. Like the Swedish Leopard 2S (Strv 122), the Leopard 2E has increased armor thickness on the hull's glacis plate, the turret frontal arc and the turret roof, bringing the vehicle's weight close to 63 tonnes (69.4 tons). The vehicle's protection is augmented by the added armor that is built into the tank during the manufacturing process, as opposed to being added on after assembly as is the case for German Leopard 2A5s and 2A6s. As a consequence, the Leopard 2E is one of the best-protected Leopard 2s in service.

The tank is armed with Rheinmetall's ], and is capable of adopting a 140-millimeter (5.5 in) gun. Both the tank commander and gunner have identical second generation thermal viewers, derived from those of the TOW 2B Light Launcher System. These are integrated into the tank by Indra and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics. Indra provides the tank's command and control system, called the Leopard Information and Command Equipment (LINCE), based on the Swedish and German Integrierte Führungssysteme (IFIS). Other differences between the Spanish Leopard 2E and other Leopard 2A6s include an auxiliary power unit, manufactured by SAPA, an air conditioning system and new rubber pads for the vehicle's tracks to increase their lifespan on the irregular Spanish terrain. About 60% of each Leopard 2E was manufactured in Spain, as opposed to 30% for the Swedish Leopard 2S, for example.

Although the final contract for the production of Spanish Leopard 2Es was signed in 1998, calling for a production rate of four tanks per month, the first Leopard 2Es were not manufactured until late 2003. This was largely due to the merging of Santa Bárbara Sistemas with General Dynamics, and Krauss-Maffei's reservations regarding the sharing of the Leopard 2's technology with a rival company manufacturer of the M1 Abrams. Krauss-Maffei delivered 30 Leopard 2Es between 2003 and 2006. Production by Santa Bárbara Sistemas was delayed after assembly had begun; between January and November 2007, for example, only three of the 43 Leopard 2Es to be delivered to the Spanish army were actually delivered—with 15 more being delivered before the end of the year to make up for the earlier production problems. By 1 July 2006 the Spanish army had received 48 Leopard 2Es and nine Büffel armored recovery vehicles, which was only a quarter of those contracted. Production of the Leopard 2E was planned to end by 2007 but was extended into 2008.

The Leopard 2E replaced the Leopard 2A4 in Spanish mechanized units, which in turn replaced M60s in cavalry units. Both versions of the Leopard 2 are expected to remain in service with the Spanish army until 2025. In terms of industrial scale, the production and development of the Leopard 2E represents a total of 2.6 million man-hours of work, including 9,600 in Germany. It is one of the most expensive Leopard 2s built; the original contract was worth €1,910m but the final cost was €2,399m.