Leopard 2 tanks a boon for Canadian troops

Canadian Press via Sun Media ^ | 2008-12-25 | Bill Graveland

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[ffusco]

You forgotto mention the Ariete MBT.

[rmlew]

My apologies to the Italians. I also failed to mention the Japanese version of the Abrams.

[ffusco]

You sure know yer tanks!

[Straight Vermonter]

I think fire control is really the deciding factor today. The Abrams can fire at moving targets while it is also moving at top speeds. I’m not sure what the fire capabilities are on a Leopard or a British Challenger.

[Chode]

thank you...

[PAR35]

Challenger is supposed to be competitive as far as fire control goes. I believe the L2 is as well.

[Dundee]

I’ve spoken to some of the guys that did the evaluations for the Aussie Army’s recent tank purchase. The L2 and the M1 are pretty closely matched and it could have gone either way but we ended up going with the M1 due to a better support package and battle proven performance.

[spetznaz]

I think fire control is really the deciding factor today. The Abrams can fire at moving targets while it is also moving at top speeds. I’m not sure what the fire capabilities are on a Leopard or a British Challenger.

Modern tanks are able to do that.

Anyways, the best tanks in the World (and country of origin) are the:

- Leopard 2 (Germany)

- Abrams (US)

- Challenger 2 (UK)

Now, as to which is better than the other ....that is difficult. All 3 are at such a high level of competence, that they can be considered to be equal. Add to this great training for the German, American and British tankers, as well as more or less the same combat doctrine, and saying which is 'better' would be like comparing a red corvette against a blue corvette against a black corvette. At that level of performance, it all boils down to taste, support, and price considerations.

Also, each of them were supposed to be analogues of each other, in some cases close analogues. The Leo and the Abrams were at one point not meant to be ...both countries would have gone for the defunct MBT-70 (I am relying on memory, thus that name might be wrong). Hence you would expect both tanks to be very very similar. Furthermore, it's been said that the Abrams using British Armor and a German Gun. All 3 have more or less the same armor (although they have each improved, with the British moving from their Chobham to Dorchester, the Abrams having depleted uranium in key areas, and the Germans pushing the envelop on composites). Suffice it to say, you will need a big bomb-as-landmine to destroy one, although tanks have began to lose the battle against the latest missiles (which is why you are seeing them take the same approach the Russians had to against Western missiles ...active missile defence, which seeks to shoot down incoming missiles with projectiles. Now the tables seem to be on the other side, with Israel and the US now seeking active defensive systems like Trophy and Iron Hand to defend against the latest generation ATGMs). Anyways, you cannot get better armor than on those 3 tanks. The guns are all of the same capability (though the brits still use a rifled gun, but to great effect). The people manning the tanks are all professionals ....a Brit, American or German tanker cannot be compared to some Russian or other. Support for the tanks is also top-notch, both in terms of direct infantry support, as well as repair and mechanical support. As for the weapons used, all 3 use kinetic penetrators that can go through a T-72 (the only difference being that the Abrams uses one with depleted uranium, while the other 2 use tungsten ....all will go through an enemy tank, all will self-sharpen as they go through metal, all are dense metals, all will kill any crew inside). As far as systems ....all have the latest.

Thus, is the Leopard 2 the best tank in the World? Well, yes it is!

However, so is the Abrams, and the Chally 2.

A 3-way tie for number one.

[Chode]

well said... agreed, on any given day any one could win against the other.

i guess i'm just a little partial to the firecontrol aspect as i worked for a company that made the vga-crt that is in the M1 gunners and commanders viewfinders