The Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank was developed by Krauss-Maffei during the 1970s and succeeded the Leopard 1. Source: Rheinmetall Defence Press The Leopard 2 The AEV 3 Kodiak prototype during a demonstration using the excavator arm. The vehicle is being marketed with current Leopard 2 users as potential buyers. The first prototype, funded by both companies, was well received and ordered by Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Germany. It was the Swiss Army which initiated the development process and a consortium was set up between the German company Rheinmetall Landsysteme and the Swiss company RUAG Defence. With the use of different modules, the Kodiak has a variety of uses, including breaching minefields and destroying or erecting obstacles. The vehicle, being based on the Leopard 2 MBT chassis, offers a high level of protection, combined with good mobility. The AEV 3, nicknamed ‘Kodiak’, is an armored engineering vehicle currently in service with four armies in modest numbers. The Leopard less so than the Abrams, which is why much of the discussion has focused on it.Federal Republic of Germany/Switzerland (2002)Īrmored Engineering Vehicle – 43 Built + 44 On Order “The drawback of these more-modern tanks is that they are heavy and logistics-intensive, needing a lot of fuel and maintenance. “Giving the Leopard 2 to Ukraine would give them a substantial quality advantage over the Russian army - though because the West couldn’t give thousands of them, there would still be a quantity disadvantage.” “This newer generation of tanks have much better armor and defensive systems, much more powerful main weapons, and much better sensor suites, which allows them to fire at much longer range. “Up until now, Ukraine has been using largely Soviet-era Russian tanks that are several generations behind the most modern tanks (such as the Leopard, the American Abrams, or the Israeli Merkava).” David Silbey, associate professor of history at Cornell University and director of teaching and learning at Cornell in Washington, specializes in military history, defense policy and battlefield analysis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |