The German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, received its new batch of brand-new Leopard 2A7V main battle tanks on Wednesday.
The 393 tank battalion stationed in Bad Frankenhausen in northern Thuringia was the first unit of the German armed forces to receive the latest version of the Leopard 2 tank in the A7V configuration.
The Bundeswehr’s 393 tank battalion in Bad Frankenhausen received the first four of a total of 44 new battle tanks on Wednesday. The battalion is said to be the first unit of the Bundeswehr to receive this tank. 32 more are to be added by the end of September. Another eight are to follow next year. The tanks of the previous version A6 currently used by the battalion will be given to other units.
The Leopard 2A7V is the latest version of the iconic Leopard 2 and one of the most capable tank versions across the German Army. It is an advanced version of the tank with a new laser rangefinder and thermal imaging device.
The new tank equips with a modified barrel that gains advantages through better dueling capabilities. The barrel of the 120-millimeter smooth-barreled cannon has been hardened and can fire future modern range-extended ammunition. With this ammunition, the Leopard 2 A7V can reach a maximum combat range of up to 5,000 meters.
Rheinmetall specialists also eliminated obsolescent features in the fire control computers, Battle Management System (BMS) and control consoles.
The BMS is the new digital command technology on the battlefield. With it, troops, from battle tanks to individual riflemen, can exchange important information in an uncomplicated and time-saving manner. This is supposed to give them a tactical advantage in battle. The BMS shows your own position and the positions of your own forces on the electronic map. Furthermore, guidance lines, tactical orders and commands can be transmitted. If an enemy is sighted, this can be marked on the map and transmitted to all other own forces. The crew can also look forward to air conditioning for longer durability.
