![]() ![]() The project was contracted with Krauss-Maffei of Munich, which had created the preceding Leopard 1 and had the collaboration of many other German companies. When the development of the MBT-70 was cancelled in January 1970 the Germans decided to impulse the development of the Leopard 2. The MBT-70 was a 50-ton tank armed with a 152-millimeter cannon/missile launcher - similar to that of the M-60A2 main battle tank and the Sheridan light tank - and fitted with hydropneumatic suspension, which allowed to lower the height of the tank at will. ![]() In that time Germans and Americans still worked together in the MBT-70 program, which put in a second plane the Leopard 2 project. ![]() The development of the new German tank was started with a project conceived during the 1960s. With such perspective in mind the German engineers conceived and developed the Leopard 2 main battle tank which, thirty years after the beginning of the project, was considered by many the best on its class. The optional HERO 120 loitering ammunition capability expands the Panther’s strike capability to non-line-of-sight targets and can be mounted depending on role and mission requirements.Īll weapons are connected with targeting sights and the fire control computer through the fully digitised architecture, allowing for hunter-killer and killer-killer operation, seamless target engagements and future AI decision support.The great tension accumulated between the western and eastern defensive blocks in the 1950s and 1960s led the German strategists to undertake the development of a very advanced tank, designed to stop an hypothetical invasion from the East. Multiple Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) integration options give flexibility in proximity and drone defence. A 12.7 mm co-axial machine gun complements the main gun. The Future Gun System, developed by Rheinmetall, enables a 50 per cent longer kill range to be achieved (than 120 mm) with an unrivalled rate of fire due to the autoloader performance. Rarely has the sheer power of an MBT gun been more impressive. With the Rheinmetall Future Gun System consisting of a 130 mm cannon, a fully automated ammunition handling system and the additional armament options of the HERO 120 loitering ammunition, the Panther has concentrated firepower for long-range strikes in multi-target engagements. The Panther fulfils the core capability of “dominate and destroy”. ![]()
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