Osprey New Vanguard 24 : Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979-1998

In 1963 West Germany and the United States signed an agreement to develop the best tank in the world - the MBT/KPz-70. Though by 1970 this project was stopped, West Germany used the components created for the MBT/KPz-70 to develop a new main battle tank - the Leopard 2. Since 1979, when the first Leopard 2 rolled off the production line, the Leopard 2 has undergone various modifications, and has been exported to various European countries. This book examines the development of the Leopard 2 from the first batch to its evolution into the improved Leopard 2 A5, detailing its features and variants. The text is accompanied by good B&W photos and informative colour plate drawings which show the different markings and camoflague schemes used on several of the versions. Text by Uwe Schnellbacher and Michael Jerchel with illustrations by Mike Badrocke.

Contents

• Design and Development
• The Leopard 2 AV
• Series Production
• Inside the Leopard 2 A4
• The Improved Leopard 2
• The Leopard 2 in Foreign Service
• Swedish Leopard 2