Leopard 2 – the bridge to MGCS

The wars currently being waged have brought the importance of the main battle tank as a potent tool in the hands of the troop commander back into focus. At the same time, new threats – especially from the air – have emerged. For more than 10 years, Germany and France have been designing a successor system for the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks in the joint Main Ground Combat System project, which is taking a new technological approach given the new picture of war.

The timeframe for the introduction of the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is being pushed back further and further with troops now expected to be equipped from 2045 with the official completion date slated for 2050. This means a service life of 20 to 30 years for the systems that are now in service or will enter service in the foreseeable future. What options are there for maintaining the combat value of the Leopard 2 in order to achieve the smoothest possible transition to the MGCS?

Current equipment of the German Army

Over the last 30 years, the Bundeswehr has reduced the number of Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) from 2,125 tanks to 328 combat vehicles. After 18 tanks were handed over to Ukraine at the beginning of 2023, the number fell to 310. There is now talk of increasing the armoured fleet by around 100 vehicles to over 400 Leopard 2s.

Based on the ‘Mannheim configuration’, with which 350 tanks were converted to the A5 variants in the first basic combat upgrade from 1995, tanks from the second basic combat upgrade to the A6 standard were being delivered to the troops by 2001. The Leopard 2A7 was developed with the return of the Leopard 2A6M on loan to Canada, and for this purpose, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (now KNDS Deutschland) converted tanks from Dutch stocks to the German standard. The German side was able to take the opportunity to eliminate obsolescence and introduce combat upgrades.

Leopard 2A7 combat upgrades

• Rh 120 L55 gun and ammunition programmer.
• EKKA air-conditioning system for crew and electronics
• New power generator set (20 kW)
• Ultracapacitors (in hull and turret)
• Saab Barracuda thermal signature reduction covering
• New on-board communication system
• Modified fire suppression system
• Peri R17A3 with 3rd generation ATTICA-P thermal imaging device
• Adapted mounts for crew weapons

The 20 upgraded MBTs joined their military units in 2014 as the Leopard 2A7. The new configuration was the starting point for the more extensive conversion to the Leopard 2A7V. A total of 104 MBTs were converted to the latter standard under a contract signed in May 2017. Vehicles from industrial stocks, the Dutch Army and the 20 Leopard 2A7s were used for this. Further improvements were introduced compared to the Bundeswehr’s most modern tanks, hence the ‘V’ (for ‘Verbessert’; ENG: Improved) in the version designation. Three major changes justify the ’V’: new-build steel hulls, additional underbody protection on the hull, and improvement of the drivetrain. In addition to this, new ATTICA thermal imaging devices and Spectus night vision devices were fitted at the front and rear for the driver. The last Leopard 2A7V entered service in October 2023.

In order to achieve the greatest possible uniformity in training and logistics, German Army leadership sought to ensure the rest of the tank fleet was combat-ready, by upgrading them to a standard closer to the 2A7V. Due to budget constraints, only 50 A6s and 51 A6Ms (101 Leopard 2A6s in total) could be included in the programme. The armour module, the energy and fighting compartment cooling system and the new power generator unit, as well as the mount for the additional armour, were not realised. The conversion began following a contract award in March 2019. In order not to overburden the troops, an extended schedule was agreed with deliveries up to 2025. The first Leopard 2 with designation A6A3 entered service in July 2021. Around 80% of the planned tanks should have been delivered to date.

No conversion is currently planned for 88 Leopard 2s in the A5 and A6 versions. They will remain in service unchanged until a decision has been made about their future.

New versions A7A1 and A8

Under a contract signed in March 2021, 17 Leopard 2A6 tanks (one company equivalent, plus reserve) will receive the Trophy-HV active protection system (APS) from Rafael. As part of the APS upgrade, the tanks will receive the upgrades present on the A7V version. The A7A1 can be recognised externally by the attachments with Trophy effector launchers on both turret sides, as well as four attached radar modules. The delivery has been agreed for the period 2024 to 2025.

Following the aforementioned delivery of 18 Leopard 2 MBTs from German stocks to Ukraine in March 2023, a contract for their replacement was concluded in May 2023 (just three months after approval by the German Bundestag’s Budget Committee). In a move which surprised most observers, the replacement tanks were given the version designation Leopard 2A8. The German MoD intends to procure a further 35 Leopard 2A8 tanks in the course of 2024, which will be used to equip the combat brigade the Bundeswehr is building up in Lithuania.

Looking at the technical features, it is difficult to find reasons for the new version designation. The significant changes lie beneath the surface, so to speak. The hull and turret designs have been revised using modern design methods, and outdated fixtures that are no longer needed have been removed, which frees up space and saves weight. Additionally, the integration of assemblies that are necessary for the function of the tank is made easier.

In addition to staving off obsolescence, the digitalisation of all assemblies is being driven forward because analogue assemblies and elements are no longer available in the foreseeable future and no longer offer sufficient performance. Some of these assemblies will not be backwards-compatible. The first elements of the NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) are also being implemented; NGVA is the vehicle infrastructure defined as the NATO standard for the distribution of energy and information. The Leopard 2 A8s are scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2026.

With the measures described above, roughly two-thirds of the German Leopard 2 fleet will be upgraded to A7 and A8 standard.

The bridge to MGCS

For the 88 MBTs remaining below A7 standard, a solution must be found to maintain their capability until MGCS is introduced. The Leopard 2AX is often used as a working term. In addition to equipping the required capabilities, there is another option that has not yet been included in the planning process and whose financing has not yet been approved: decommissioning the existing tanks and procuring new ones. The starting point would be the hulls and turrets developed for the A8. Wherever possible, assemblies that have already reached the required level of maturity during the development of MGCS will be used for the equipment. A larger calibre gun (130 mm or 140 mm) with an automatic loader is unlikely to be included as this would probably require too many changes to the existing design. This would give the Leopard 2AX a (small) part of the capabilities intended for MGCS and would be serve as a stopgap until MGCS achieves sufficient operational readiness. In view of the known development and procurement timescales, and the fact that funding has not yet been budgeted for, realisation cannot be expected before the beginning of the 2030s at the earliest.

According to reports from procurement circles, the Bundeswehr is considering increasing the size of the Leopard 2 fleet by around 100 tanks to a total of over 400. Apart from the number, further details could not be verified. There are two options: the procurement of even more Leopard 2A8s from the framework agreement of May 2023, in addition to those ordered to date. The other option is to increase the number of Leopard 2AXs accordingly.

System change with MGCS

In 2012, Germany and France launched the bilateral MGCS project to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc MBT families. After identifying over 300 high-level requirements in the first phase of the project and taking into account framework conditions, such as limiting the vehicle weight to 50 tonnes, and reducing the number of existing personnel, the result was a multi-platform concept with distributed capabilities on manned and unmanned platforms, which was conceptually described in phase 2 of the project.

Three platforms have been described so far: One manned carrier each for a direct fire platform featuring a gun (calibre not yet specified) with an automatic loader; a missile platform for other effectors (such as an envisioned high-speed missile); as well as an unmanned combat support platform with additional effectors, such as non-line-of-sight weapons and C-UAV capabilities, or for hosting reconnaissance UAVs. For tactical and logistical reasons, the vehicles are intended to all be in the same weight class and use the same hull.

The system architecture is currently being defined in phase 3 and this will be followed by a six-year research and technology phase to develop the demonstrators for the main technologies. In April 2024, the defence ministers of Germany and France agreed to divide the work into eight technology pillars and to divide it equally between the two nations. A project company, yet to be founded, comprising KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall, and Thales, is to continue development as the main contractor from 2025.

A further four years will be required to produce and test a system demonstrator for the complete system and decide on a series configuration. Seven to 10 years are then planned for the preparation of production and utilisation, which includes technical inspections and operational tests. The goal is to certify the vehicle to enter operational service. According to the existing schedule, MGCS cannot be expected to be introduced before 2041. Taking into account possible delays over the course of the project, the middle of the 2040s is a more realistic introduction date. The troops will need two to three years to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) and a further two years are estimated for the MGCS to reach full operational capability. The latter milestone is estimated to be reached by around 2050.

‘Tactical combat capability’ was declared for the Puma infantry fighting vehicle 11 years after delivery of the first vehicles. To date, the final equipping of the armoured vehicles with all capabilities has not yet been completed. A similar amount of time will probably be required for MGCS. This means that the Leopard 2s currently in service – and which will be refitted or procured in the coming years – have a service life of more than 20 years ahead of them.

Overview

Three development phases of the Leopard 2 lead to the MGCS. The standard Leopard 2A7 with versions A7V, A7A1, A6A3/A6MA3 has already been introduced and will be fielded completely by 2025. The second line is the A8 version, which will be completed by 2026 unless the planned increase in the number of A8 units is carried out. The third strand is the Leopard 2AX, built with the first MGCS components, which (assuming appropriate decisions and funding) could enter service from around 2030. As outlined, MGCS is due to be introduced from 2045 at the latest and will replace the Leopard 2 after the latter has been in service for nearly 70 years.

Even after this date, the Leopard 2 will not disappear for a long time yet. More than 3,800 Leopard 2s are currently in service with 20 nations and for various reasons, these cannot be taken out of service anytime soon.

Gerhard Heiming