Leopard 2A5 – 1500 hp and 120mm cannon will fight ISIS in Tunisia
BERLIN, ($1=0.87 Euros) – It is possible that such armored vehicles will be supplied at the expense of money from a special fund created by Berlin to fight ISIS, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing DefenseExpress.
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The Tunisian government is in informal talks with Germany on the possible supply of Leopard 2A5 tanks. There are no official statements on this issue yet, but there are already some reports in the media, for example – on the website Tactical Report. This was reported by the portal Army Recognition.
It is noted that in 2014, Germany announced a plan to create a special fund for Tunisia for 100 million euros, the money from which will go to purchase weapons needed to combat ISIS. If Germany agrees to sell Leopard 2A5 tanks to Tunisia, Tunisia itself will be able to raise the level of its armored forces.
As of 2021, according to Military Balance, Tunisia has only 84 main M60 battle tanks and 48 SK-105 Kürassier light tanks armed with a 105 mm cannon.
It is also known that the Tunisian army has about 270 armored personnel carriers, including 140 M1134 units, 110 Fiat F-6614 units, and 18 EE-11 Urutu units. At the moment, the military-political leadership of Tunisia plans to radically update its army’s armored fleet in the 2020s.
Leopard 2A5 battle tank
The Leopard 2A5 main battle tank is a radically improved variant of the Leopard 2. It was introduced in 1990. By 1998 a total of 225 German Army Leopard 2 main battle tanks were upgraded to the 2A5 standard. At that time the Leopard 2A5 was referred as the best main battle tank in the world. In 2013 German MoD signed a contract with Poland to sell 105 Leopard 2A5 tanks from the Army stocks, cutting down the number to 120 machines. Export operators are Denmark (57), Norway (52), Poland and Sweden (120). Norway obtained ex-Dutch Leopard 2A4 tank and upgraded them to 2A5 standard.
The 2A5 has significantly improved armor protection comparing with its predecessor. Turret is fitted with a wedge-shaped add-on modular armor. Add-on modular armor panels were also fitted at the front of the hull. Damaged armor modules can be easily replaced in field conditions. New side skirts were fitted and interior of the vehicle is lined to prevent spalling.
The Leopard 2A5 also received a more powerful armament. It is fitted with improved 120 mm/L44 smoothbore gun. Fire control system of this MBT was also improved.
Secondary armament is similar to that on the Leopard 2 and consists of two 7.62 mm machine guns. One of them is coaxially mounted with the main gun, while another is placed on top of the roof.
Engine of this vehicle remained unchanged. It is powered by MTU MB-873 Ka-501 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 1 500 horsepower. Engine and transmission are built into one module and can be easily replaced in field conditions. The Leopard 2A5 can be fitted with a deep wading kit.
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