Leopard 2 PL

2021-04-01T23:04:04Z

U87037378: /* Pros and cons */ Corrected spelling of "powerfull" to "powerful"

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_leopard_2pl
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ixwa Strike"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

[[File:Leopard 2PL Heat vs gps.png|thumb|Due to volumetric armour, HEAT-FS rounds are not able to penetrate the GPS]]
[[File:Leopard 2PL Dart vs gps.png|thumb|APFSDS dart is able to penetrate the Gunner Primary Sight taking out both gunner and commander. However the add-on armour reduces the chances of killing them both in a single shot.]]

The Leopard 2PL features the strongest and most armoured turret for the Leopard 2 series tanks seen in game so far. It features a stronger turret armour compared to all the Leopard 2 seen in game but has no add-on hull protection as the [[Strv 122A]] and the [[Strv 122B PLSS]]. This version is based on the 2A4 series, and so features the same problems with the hull armour, barely enough to stop rounds seen in game. However, it completely removes the amour issues from the turret. At first sight, the GPS (Gunner Primary Sight) can be seen as the main weak point since it is the same weakspot the 2A4 has. However, taking into consideration the new armour package, hitting the GPS makes is far harder without hitting add-on armour first. As seen in the image, the GPS is mostly safe from HEAT-FS and other chemical shells due to the volumetric armour, meaning they will either prematurely explode, or simply not be able to penetrate the 500+ millimeters of protection offered by the add-on armour package. However, for sub-calibre rounds like APFSDS, the composite armour offers less protection. As seen in the Leopard 2A4, any hit to the GPS means both gunner and commander will be knocked out. However, chances of hitting the GPS in the exact place for it to disable both crew members is reduced immensely thanks to the add-on armour. Most of the time, any hit to the GPS will result in the knock-out of the commander only with partial damage to the gunner. As seen in picture, the area highlighted is the place in which both the gunner and commander can be killed with a single shot (more specifically the lower section of the rectangular optic in the GPS).

[[File:Leopard 2PL HEAT-FS vs turret sides.png|thumb|MILAN ATGM is unable to penetrate the turret sides.]]
[[File:Leopard 2PL DM53 vs add-on.png|left|thumb|346x346px|DM53 round is unable to penetrate the add-on armour.]]

The 2PL is also the first tank in game to be able to withstand more than one hit of CL3143, DM53 and 9M119 to the turret. Previous Leopards (specifically the 2A5 and 2A6 including the Strv 122) can withstand 9M119 to the turret. However, the wedge panels of these tanks are exploded with a single hit, which means the turret is exposed to further enemy fire. This changes with the 2PL. Due to the fact that the armoured add-on package is a permanent part of the tank, it is able to withstand up to 4 9M119 hits and continuous firing of the CL3143 and DM53 at any ranges. Despite this, all of them are able to penetrate the gun mantlet with no issues at all. However, for your enemies it is rather tricky to achieve this since if they are aiming at the turret's front, you can also kill them aswell. Moving to turret's add-on side armour, it is able to withstand all types of HEAT-FS and chemical shells seen in game. However, the armour protection is increased gradually as we move to the turret front. The first section of the side armour (the one covering the smoke launchers) is relatively weak and is able to be penetrated by all ammunitions seen in the battle-rating. The second section (covering the first half of the sides of the crew compartments) is able to withstand all HEAT-FS in game and [[MILAN]] ATGM (meaning is able to withstand up to 580 mm of penetration). The third section of the side armour (covering the second half of the crew compartment) is able to withstand all penetration up to 800 mm of CE (Chemical). When we talk about KE (Kinetic) protection, the side armour offers little to no protection whatsoever, and can be penetrated by nearly all high-caliber weapons at it's battle rating.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || {{Annotation|Composite Armour|35 mm High hardness rolled armor + 520 mm External composite armor with NERA elements + 45 mm Rolled homogeneous armor}} ''Upper Glacis'' 35 mm (53°) || 20 mm ''Top'' 35 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 20 - 35 mm
|-
| Turret || 35 mm ''Turret front'' 35 mm ''Gun mantlet'' Variable thickness add-on armour || 15 - 35 mm 300 mm Composite Screen Variable thickness add-on armour || 25 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Composite armour !! Front !! Sides
|-
| Hull || '''''Upper+Lower glacis''''' 400 mm ''Kinetic'' 600 mm ''Chemical''|| N/A
|-
|Turret || '''''Turret cheeks''''' 1010 mm ''Kinetic'' 1520 mm ''Chemical'' '''''Gun mantlet (Center)''''' 478 - 615 mm ''Kinetic'' 730- 1400 mm ''Chemical'' '''''Gun mantlet (Outer)''''' 524 - 915 mm ''Kinetic'' 535 - 1520 mm ''Chemical'' || '''''Side armour''''' 260 mm ''Kinetic'' 230 - 600 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Upper hull and Lower rear hull overlap (10 + 20 mm thick)
* Upper mantlet add-on and Mantlet armour overlap (30 + 400 mm thick)
* Holes in the engine deck are covered by 8 mm of mesh

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,032|rbMinHp=1,327}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Rh120 L/44 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh120 L/44 (120 mm)|120 mm Rh120 L/44]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 42 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DM12A1 || HEATFS || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480
|-
| DM11 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 410 || 408 || 401 || 393 || 384 || 376
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 481 || 478 || 470 || 461 || 450 || 440
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12A1 || HEATFS || 1,140 || 13.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,150 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM11 || HE || 950 || 19 || 0 || 0.1 || 3,930 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,640 || 4.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,640 || 4.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''42''' || 16 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+41)'' || No
|}
Notes:

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been loaded.
* Rack 2 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 15 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is 2 - 1.
* If you pack 16 ''(+26)'' shells, it will keep the frontal hull rack empty.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -8°/+20° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good turret armour
* Good gun (same as the [[Leopard 2A4]] and [[Leopard 2A5|2A5]])
* Good mobility, due to its powerful engine
* Has access DM11 HE-FS round, can easily counter helicopters and low flying planes
* Good reload rate

'''Cons:'''

* Nearly no gun mantlet armour
* Hull armour is also not so good, is based on the Leopard 2A4
* GPS is a big weakspot (against APFSDS)

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/7071-development-squadron-vehicles-leopard-2pl-polish-cavalry-en|Devblog]] ===
The Leopard 2PL is an ongoing joint project for the modernization of the Leopard 2A4 tanks in service with the Polish army, currently being carried out by the German company Rheinmetall AG and the Polish state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa. The aim of the program is to improve the combat efficiency of the elderly Leopards to 3rd generation plus level main battle tanks.

The main areas of modernization are improving the tank's protection and firepower. The Leopard 2PL has additional modular turret armor (forehead and sides), enhanced protection of the gun mantlet. On the turret’s rear, massive boxes appeared, which under some circumstances can work as spaced armor for protection against HEAT shells. The L44 cannon remains the same, but the upgraded fire control system has modern thermal imaging equipment and is adapted for firing more powerful rounds. Since the power plant and chassis of the Leopard 2A4 remained unchanged, the additional protection of the hull had to be abandoned, as the weight of the tank approached 60 tons. In total, 128 Leopard 2A4’s in service are to be upgraded under the Leopard 2PL program.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:Leopard 2 PL WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Germany medium tanks}}
{{Squadron ground vehicles}}

War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Leopard 2 PL