Leopard 2K

Leopard 2K

◊T-72M1

Leopard 2K

◊T-72M1

Germany

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.0	10.0	10.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:260 000

Purchase:710 000

This page is about the German medium tank Leopard 2K. For other versions, see Leopard 2 (Family).

Description

The Leopard 2K is a rank VII German medium tank with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	160 mm Upper 120 mm Lower	65 / 95 mm Top 35 / 110 mm Bottom	38 / 48 mm	20 mm
Turret	160-350 / 220-500 mm Turret front	60 / 90 mm	46 / 96 mm	20 mm

* Kinetic/Chemical mm

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	81	81	50	2,032	2,862	40.64	57.24
Realistic	73	73		1,327	1,500	26.54	30

The mobility of the Leopard 2K is astonishing, making it one of the most agile MBTs in its BR, able to reach a speed of 70 km/h (RB) on road.

Armaments

Main armament

The Leopard 2K's gun is a 120 mm Rheinmetall L44. It can be found on the later models of the tank, such as the Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A5, but does not get all of the later rounds. The rounds that the Leopard 2K gets are a DM12 HEATFS and DM13 APFSDS just like the Leopard A1A1 (L/44). Being fitted with a 120 mm Rheinmetall gun it is effective at all ranges, capable of penetrating tanks even 1,000 m away

120 mm Rheinmetall L44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	41	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	45.0	64.0	70.8	75.3	8.7	7.7	7.1	6.7
Realistic					23.8	28.1	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
DM13	APFSDS	393	390	384	376	367	359
DM12	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM13	APFSDS	1,650	4.44	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°
DM12	HEATFS	1,140	13.50	0.0	0.1	2,150	65°	72°	77°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Leopard 2K

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
41	11 (+30)	1 (+40)	No

• The 2nd ammo rack is a First-stage ammo stowage and will refill from the 1st rack.

Machine guns

The tank has a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun situated on top of the turret which can fire over cover and be used to knock out gun barrels, light tanks, helicopters and planes. The belts are alternating HEFI-T/HVAP-T, with 57 mm of penetration at 0 degrees at 10 m. The 20 mm has quite good elevation, and rotates independently from the turret, able to surprise light tanks attempting to flank following turret ring immobilization.

20 mm Rh202
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	750 (750)	900	-9°/+45°	±180°

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (1,000)	1,200	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Stock Gameplay:

As with any vehicle, the Leopard 2K finds itself at a serious disadvantage while stock. Without access to the DM13 APFSDS round, users will need to play more carefully. While the DM12 HEAT-FS round is powerful, it struggles against composite armour and ERA, as well as having lacklustre post-penetration effects. Players will have to aim more carefully to deal effective damage with the DM12 HEAT round.

Spaded Gameplay:

The Leopard 2K is a powerful tank. The DM13 APFSDS round has adequate penetration, and it should be easy to destroy most enemy vehicles. The gun, ammo, and reload rate are comparable to other main battle tanks of the battle rating. The Leopard 2K does however struggle in some regards against top of the line tanks such as the Leopard 2A5 and M1A2 Abrams. The armour on the Leopard 2K is rather limited, only effective against autocannon fire. Additionally, the lack of thermals means that it will be difficult for Leopard 2K players to spot enemy tanks before they are spotted. The biggest advantages of the 2K are the 20 mm which is effective against light vehicles and aircraft, and the speed of the 2K.

Close Range Engagements:

The Leopard 2K is very capable at close range. It has impressive acceleration and gun handling, giving it an edge over other vehicles. The 20 mm will easily destroy enemy light vehicles and cannon breaches, while the reload rate on the main gun is comparable to its adversaries. Brawling is one of the Leopard 2K tanks' strong suits.

Long Range Engagements:

The Leopard 2K is capable at long range, but is outclassed by many other vehicles. The cannon is powerful, but not especially so compared to its adversaries. The biggest issues the Leopard 2K will face in regards to long range engagements are the thin turret armour and lack of thermals. While the DM13 APFSDS round will fail to penetrate the turret cheeks of vehicles like the Challenger Mk.2 and T-64B, their rounds will have no such trouble with the Leopard 2K. The lack of thermals makes it difficult to scout for enemies through foliage, meaning trying to snipe is not an effective strategy against any enemies equipped with thermals, as they will almost certainly spot you first.

Gameplay summary:

Although the Leopard 2K is somewhat weak when stock, it is an adequate frontline tank while spaded. The good APFSDS round and 20 mm give it a strong position in the German high tier lineup. However, Leopard 2K tank commanders should play to mitigate their disadvantages in thin armour and lack of thermals. The Leopard 2K does best in close to medium range fights.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	DM13
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	Laser rangefinder	NVD

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 120 mm gun with effective rounds
• Sloped armour has a tendency to bounce shots
• 20 mm cannon very effective against light armour, cannon barrels, and aircraft
• Excellent mobility

Cons:

• Thin armour overall
• Relatively high profile, the 20 mm gun often sticks out behind cover
• Stock HEAT-FS round struggles against some enemy vehicles' armour, especially those with ERA or composite armour
• Lack of thermals

History

In the 1960s, Germany and the United States were jointly-developing the MBT-70, and Germany was contractually prevented from developing any new MBTs independently until the joint project with the US was completed.

But development problems plagued the MBT-70 project, and it appeared that the vehicle would not be finished within an acceptable time frame—so Germany found a way to bypass contractual limitations for the MBT-70 development.

Instead of ordering the development of a new tank, the German government issued an order to the Porsche company to research ways to improve the Leopard I tank already in service with the German army. This enabled Germany to research a more advanced fighting vehicle without breaching the contract signed with the US.

Porsche's first study of the Leopard I revealed a lot of room for improvement, and second study focusing on upgrading the Leopard I to match the MBT-70's firepower was launched almost immediately. This eventually resulted in the construction of two prototype vehicles—one in 1969 and one in 1970—nicknamed Keiler (tusker).

In the early 1970s, Germany was able to back out of the MBT-70 project due to spiraling development costs. Instead, they continued work on the development of the Keiler, which was renamed to Leopard 2.

The Leopard 2 project was expected to yield two versions: the Leopard 2K armed with a cannon, and the Leopard 2FK armed with a gun/launcher similar to the MBT-70. In 1971, ten prototypes were ordered, and seven more orders followed shortly thereafter.

To get the most out of their prototypes, German engineers equipped each one with different components to determine what worked best. Some Leopard 2 versions were equipped with a 105mm smoothbore cannon, whereas others were fitted with 120mm smoothbore cannons. Some prototypes received a hydraulic suspension while others didn't, and there was even a version equipped with the 20mm anti-air mount on the turret (similar to the one found on the Kpz-70).

Sixteen out of seventeen Leopard 2 prototypes were built and tested, yielding many refinements to the Leopard 2 design. Subsequent models further increased the Leopard 2's capabilities, with each variant making it more powerful—and ultimately into the Leopard 2 known today.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Leopard 2K from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

You Need To Play This Tank Again: Leopard 2K - Virus

Leopard 2K: the Original German Ingenuity - JustinPlaysYT

Top 7 off-road beasts discusses the Leopard 2K at 4:00 - War Thunder Official Channel

The Shooting Range #94 - Metal Beasts section at 00:29 discusses the Leopard 2K.

Leopard 2K Tank Review - NUSensei

Leopard 2K Tank Review - Napalmratte

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

• [Devblog] Leopard 2K: A Legend In The Making