Leopard 2 PL

Leopard 2 PL

Leopard 2 PL

Description

The Leopard 2 PL is a squadron rank German medium tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".

General info

Survivability and armour

Due to volumetric armour, HEAT-FS rounds are not able to penetrate the GPS

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).

MILAN ATGM is unable to penetrate the turret sides.

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:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	Composite Armour 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

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

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				2,032			__.__
Realistic				1,327			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

120 mm Rh120 L/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	42	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	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
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

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%
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

Ammo racks of the Leopard 2 PL

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

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 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

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

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See also

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

External links

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Squadron ground vehicles
USA	M901 · M1A1 AIM
Germany	Leopard 2 PL
USSR	BMP-2M · T-80UK
Britain	Bhishma TWMP
Japan	RCV (P)
China	Object 122MT "MC"
France	CV 9035NL
Sweden	T 80 U
Israel	Magach 6B Gal