KNDS unveils the Leopard 2A8, first new battle tank build since 1992

COLOGNE, Germany — Germany’s KNDS this week unveiled the Leopard 2A8, the latest version of the venerable main battle tank that has become a staple of armored formations for more than a dozen countries in Europe and beyond.

The tank will be a new build, the first for the Leopard series since 1992, according to German defense officials, after several previous versions that were modernizations of existing tanks. The German army is slated to get 123 of the behemoths weighing nearly 70 metrics ton, with deliveries beginning in 2027 and to be finalized in 2030.

New features include a locally-produced version of the Trophy active protection system by Israel’s Rafael designed to fend off incoming projectiles. German officials tested Trophy on a previous iteration of the Leopard tank and decided to make it standard equipment for the new series.

According to a Ministry of Defense statement, additional improvements in the A8 variant include better armor and an overall rework of situational-awareness and fire-control features for the crew.

As in previous Leopard iterations, Rheinmetall’s 120mm smooth-bore main cannon will remain part of the weapons package.

The first batch of new Leopards is slated for a Bundeswehr armored formation in Lithuania, Germany’s first permanent deployment of troops outside its borders since World War II. The unit there is part of Berlin’s contributions to securing countries on NATO’s eastern flank that are deemed vulnerable to Russian aggression.

The brigade-strong unit of 5,000 personnel is slated to achieve full operational status in 2027, coinciding with the first year of Leopard 2A8 deliveries.

Besides Germany, order books for the new Leopard are filling up, with Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Norway all planning to add the type to their armies.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——德国KNDS本周推出了豹2A8，这是久经考验的主战坦克的最新版本，该坦克已成为欧洲及其他地区十几个国家装甲部队的主力装备。

据德国国防官员称，这款坦克将是全新研制的，也是自1992年以来豹式系列坦克的首款全新型号，此前该系列的几个版本都是在现有坦克的基础上进行现代化改造而成。德国陆军计划接收123辆这种重达近70吨的庞然大物，交付工作将于2027年开始，并于2030年完成。

新增功能包括以色列拉斐尔公司自主研发的“战利品”（Trophy）主动防护系统，该系统旨在抵御来袭炮弹。德国官员曾在早期版本的豹式坦克上测试过“战利品”系统，并决定将其作为新系列坦克的标准配置。

根据国防部的一份声明，A8 型号的其他改进包括更好的装甲以及对乘员态势感知和火控功能的全面改进。

与之前的豹式坦克一样，莱茵金属公司的 120 毫米滑膛主炮仍将是武器装备的一部分。

首批新型豹式坦克将交付给驻立陶宛的德国联邦国防军装甲部队。这是二战以来德国首次在境外永久部署军队。该部队是柏林为确保北约东翼那些被认为易受俄罗斯侵略的国家安全所做贡献的一部分。

这支拥有 5000 名人员的旅级部队计划于 2027 年达到全面作战状态，这与豹 2A8 坦克交付的第一年相吻合。

除了德国之外，新豹式坦克的订单也越来越多，立陶宛、荷兰、捷克和挪威都计划将这种坦克加入到他们的军队中。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。