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Germany KNDS
Leopard 2A7
The most modern production version of Germany's Leopard 2 main battle tank, optimized for both high-intensity combat and urban operations. It upgrades protection, fire control and adds an auxiliary power unit over earlier A6 variants.
In service since 2014 · 8 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
68
km/h
450
km range
19.4
hp/t
120
mm gun
67,500
kg
💲 ≈ $11,000,000 — Approximate new-build export price
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
German export-licensed
BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 8 operators
In service since 2014. Status: active · ~350 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$28M – $39M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Overview
The Leopard 2A7 is the latest production standard of KNDS's Leopard 2, the tank that has anchored European armoured forces since the 1980s. It refines a well-proven formula rather than reinventing it: a 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun, a modular armour package tuned for both high-intensity warfare and urban operations, and improved optics, cooling and situational-awareness systems. The 2A7 and 2A7V add better protection against mines, IEDs and shaped charges, plus programmable airburst ammunition, reflecting hard lessons from asymmetric conflicts.
Germany, along with operators such as Denmark, Qatar and Hungary, fields the 2A7 family, and the wider Leopard 2 fleet is spread across roughly twenty nations. This makes it the West's most widely used main battle tank outside the American Abrams, valued for its balance of firepower, mobility and sustainment.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion, the Leopard 2 has become the symbol of European military aid to Ukraine, with multiple nations donating earlier variants. The 2A7 itself has largely stayed in home inventories, but the war has driven renewed European tank procurement and accelerated work on its eventual successor.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 68 km/h Stronger than 56% of main battle tanks
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 450 km Stronger than 32% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 19.4 hp/t Stronger than 32% of main battle tanks
- Muzzle velocity
Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.
- 1,750 m/s Stronger than 87% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55 smoothbore
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 2x 7.62 mm MG3 machine guns
- Caliber
Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.
- 120 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 42 Stronger than 70% of main battle tanks
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Composite armor with modular add-on packages
- Active protection
Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact.
- Trophy (select operators)
- Reactive armor
Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.
- No
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- smoke grenade launchers, remote weapon station
- NBC protection
Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.
- Yes
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 10.97 m
- Width
Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 3.75 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 3 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 67,500 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 4
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- MTU MB 873 Ka-501 V12 twin-turbo diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 1,500 hp Stronger than 85% of main battle tanks
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 1,200 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Diesel
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- EMES 15 fire control, commander's panoramic sight
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $11,000,000 Bottom 5% of main battle tanks
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 350 Stronger than 43% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 8 Stronger than 89% of main battle tanks
Specifications compiled from public KNDS and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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What is the top speed of the KNDS Leopard 2A7? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 has a maximum speed of 68 km/h.
What is the range of the KNDS Leopard 2A7? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 has a maximum range of 450 km.
How much does the KNDS Leopard 2A7 weigh? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 has a combat weight of 67,500 kg.
How many crew does the KNDS Leopard 2A7 require? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the KNDS Leopard 2A7? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7's primary weapon is the 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55 smoothbore.
What engine does the KNDS Leopard 2A7 use? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 is powered by the MTU MB 873 Ka-501 V12 twin-turbo diesel.
What is the KNDS Leopard 2A7 used for? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the KNDS Leopard 2A7? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 is operated by 8 countries.
How much does the KNDS Leopard 2A7 cost? +
The KNDS Leopard 2A7 has an approximate unit cost of 11,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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