Editing Leopard 2 (section)

==IRL==
[[File:Leopard2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You won't think it's shit when it tears your hull wide open on the move.]]
[[File:Blitzkrieg.jpg|300px|right|thumb|]]
With the [[Leopard 1]] entering service in the mid 1960s, it soon became apparent that a successor should be developed to better fit the modern battlefield and utilize newly developed technologies. The ''Bundeswehr'' initially partnered with the US of A in the development of the MBT-70, but as time marched on and more and more money was sunk into the program, it soon became apparent that the MBT-70 was never going to see service. With this in mind, West Germany began to look into ways to upgrade the Leopard 1 platform while utilizing as much as they could from the failed MBT-70.

The result of this was the Leopard 2. The first Leopard 2 prototypes were initially armed with the 105mm L7 gun which basically equipped all of NATO, and few of these 105mm armed Leopards were actually sent over to the US to be tested against their American sibling, the brand new XM1 Abrams, but soon the 120mm L/44 was mounted after it became apparent that a more powerful weapon was needed to deal with modern Soviet armor. The Americans definitely appreciated the Leopard, but they chose to stick with the Abrams, and began to work on ways to make as many parts interchangeable between the two tanks. 

The Leopard 2 remains in service to this day and country after country has bought them from Germany. Even nations as far as Indonesia choose to equip their armored forces with the Leopard 2, thanks to its legendary reliability, excellent gun accuracy and toughness. In the 21st century, the Leopard 2 competes rather comfortably with contemporary designs like the T-90, Abrams and Challenger 2, depending on mission requirements and environment. However recent conflict has exposed one of the designs major flaws ammo in the hull is unprotected and is becoming a glaring flaw in the design. Even as the Russians experiment with the T-14's 152mm main gun, the Germans are testing out the 130mm. Time will tell which is the caliber of the future. Some modern Leopard 2s have been upgraded to include one of the greatest innovations in the recent history of armored vehicles: Air Conditioning.

Meanwhile Germany and France are co-developing the "Main Ground Combat System", or MGCS (what many call the "Leopard 3"), to replace their currently in-service Leclerc and Leopard 2 by the 2030s. Additionally, a German rival design was revealed with a concept vehicle known as the Panther KF51 revealed in 2022. In an attempt to avoid falling into the pitfall that now plagues many western weapon procurement programs. By that time laser active protection system might actually be a thing.

These tanks have been sent to Ukraine along with the [[M1 Abrams]] and the [[Challenger 1|Challenger 2]]. Heavily modernized with state-of-the-art optics and fire control, in the case of the A6 a longer barrel too, and now sporting ERA added by their new owners, they are virtually without peer. Much like the original [[Tiger|big cat]], the Leopard is heavier than Soviet bridge specs were built for. They have enough bridge vehicles though, so God help the poor Russian bastards in a T55 that are facing these beasts.

{{West German Forces in Team Yankee}}
{{Dutch Forces in Team Yankee}}

[[Category:Vehicles]]