Leopard 2E

Leopard 2E
Spanish Leopard 2E in Zaragoza, June 2008
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Spain, Germany
Service history
In service	December 2002–present
Used by	Spain
Production history
Designer	Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Manufacturer	General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas
Unit cost	€10.95m including spares etc.
Produced	2001–2008
No. built	219
Specifications
Mass	approx. 63 tonnes (69.4 tons)
Length	7.7 m (25.3 ft)
Width	3.7 m (12.1 ft)
Height	3 m (9.8 ft)
Crew	4
Armor	Composite armor
Main armament	Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55
Secondary armament	2 × 7.62 mm MG3s
Engine	MTU MB 873 Ka-501 12-cylinder diesel 1,500 PS (1,500 hp; 1,100 kW) at 2,600 rpm
Power/weight	23.8 PS/t (17.5 kW/t)
Transmission	Renk HSWL 354
Suspension	Torsion-bar
Fuel capacity	1,060 litres (280.02 US gal)
Operational range	500 km (310 mi)
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The Leopardo 2E or Leopard 2A6E (E stands for España (Spanish for 'Spain')) is a variant of the German Leopard 2 main battle tank (specifically the Leopard 2A6 variant), tailored to the requirements of the Spanish army, which acquired it as part of an armament modernization program named Programa Coraza, or Program Cuirass. The acquisition program for the Leopard 2E began in 1994, five years after the cancellation of the Lince tank program that culminated in an agreement to transfer 108 Leopard 2A4s to the Spanish army in 1998 and started the local production of the Leopard 2E in December 2002. Despite postponement of production owing to the 2003 merger between Santa Bárbara Sistemas and General Dynamics, and continued manufacturing issues between 2006 and 2007, 219 Leopard 2Es have been delivered to the Spanish army.

The Leopard 2E is superior to the M60 Patton tank, which it replaced in Spain's mechanized and armored units. Its development represented a total of 2.6 million man-hours' worth of work, 9,600 of them in Germany, at a total cost of 2.4 billion euros. This makes it one of the most expensive Leopard 2s built. Indigenous production amounted to 60% and the vehicles were assembled locally at Sevilla by Santa Bárbara Sistemas. It has thicker armor on the turret and glacis plate than the German Leopard 2A6, and uses a Spanish-designed tank command and control system, similar to the one fitted in German Leopard 2s. The Leopard 2E is expected to remain in service until 2025.