Our country has carried out major operations to destroy the terrorist elements that formed on its borders in 2016 and after. As a result of the losses of our tanks during the operations, it was decided to strengthen the tanks in terms of armor. In the press release shared by Roketsan on February 15, 2021, information was shared that 2020 Leopard 2A2-T4 tanks were delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces in December 1. Under the project, a total of 40 tanks are planned to be modernized. In addition, ballistic tests of the armor were carried out between July-December 2019, and it was emphasized that full protection was provided in all firing tests.
Leopard 2A4 Tank Modernization
Leopard 2A4s were supplied second hand from Germany in two packages of 2005 and 298 units after 56. 15 tanks in the second package are used as spare parts.
Aselsan developed the Leopard 2NG package for Leopard 4A2 tanks and produced the first prototype in 2011. Aselsan was using a ready-made protection package supplied from abroad in its Leopard 2 NG project.
However, almost 2 years have passed since the first announcements in the project regarding the Leopard 4A2 modernization, which was carried out by BMC and did not have an official signing ceremony, but there was no development. There were various negative rumors about the project in 2019. No official statement, positive or negative, was made regarding these rumors.
In March 2019, during the visit of Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar at the 2nd Main Care Factory in Kayseri, he inspected and inspected the image of a prototype that was being worked on. With the visit of the Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, the Leopard 2A4 tanks, whose modernization work was carried out by the BMC, came to light for the first time.
Also in March 2019, several Leopard 2 photos tested with ERA panels appeared on social media.
In January 2020, a press conference was held at the Defense Industry Presidency (SSB) regarding the 2019 assessment and 2020 targets. Defense Industry President Prof. Dr. The Defense Turk representative asked İsmail Demir about the tank modernization and he received an answer that did not contain details regarding the continuing projects.
Finally, Roketsan's 2020 brochure included images of the company's armor solutions, including an example of armor placement suitable for the hull of the Leopard 2 (flat tower version up to A4) tank. There are armor plates and Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) on the tank in the image.
Leopard 2A4 tank with Altay turret
Following the signing ceremony in which the Next Generation Three Storm Howitzer was delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces in January 2021, Minister Akar and Commanders watched the demonstration in which the driving and capabilities of armored vehicles produced by BMC were exhibited. While the main battle tank developed by BMC with the Altay tower integration on the Leopard 2A4 tank, the protocol was introduced with the expression "Leopard 2A4 tank with Altay turret". Leopard 2A4s in the inventory of the TSK were supplied second hand from Germany with two packages of 2005 and 298 units after 56. As part of the efforts to increase the capabilities of Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks in accordance with today's modern combat conditions, modernization activities are officially carried out by ASELSAN and ROKETSAN. The said Leopard 2A4 with Altai tower was developed as a result of the company initiative, with the aim of displaying talent. However, it is unknown whether the modernization package will be implemented in the future.
Source: defenceturk
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