Referenz-Foto CD "Leopard 2 A6A3"

Photo CD with reference photos for the military / vehicle enthusiasts and modellers.
Overall views and details from all areas of vehicle.
73 photos in JPG format (playable in any standard PC with CD drive and many current DVD players)

The Leopard 2 A6A3 is a comprehensively modernised version of the Leopard 2 A6 and was developed under a programme launched in 2019 to bring a total of 101 Leopard 2 A6 and A6M vehicles closer to key technical standards of the Leopard 2 A7V. The objective was not a complete conversion to A7V configuration, but primarily a broad standardisation of operation, training, command systems and maintenance. The first Leopard 2 carrying the A6A3 designation was handed over to the troops in July 2021. Major improvements include modernised observation and fire-control systems, among them the commander’s PERI R17A3 with third-generation thermal imaging, updated fire-control computers and the SPECTUS II driver’s vision system with front and rear cameras. Additional detail improvements include hydraulic track tensioners, modernised electrical components and revised stowage and turret equipment. The basic performance characteristics of the A6 remain unchanged, including the four-man crew, the 1,500 hp MTU MB 873 Ka-501 engine and the long-barrelled 120 mm L55 smoothbore gun. The modernisation of the 101 vehicles was scheduled for completion by 2026.
One of the most distinctive external features of the A6A3 is the additional roof armour fitted to the forward hull directly in front of the driver’s position. This reinforces protection over the upper frontal area and gives the previously rather flat A6 hull roof a noticeably altered appearance. It must not, however, be confused with the much more extensive frontal armour package of the Leopard 2 A7V. The large add-on armour module on the actual hull front was not adopted on the A6A3, nor were the A7V’s power and fighting-compartment cooling system, auxiliary power unit and other specific protection and energy-management components. The additional hull-roof armour, by contrast, is part of the A3 upgrade standard and is found on both the A6A3 and the A6M A3.
The crucial distinction from the externally very similar Leopard 2 A6M A3 therefore lies not in the A3 upgrade itself, but in the respective base vehicle. The A6A3 is converted from a standard Leopard 2 A6 and does not feature the additional mine-protection package of the M-version. The A6M A3, on the other hand, retains the enhanced mine protection already introduced with the A6M, including additional underbody protection and structural modifications intended to improve crew survivability against mines and explosive devices. The Leopard 2 A6A3 can therefore best be characterised as an electronically, optronically and partially protection-enhanced A6: featuring the conspicuous forward hull-roof armour and A7V-related observation and command systems, but without the mine-protection package of the A6M A3 and without the full protection, energy-management and automotive package of the A7V.