This ex Canadian Army Leopard tank is a C2 model.
The Leopard C2 is a Canadian export upgrade of the Leopard 1A5 tank. Designed and made by Porsche in West Germany, the Leopard 1 first went into service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the Leopard focused on firepower in the form of the German-built version of the British L7 105-mm gun, and improved cross-country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era.
To replace the Centurion Tank, Canada acquired 114 Leopard C1 tanks (equivalent to Leopard 1A3 with laser rangefinder) in 1978–79. Most of these were stationed in Germany during the Cold War, with a few retained at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick for training. In 1976, prior to delivery of the new Leopards, the Canadian government leased 35 Leopard 1A2 tanks from the contractor to begin training crews from the 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4CMBG) based in West Germany.
In 1996, the 114 Leopard C1 tanks in service were due to be upgraded to the Leopard 1A5 standard (designated as the Leopard C2) at a cost of CA$139 million. The turrets of 123 surplus Leopard 1A5 tanks purchased from the German Defence Ministry were fitted into the existing hulls (nine turrets were reserved for spare parts and training), and the German tank hulls sold back to the upgrade contractor. For the process, the original Leopard 1A3 turrets had their main armament removed first, then were removed from the original C1 hulls. The modified Leopard 1A5 turrets were then fitted onto the C1 hulls, with the removed L7A3 105mm guns then being refitted onto the new turrets. However, from the complexity of the upgrade process for all 114 tanks, only 66 tanks were successfully completed, with the first updated Leopards, now named the Leopard C2, being officially rolled out into service on November 23, 1999, at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick.
The Leopard C2's turret was modified according to the Canadian Army's request, with new radios being installed, and new stowage containers being fitted to the rear of the turret. Aside from the requested add-ons, the biggest update for the Canadian Leopard tank fleet was the implementation of the Atlas-Elektronik EMES-18 Fire Control System module, which featured a similar computerized setup as the C1's SABCA FCS, a laser rangefinder, and thermal imager. Eighteen Leopard Crew Gunnery Trainers were also purchased.
A number of the Canadian Leopard tanks were pulled out of service during the mid-2000s. Of the obsolescent tanks, 23 were sold to companies in North America, four put in museums or used as monuments (including this one, which is one of two at the Tank Museum), and 21 used as hard targets on ranges.
Canada sent a squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) to Afghanistan in the fall of 2006, equipped with 17 Leopard C2 tanks with the MEXAS add-on armour, as well as four recovery vehicles and four engineering vehicles. The armoured squadron was intended to provide convoy protection, supporting Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Teams and other organizations equipped with lighter vehicles, and combat operations. The first tanks arrived in Kandahar in mid-October 2006. On 2 December 2006, the Leopards stationed in Kandahar entered the field, marking the first time since the Korean War that a Canadian armoured squadron had sent tanks into an active war zone, and fired their guns in combat for the first time in as many years on the following day in response to a Taliban rocket attack. The deployed tank squadron was in combat operations from late 2006 until July 2011. The first squadron deployed just with C2 MEXAS; then, in mid July 2007, a thermal cover and a cooling unit with crew vests was added to the tanks.
After an initial assessment of the performance of the Leopard C2 in Afghanistan, Canada decided to invest in Leopard 2 tanks.
The Leopard C2 tanks were considered to have become completely obsolete by 2015. Until deployment with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan the Leopard 1 C2 had never seen active combat.
On February 20, 2018, Canada attempted to sell the surplus Leopard C2 tanks to the Jordanian Armed Forces. In July, it was announced that the plan to sell the older Leopard tanks to Jordan fell through and the Canadian Department of National Defence has yet to decide what to do with the surplus vehicles.
As of November, 2021, no buyer was found for the Canadian Army's Leopard C2 tanks. About 45 retired Canadian Army tanks will be used for target practice at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. A Vegreville Alberta company, Quest Disposal & Recycling Inc., was contracted to repurpose them to be used for target practice and the tanks were at the company's site being processed in December 2021.
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