Leopard 2

The Leopard 2 is a third-generation German main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, entering West German army service in 1979 as the replacement for the earlier Leopard 1. Following German reunification, large numbers of surplus Leopard 2s were sold to other European armies at reduced prices during the 1990s, and the tank became so widely adopted across the continent that it earned the informal nickname the Euro Leopard. The design has been repeatedly modernized across successive variants with improved armor, fire control and armament, keeping it competitive with newer tank designs decades after its introduction. Since 2023, Ukrainian forces have operated Leopard 2 tanks donated by multiple NATO member states in the Russo-Ukrainian War, marking the type's first sustained use in high-intensity combat against a peer adversary.