Leopard 2 Battle Tank:
Italy is planning to buy German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to boost its ground forces in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Leopard 2 battle tank is a German made main battle tank.
- Developed by German weapons manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
- Leopard was first produced in the late 1990s for the West German army in response to Soviet threats during the Cold War.
- The Leopard 2 tanks are mainly used by the German military. More than a dozen countries in Europe as well as other countries like Canada are also using these tanks.
- It has a crew of four and a range of about 500 kilometres (310 miles).
- Weight: 55 tonnes
- Top speed: 68 km/h (42mph).
- Its main weapon is a 120mm smooth bore gun, and it has a fully-digital fire-control system.
- It is also armed with two coaxial light machine guns.
- They also provide “all-round protection” for troops from threats such as mines, anti-tank fire, and improvised explosive devices
