Spanish-based military company Indra Sistemas and its German counterpart, Rheinmetall Electronics, agreed to work together to enhance Madrid’s fleet of Leopard 2E main battle tanks.

Spanish-based military company Indra Sistemas has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany’s Rheinmetall Electronics. The two companies will work to enhance Madrid’s fleet of Leopard 2E main battle tanks (MBT). The upgrades will provide new capabilities to the C4I: command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems.

Rheinmetall, the MBT’s fire control system manufacturer, will provide an improved modular C4I system. According to a report from Defense Mirror, it will “allow flexible fleet management with tailored configurations,” which “will align the Leopard 2E with other variants, enabling interoperability among operators and the exchange of technological advancement over the tank’s lifecycle.”

General Dynamics European Land Systems-Santa Bárbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS) and KNDS Deutschland, the MBT makers and designers, have joined the program and will provide support.

Spain’s Leopard 2E

The Leopard 2E is a variant of the German Leopard 2A6EX, initially developed by KMW but was built under license in Spain by GDELS-SBS. The licensed tank production began in 1998 after Madrid secured a lease for 108 surplus Leopard 2A4 MBTs from Germany. 

According to Fighting Vehicles, “The first thirty Leopard 2E were built in Germany by KMW, and the remaining 189 were built in Spain. Spanish Company Santa Bárbara Sistemas was initially selected to manufacture the new tank, but the company was bought by the European Land Systems Division of General Dynamics in July 2003.”

A total of 219 Leopard 2E MBTs were produced between 2003 and 2013.

As they were equipped with the MEXAS modular armor package, the Spanish MBTs are more heavily armored than the base model Leopard 2A6 while still armed with the L55 main gun first introduced with this variant.

In addition to the C4I upgrades, the Leopard 2E could receive additional armor enhancements and a more advanced L55A1 120mm smoothbore gun, which allows it to employ the armor-piercing discarding sabot-tracer, or DM73 APDS-T, rounds outfitted with DM11 programmable multi-function fuse ammunition. 

The kinetic energy armor-feasuring ordnance was developed to counter reactive and multi-layered or composite armor arrays.

Just as the enhancements could make Madrid’s MBTs more effective against enemy tanks, the upgrades are also meant to improve the survivability of the crews. That could include the integration of the Israeli-designed Trophy Active Protection System (APS), Army Recognition suggested, highlighting that the armor package came about as “a strategic partnership between KNDS, GDELS, and Israeli defense manufacturer Rafale.”

The Trophy APS “already become a core feature of the German Army’s Leopard 2A8 configuration, [while] its inclusion in the Spanish Leopard 2E fleet will significantly improve survivability against emerging threats, solidifying the vehicle’s status as one of the most advanced in the world.”

Phased Upgrades to the Leopard 2E Coming

Given the complexity of the upgrades, the enhancements will be employed in three separate phases. The first phase will include updating the MBTs’ oldest subsystems and improving their reliability and maintainability. 

That initial work will take until 2029 and result in the Leopard 2E M1 configuration.

The second phase will follow, including the installation of mission system modules allowing the Spanish tanks to reach the level of the Leopard 2A7 variants. Enhancements will include the introduction of an APS, which could be the aforementioned Trophy platform, and the installation of a remote weapons station to provide more excellent capabilities for the four-person crew.

The final phase will provide additional capabilities, including updates yet to be finalized. The current timeline calls for Madrid’s fleet of MBTs to be upgraded and achieve full operational capability as the Leopard 23 M2+ standard by 2032.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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