At a glance:
- Leopard 2 prototype series hull (PT4)
- Leopard 2AV series turret (PT19)
- 140mm Gun
- Autoloader
- Armour comparable to Leopard 2K
History & Introduction
The King of Leopard 2 guns was a part of the Leopard Kampfwertsteigerung (KWS) program. Specifically part III. The gun was planned to be retrofitted to the new generation of leopard tanks alongside the armour upgrades from KWS Part II, a new turret and autoloader (Part III).
KWS program division of requirements
- KWS I: focused on the installation of a 120mm L/55 gun and the use of new, advanced ammunition.
- KWS II: focused on additional armour (both turret and hull), crew protection systems and advanced battlefield electronics.
- KWS III: focused on the then-developed 140mm gun to replace the 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore and the integration of the IFIS system from the Leopard 2 IVT phase.
Designing the cannon began sometime in the 1980s after 4 states signed an MOU to develop the FTMA. Progress went fast and Rheinmetall soon had a functional prototype (circa 1991).
The Rheinmetall 140mm cannon, iconic for lacking some of the features of previous german designs such as a sleeker barrel and a vissible fume extractor, but it had both a thermal sleeve as well as an integrated fume extractor. It proved to be a real beast in terms of the raw firepower it could afford the user. Being a part of the, then, international FTMA (Future Tank Main Armament) program, it needed to provide results not only for Germany but for international customers as well if it it was to have any hope of being inducted.
For that goal, the ammunition was a vital part of the story. Judging purely by the dimensions of the round and the penetrator, it would have punched through any target in its sights.
Given that the ammunition needed to fulfill certain requirements, it ended up being pretty heavy as well. Thus it would need an auto loader to load the ammunition with any degree of long term reloading.
Thus, Wegmann & Co was contracted to design and produce an autoloader for the gun. In 1983, they demonstrated the prototype of the system in a Leopard 2AV turret (PT19) provisionally mounted onto a leopard 1 chassis sporting a 120mm L/44.
While the KWS I program was tested to provide the Leopard 2 with increased firepower in the form of the longer L/55 cannon, the testbed being the Leopard 2 SVT the KWS III was going to be a much bigger project. The Rhm-140mm cannon was considerably longer and heavier than its predecessors as you can see from the following infographic from Rheinmetall:
The gun would need an autoloader for loading the weapon, there are different ideas of what it would have looked like, but the most likely system looked something like the following (until i get my hands on the patents from wegmann and co):
And the results speak for themselves.
MilTech calls the one and only photograph of the leopard 2 140 an artists impression however considering they also make mistakes such as the following:
I am encouraged to take the word of others such as Soldat und Technik over them. :)
Thus when it came time to test the gun, it was mounted onto a leopard 2AV turret (PT19) in 1992. The tests revealed sucesses but also some glaring issues with the handling of such a heavy weapon. During the tests, the turret was not equipped with the new armour mix (the composite inside the turret) and retained its electro-hydraulic turret drive. The extra weight of the Rhm 140mm needed counterweights installed on the turret rear (these would not be needed when equipped with the autoloader).
Extra reading and controversy
There was a decently widespread controversy about the reality of the leopard 2 PT4/PT19 140mm testbed, but after my investigations, I am happy to announce the controversy is completely fake. Most sources agree that the gun was installed and tested after which there were some issues identified. the picture of PT19 sporting a sleeveless 120 on a leopard 1 chassis also proves that the below listed images of the Leopard 2 140 with the turret numbers 16 and 18 are doctored. Not to be glossed over is the fact that these images only on a single website (tankafv) which isnt anything better than wikipedia as a source.
So I performed some digital forensics and my suspicions were proven true. Not only is the short barrel version of this photograph fake (there is a very faint box where the 140mm barrel has been removed/painted over) but the number 16 and 18 are also doctored onto the photograph for unknown reasons.
There is a considerable degree of uncertainty in what the entire project was, however it was most definitely a european initiative with many firms such as Rheinmetall, GIAT, Watervliet Arsenal and Royal ordinance paricipating in the effort to create the Future Tank Main Armament. They created a formidable weapon, sadly it never went into service.
I believe the Leopard 2 140 (PT4/PT19) would provide germany with a very effective counterpart to vehicles like the Obj 292 with its 152mm cannon and other vehicles to come in the future to WarThunder.
Specifications
Crew: 3 (Commander, Driver, Gunner)
Weight: Leopard 2K (PT4) chassis + (Leopard 2AV turret-armour weight) + (4000kg gun)
Engine power: 1500hp
Max speed: 72kmph
Main gun: Rhm 140mm L/48
Gun Length: 6750mm
Secondary: unknown, possibly 1 x MG3
LRF: Yes
NVD: Yes
TVD: Yes, can be fitted
Stabiliser: New custom stabiliser OR old L/44 stabiliser (for strain testing during firing trials)
Sources
Motorbuch Verlag - KPz Heute und Morgen Konzepte - Systeme - Technologien - by Rolf Hilmes (GER/2007)
- Gesamtwerk Leopard 2 (2022) By Frank Lobitz; ISBN: 3936519532
- Kampfpanzer.DE By Stefan Liess
Soldat und technik 1994/08
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/9dEX/djuwzbp4V/Soldat%20und%20Technik/1994%20not%20renamed/08/нечётные/
- Yes
- No