The Leopard 2A8 is finally coming! Let’s go!

Machinery of War Discussion Ground Vehicle
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If they also give the dm11/53/63/83 to the US or france i see no issue

And they are already… the german sometimes gets exclusive armament that others dont, like the HOSBO

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Yup, another most likely, one of the etc. I don’t remember A8 getting another gun/loading system to warrant a gun mount/construction change. They’re just accepting whatever bullshit they’re wishing to accept as usual.
This time it’s marketing truth.

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and again we cant get nice things

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Is there any difference between the two Leopard 2A8 variants?

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I hope this (glacis plate) will also be reinforced (compared to the Leopard 2A7), since the hulls are a new design.

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Yes will will get the DM 73 or 83 then for me it is so so you drive a Car with Pulled Handbrake what iss…
All So the Reload cloud be fixed Abrams 5 Sek Leopard 6 did´t they want tell us that a German crew is not able to Reload so fast as a American? Its a joke

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10mm better than nothing the DM 53 is from the 90s.

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Hello Developers and Community,
If you want the developers to see these discrepancies and address them, please support the thread and share your thoughts below so this stays visible!
This post summarizes verifiable, fact-based discrepancies regarding the implementation of the German Leopard 2A8 (and its shared hull foundation with the Leopard 2A7V), strictly relying on primary documentation from the manufacturer (KNDS Deutschland), official procurement specifications from the German Bundeswehr, and Gaijin’s own official developer blogs.

The goal is to highlight objective contradictions in source handling, missing standard equipment, and modeling inconsistencies compared to the Norwegian Leopard 2A8NO.

  1. Selective Application of Primary Source (KNDS Official Datasheet)

Currently, there is a direct contradiction in how the official KNDS datasheet (KNDS_25_068_Datasheet_LEOPARD_2_A8_2_S_EN_03) is applied to the vehicle:

  • Gun Depression (-7.4° vs -9°): The vertical guidance of the German Leopard 2A8 was reduced from the standard -9°/+20° to -7.4°/+17.4° based on the KNDS marketing brochure. However, according to the official Bundeswehr procurement portal (“Leopard 2 A8 – neuer Kampfpanzer für die Bundeswehr”, Nov 2025), the main armament mounting remains structurally identical to the Leopard 2A7V (“Das 120-Millimeter-Hauptgeschütz ist jedoch unverändert geblieben”). The -7.4° restriction applied only to early export demonstrator configurations with raised driver thermal housings, not the serial Bundeswehr hull.
  • Ignored Protection Clauses from the Same Document: While the KNDS datasheet was accepted to reduce gun depression, the exact same official KNDS specification explicitly lists:
    • “Upgraded Modular Protection for chassis and turret”
    • “Upgraded Roof Protection”
    • “360° protection against shoulder launched anti-tank missiles” (modular composite side armor packages rated against tandem RPG-7 warheads up to 600 mm RHA).
  • Contradiction with Gaijin’s Own Dev Blog: In the official War Thunder Dev Blog (“Leopard 2A8: A Coveted Trophy”), it was explicitly stated that “side protection has been bolstered with extra composite armor modules.” Yet in the live game model, these side composite modules are completely absent from the German 2A8, leaving it with the exact same hull protection profile as the Leopard 2A7V.
  1. Missing Standard Secondary Armament (Confirmed by Bundeswehr)
  • According to the official Bundeswehr technical specification for the serial Leopard 2A8 (unveiled on November 19, 2025, in Munich), the standard armament includes two 7.62 mm machine guns (“Bewaffnung: 120-mm-Bordkanone L55 A1 (Rheinmetall), 2 MG 7,62 mm”).
  • In-game, the German Leopard 2A8 lacks its roof-mounted 7.62 mm MG3A1 on the loader’s hatch, whereas the Norwegian Leopard 2A8NO has its roof machine gun properly modeled.
  1. Modeling & Weight Inconsistencies Between German 2A8 and Norwegian 2A8NO

Comparing the German Leopard 2A8 and the Swedish-tree Leopard 2A8NO reveals clear modeling inconsistencies:

  • Missing Full-Length Side Protection on the German 2A8: On the Norwegian 2A8NO, the hull sides are fitted with full-length side panels (incorporating structural steel and composite modules along the entire flank). On the German Leopard 2A8, the extra side armor modules explicitly promised in the Dev Blog and listed in the KNDS datasheet are completely absent from the damage model.
  • Identical Weight Despite Missing Equipment: Both vehicles are listed at an identical combat mass of 67.7 tonnes in-game, even though the Norwegian 2A8NO carries full-length side protection panels, a roof-mounted MG, and Laser Warning System (LWS) sensors that are missing on the German model.
  1. Modification Tree Discrepancy (Built-in Stock vs. Tier IV Laser Rangefinder)
  • On the Norwegian Leopard 2A8NO, there is no Laser Rangefinder modification in the research tree because it is built-in by default (stock) on the vehicle.
  • On the German Leopard 2A8, despite using the exact same fire control system, the Laser Rangefinder is locked behind a Tier IV modification, forcing players to grind through almost the entire modification tree just to unlock basic rangefinding capabilities.
  1. Shared Legacy Hull Error (Leopard 2A7V & 2A8)
  • Both the Leopard 2A7V and Leopard 2A8 utilize an outdated upper front plate (UFP) internal composite array that provides roughly 650 mm KE protection, whereas the late-1990s Swedish Strv 122 (which shares the MEXAS-H / EODH add-on armor lineage) provides ~750 mm KE in the exact same zone.
  • Furthermore, the Leopard 2A8 is the first newly built Leopard 2 hull since 1992 (not a converted 1980s A4 hull), featuring a completely redesigned internal composite matrix and reinforced roof armor. Leaving it with the exact same internal armor values as a converted 2A7V contradicts both KNDS and Bundeswehr technical documentation.

Summary of Requested Adjustments (Based Strictly on Cited Sources):

  1. Consistent Source Policy: Either restore the -9° gun depression on the serial German Leopard 2A8 per Bundeswehr specifications, or implement the modular side composite armor and upgraded roof protection explicitly promised in the Dev Blog and the KNDS datasheet.
  2. Add Missing Secondary Armament: Model the second 7.62 mm MG on the German Leopard 2A8 roof per official Bundeswehr specs.
  3. Fix Modification Tree Discrepancy: Make the Laser Rangefinder built-in by default (stock) on the German Leopard 2A8 to match the Norwegian Leopard 2A8NO, removing the artificial Tier IV grind.
  4. Re-evaluate Hull & Roof Composite Protection: Account for the newly manufactured hull structure and roof armor upgrades of the 2A8 (and the shared MEXAS-H / D-Tech lineage on the 2A7V) rather than copy-pasting legacy 1990s prototype values.

Primary Sources Cited:

  1. Bundeswehr Official Procurement Portal: “Leopard 2 A8 – neuer Kampfpanzer für die Bundeswehr” (Published November 20, 2025) — Bundeswehr.de
  2. War Thunder Official Dev Blog: “Leopard 2A8: A Coveted Trophy” — WarThunder.com
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As an important follow-up to the main post, there are also several critical electronic subsystems, survivability features, and ammunition upgrades specified in the official KNDS Deutschland datasheet (KNDS_25_068_Datasheet_LEOPARD_2_A8_2_S_EN_03) that are currently missing or outdated on the German Leopard 2A8 in-game:

  1. Missing Laser Warning System (LWS): The official KNDS datasheet specifies integrated threat detection sensors alongside the active protection system. While the Norwegian Leopard 2A8NO receives LWS in-game, the German Leopard 2A8 is left completely blind to laser designators and rangefinders.
  2. Outdated Ammunition Loadout (Missing DM63A1 / DM73): The Leopard 2A8 is armed with the high-pressure Rh-120 L/55A1 cannon specifically engineered to fire next-generation kinetic rounds (DM63A1 and DM73)+DM11. Restricting the vehicle to the legacy 1990s DM53 round negates the primary firepower upgrade of the L/55A1 system.
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Let’s keep this thread active and visible so the dev team can review these primary sources and fix the inconsistencies between the 2A8 and 2A8NO.

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Just for Leopard 2a8 , smart.

Sources with numbers? Or is this the first time? Didn’t you see what happened with Abrams?

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What you meen?

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You can’t just say it’s better, you need to provide sources with numbers showing the improvement(For bug report).

And for the laser rangefinder, it’s just so ironic, all the modern tanks in the game should come with a laser rangefinder as standard.

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Fair point on the laser rangefinder. Honestly, all top-tier MBTs should have it stock, which makes it even weirder that the 2A8NO gets it built-in while the identical German 2A8 has to grind it at Tier IV from the exact same update.
As for the armor numbers, that’s the whole reason I posted this in Ground Vehicle Discussion instead of the bug tracker. Everyone knows exact RHAe values for modern composite (Abrams, T-90M, Strv 122, 2A8) are classified, so Gaijin always estimates them anyway. The problem here isn’t missing blueprints, it’s just basic consistency in the game:

  • The late-90s Strv 122 uses the exact same add-on hull armor concept (MEXAS-H / EODH) and sits at ~750 mm KE in-game, while the newer 2A7V and 2A8 are stuck at ~650 mm KE for no real reason.
  • The 2A8 isn’t even a converted A4 hull—it’s a brand new hull that’s several tons heavier (~67.7–69.5t) with confirmed structural and roof upgrades from KNDS and the Bundeswehr. Copy-pasting the old internal armor array and leaving out the side composite modules they literally promised in their own Dev Blog isn’t a “lack of numbers” issue, it’s just a rushed/incomplete model.
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I know, but look what happened with SEP V3

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I’m honestly frustrated with how the German Leopard 2A8 was added, and judging by the dev blog thread I’m not the only one.

Germany builds this tank and is its main operator. German players waited years for it. And on release day, the best 2A8 in the game is in the Swedish tree. The Norwegian 2A8NO gets a laser warning system and a roof MG. The German 2A8 gets neither, plus it’s heavier and slower than the 2A7V it’s supposed to replace.

This isn’t about wanting an OP tank. It’s about the German version of a German tank not being the worst-equipped one in the game.

1. No laser warning system

  • The 2A8NO has LWS in game. The German 2A8 doesn’t.
  • hartpunkt’s report on the November 2025 Munich rollout says the German tank could be told apart from the Norwegian one by the LWS missing from the turret front. The Norwegian tank uses an Israeli-made LWS, and the German batch is set to get a German-made LWS that is already in service with frontline units.
  • hartpunkt also reported LWS is planned for the German 2A8 in the follow-up orders.
  • Trophy and LWS are separate systems. Trophy doesn’t cover laser warning.

2. No roof MG

  • The 2A8NO has one. The German 2A8’s stat card lists only the coaxial MG3A1, while even the older 2A7V has two MGs in game.

3. Germany got the trial vehicle, Norway got the finished one

  • The German 2A8 in game matches an early training/test configuration, without LWS or a roof MG. The Norwegian one is modeled as a fully equipped service tank.
  • On top of that, the German tank’s gun depression was cut from -9° to -7.4° using brochure data from trial vehicles. So Germany gets the early version’s downsides, while Norway gets the complete version.
  • Pick one standard and apply it to both.

4. Side modules

  • Some players say the 2A8NO has extra side composite armor, others say those long boxes are just snow grouser storage. Devs, please confirm how they’re modeled. If storage boxes are giving the 2A8NO extra protection, that’s an error that needs fixing.

5. It’s a downgrade from the 2A7V too
From the in-game RB stat cards (★ top-crew values, screenshots attached):

  • 66.6 t vs 63.9 t on the same 1500 hp
  • 60 km/h vs 63 km/h forward, 27.2 vs 28.6 km/h reverse
  • Turret traverse 34°/s vs 40°/s, even with a perfect crew
  • Same BR (13.3), same DM53

Trophy is the only thing the German 2A8 does better.

What needs to happen

  1. Add a laser warning system to the German 2A8. Even a middle-ground option such as MUSS 2.0 or the Elbit sensors would be better than nothing.
  2. Add the roof MG if it’s documented for German service vehicles.
  3. Model the German 2A8 in its service configuration, or apply the same standard to both nations.
  4. Confirm how the 2A8NO’s side boxes are modeled.

If you have primary sources (Bundeswehr/BAAINBw statements, rollout or Eurosatory photos), post them below or attach them to a suggestion or bug report. That’s what actually gets things changed.

  • Yes, the German 2A8 should get LWS and a roof MG like the 2A8NO
  • No, keep it as it is
  • Not sure
0 voters

Sources:

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There’s already existing topics for the Leopard 2A8, please refer to them rather than creating new topics that flood the forum.

You can find similar topics by searching for them.
https://forum.warthunder.com/search?q=2A8%20%20in%3Atitle

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Why use the search function when you can flood though?

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a close up of a cat 's face with a person holding a remote control

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It is the same on both, the 2a8’s turret traverse is also 40°/s

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