Leopard 2 Marksman
Overview
Leopard 2 Marksman
Leopard 2 with Marksman turret during an air defense exercise in 2017.
Source: Finnish army -
© Copyright lies with original owner
Finnish for "anti-aircraft tank Leopard 2"
Description
Introduction
The Leopard 2 Marksman is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of Finnish origin. It combines the turret of the T-55 Marksman with the chassis of the Leopard 2A4. The T-55 Marksman, known as ItPsv 90 in Finland, was removed from service 5 years earlier. One of the reasons was that the older system was not able to keep up with the Leopard 2 in the field.
Layout
The Marksman system uses a large box shaped two man turret. On each side a 35mm KDA autocannon is mounted and a radar is fitted on top. The turret can be used on a variety of chassis types. All production models were originally built on the T-55AM tank chassis. The larger and heavier Leopard 2A4 chassis provides a more stable firing platform. Despite the increase in size and weight it is a much more mobile system, both on road and in the field.
Firepower
The Marksman is armed with two 35mm Oerlikon KDA autocannon. Each gun fires at 550 rpm and is supplied with 220 HE rounds plus 20 AP rounds for use against ground targets. The effective anti-aircraft range is 4 km. In a normal engagement 20 to 40 rounds are fired at a single target.
Fire control
Fire control is provided by a single Marconi Series 400 I/J-band radar. This has a surveillance range of 12 km and tracking range of 10 km. Additionally a gyro-stabilized optical sight is fitted for manual use against aerial and ground targets.
Protection
The Marksman is operated under full armor protection. The steel armor protects against small arms fire and shell splinters. Smoke grenade dischargers are fitted and an NBC system is optional.
Mobility
The Leopard 2A4 chassis provides for a good mobility, both on roads and off road. The conversion of the T-55AM chassis to the Leopard 2 chassis results in a massive boost in mobility. The 1.500 hp diesel engine provides a maximum road speed of 72 km/h and range of 550 km.
Users
The only user of the Leopard 2 Marksman is the Finnish army. After 5 years out of service a new unit was established in 2015 and trained on the new system. It remains in use with the armor brigade alongside the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank.
Details
Media
Marksman on Leopard 2 chassis
Finnish army Marksman on Leopard 2 chassis on display in 2015.
Source: MKFI
Copyright: public domain
Leopard 2 Marksman
Leopard 2 with Marksman turret during an air defense exercise in 2017.
Source: Finnish army
Copyright: Copyright lies with original owner
Related articles
T-55 Marksman
The Leopard 2 Marksman uses the turrets from the ItPsv 90 which was based on the T-55AM tank chassis.
35mm Oerlikon KDA
Armament of the Leopard 2 Marksman consists of two Oerlikon KDA autocannon, which fire the 35x228mm round.
Gepard
The German Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is very similar to the Leopard 2 Marksman.