The first tank handed over to the Canadian Military after upgrading by KMW was on August 2, 2007, and the first one arriving in Afghanistan on August 16, 2007, with the last arriving in late September 2007. Two Leopard 2 Büffel Armoured Recovery Vehicles were acquired at the same time. To meet immediate needs in Afghanistan, twenty of the Bundeswehr’s stock of Leopard 2A6’s were upgraded to 2A6M standard and loaned to Canada at no cost by the German government.
Gordon O’Connor clarified the situation on Thursday, April 12, 2007. The Army later downplayed this factor, citing increased armour protection and the main gun armament as reasons for upgrading to the Leopard 2 Tank.Ĭanadian Leopard 2A6M CAN Tank & Leopard C2 in AfghanistanĪfter some public speculation, Canadian Defence minister Hon. It was determined that the lack of adequate air conditioning (essential in the searing heat of Afghanistan) was degrading the tank crew’s war fighting ability. Leopard 2A6M CAN Tank DevelopmentĪfter an initial assessment of the performance of the Leopard C2 Tank in Afghanistan, Canada decided to invest in Leopard 2 tanks. These were upgraded by KMW into the Leopard 2A7 and are currently the most modern Leopard 2 in German Army service. The Leopard 2A6M CAN are now owned by the Canadian Army, following the Canadian Government buying 20 surplus Leopard 2A6 from the Netherlands and giving them to the Germany Army to replace the original loaned 20. These vehicles received the added “M” Mine Armor package and other additional modifications for Canadian Army service, hence their new designation. 20 of these tanks were loaned to the Canadian Army by the German Army for the Afghanistan War. The Leopard 2A6M CAN Tank, is a Canadian variant of the Leopard 2A6 Tank. Canadian Leopard 2A6M CAN Tank arriving in Afghanistan
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