Pz87 – Photos & Video

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and 12 other European countries, as well as several non-European nations. More than 3,480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured.[citation needed] The Leopard 2 was used in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian contributions to the International Security Assistance Force. The 2A4 was also license manufactured in Switzerland as the Panzer 87 “Leopard” or Pz 87. This version included Swiss-built 7.5 mm Mg 87 machine guns and communications equipment, and featured improved NBC protection system. Switzerland operated 380 Pz 87 tanks.

Source: Pz87 on Wikipedia

The Pz87 is a main battle tank developed and produced by Switzerland in the late 1980s. It is based on the German Leopard 2 tank, but with several modifications and improvements to suit the Swiss terrain and requirements. The Pz87 has a 120 mm smoothbore gun, a 7.5 mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. It also has a sophisticated fire control system, thermal imaging, laser rangefinder, and smoke grenade launchers. The Pz87 has a crew of four: commander, gunner, loader, and driver. The tank is powered by a 1,500 hp diesel engine and can reach a maximum speed of 68 km/h on road and 45 km/h off-road. The Pz87 has a combat weight of 53.4 tonnes and a range of 500 km. The Pz87 is designed to operate in mountainous and urban environments, as well as in cold and wet conditions. The Pz87 is one of the most advanced and capable tanks in Europe, and has been exported to several countries, including Chile and Spain.