Leopard 2 and Thermal Imager

[badger45]

I noticed, that Leopard 2 has vision 20, 2a1 vision 30 and 2a4 vision 40. However all sources I have are stating, that version Leo 2 (aka Leo 2a0, these were just first 200 tanks of Leopard 2 series) had low level TV system, ie passive image intensifier (namely PZB200 known from Leopard 1 family) and that starting with Leopard 2a1 there was true thermal imager, WBG-X (Zeiss Optronic), integrated into fire control EMES 15 (Krupp-Atlas). The same seems to be in Leopard 2a4, so the data it seems to me, that Leopard 2a1 should have vision 40 and Leopard 2(a0) vision 30. Or do I miss something important?

Quote from Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979-98 (Osprey):
"The thermal sight for the gunner's EMES 15 primary sight was not ready during production of the first batch, though all vehicles were prepared to be so equipped at a later stage. To provide an improvised night-fighting capability for first-batch vehicles, the Panzer-Ziel-und-Beobachtungsgerat(PZB) 200 low light level TV system (LLLTV) was temporarily fitted to 200
Leopard 2."

If you need some more sources, I can dig up another monographies (I tend to belive very lightly in accuracy of Osprey series - just this one case of Leo2 TI is common to all sources I have in hand, so I think I can rely on it).

P.S. pls do not take it as whining or so... I am big fan of winSPMBT and I DO appreciate enormous amounts of research and actual work put into it. Moreover, I do not even play as Germans and I have never fought with Leopards, just against them Leopard 2 TIs will therefore make my battles more challenging. If they should have them, which I do not know and therefore I ask Thanks in advance for answers.

[DRG]

I've asked a former playtester who was a Leo 2 commander to comment. When he does I'll get back to you.

Don

[DRG]

He says you are correct regarding the 2a1 it should be 40 and incorrect regarding the Leo 2 (aka Leo 2a0)it should stay 20.

Don

[badger45]

Good news, thank you. I will edit my german oob till the next patch.

BTW, the same thermal imager as in 2A1 is used in 1A5, so you may want to modify its vision rating to 40 as well. The name of the fire control system in Leo 1A5 is EMES 18, but the thermal imager integrated into it is the same. What is quite surprising as well - EMES 15 with WBG-X (precisely the same combination as in Leo 2A1) was fitted also in Marders from 1984 on, and vehicles thus fitted are called Marder 1A2. In fact, there seem to be quite strange things in German OOB regarding Marders. Sources I have (e.g. "Boevyje masiny pechoty NATO - Marder, Bradley, Warrior" or if you want webiste, see http://www.military-page.de/gross/rh...er/mar_02.htm) agree on following chronology:

Marder 1 - before 1977, no Milan
Marder 1A1 - developed 1977-79, modernisation of machines took place from 1979-82 - Milan equipped
Marder 1A2 - fitting of EMES 15 and thermal imager - modernisation took place from 1984 to 1989

If you would like more info, I can translate the page from russian, though it takes me a while (neither russian nor english being my native language). And it looks like web sources are saying more or less the same anyway...

Regards.

P.S. Thanx for asking the former leo guy. I cannot imagine better source