- WIADOMOŚCI
- KOMENTARZ
Portugal to modernize its Leopard tanks. Here is what will change
Photo. Estado Mayor Defensa/X
Portugal plans to begin the modernisation of its Leopard 2A6NL main battle tank fleet.
Photo. Estado Mayor Defensa/X
The Portuguese Army (Exército Português) operates a fleet of 34 ex-Dutch Leopard 2A6NL tanks. The Portuguese government has approved the modernisation of the tanks and secured funding amounting to €82.35 million (approximately 360 million PLN). The programme envisages conducting major overhauls and modernising the vehicles. The exact scope of the modernisation is not yet known, but previous plans anticipated that after the upgrade, the tanks would receive the designation Leopard 2A6PRT. The scope of work is expected to include replacing the EMES-15A2 main gunner’s sight, equipped with the WBG-X thermal imaging camera, with the EMES-15A3 featuring the Attica thermal camera. Similarly, the PERI-R17A2 panoramic observation and sighting device, equipped with the Ophelios-P thermal camera, is to be replaced by the PERI-R17A3 device with the Attica camera.
Photo. NATO Multinational Brigade Task Force Slovakia/X
Other changes were to include replacing the E-WNA electric turret drives with a more modern digital version, installing an electronics cooling system, and modernising the tank’s electrical system through both the installation of a 20 kW auxiliary power unit (APU) and the fitting of new batteries and protection systems, including ultracapacitors. A new fire suppression system was to be installed, and the driver was to receive a camera suite: one located at the front of the hull and the other at the rear.
There is no information regarding plans to upgrade the armour of these tanks, which can already be considered, if not obsolete, then certainly ageing and (based on experience from Ukraine) no longer meeting all battlefield requirements. There are also no provisions for the installation of an active protection system. The programme, therefore, primarily aims to overhaul the vehicles, replace obsolete components that are no longer in production, and improve the state of readiness of the tank fleet. The Leopard 2A6PRT vehicles themselves will resemble certain versions of German Leopard 2A6 tanks, such as the Leopard 2A6A2.
