Revell 1/35 Lepoard 2 A5 (03045)

Requires polystyrene cement and paints to complete. Revell colours: 9, 65, 84 & 91.

Since 1979 the Federal German Army has introduced 2,125 Leopard 2 battle tanks. New technical knowledge has been incorporated into a modernization programme. Since 1994 a first batch of 225 Leopard 2s have been upgraded to armament level A5. These vehicles received an improved passive protection with wedge-shaped add-on armour modules on the turret, an electrical weapon stabilisation and aiming system, a GPS vehicle navigation system, A PERI-R17A2/TIM with thermal imaging for the commander, a sliding hatch for the driver and a rear-view camera at the back. The first Leopard 2 A5s were handed over to the troops at the end of 1995. The Leopard 2 A5, which is powered by a 1500 hp MTU 873 Ka 501 multi-fuel engine reaches a maximum speed of 72 km/h on the road. For armament it is equipped with a 120 mm L/44 smooth bore gun and a coaxial MG 3 installed in the aperture. Another MG 3 is mounted at the loader's hatch. The crew consists of commander, gunner, loader and driver. From June 1999 the Leopard 2 A5 was used for the first time by the German Army in the southern sector of Kosovo within the framework of the peace-keeping mission.