Ultimately, the Leopard 2A7V is a major improvement over the old 2A4, and a more modest evolution of the 2A7. The new tanks represents a commitment to a larger tank force rather than for a next-generation tank design. A replacement for the Leopard 2 will supposedly come around 2030 in the form of the Leopard 3, which may be a jointly produced with France and armed with a new 130-millimeter gun.

Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Leopard 2 A5 in German service. Wikimedia Commons/Bundeswehr-Fotos