Editing Leopard 2 (section)

====Series production====
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F073468-0019, Manöver, Kampfpanzer Leopard 2.jpg|thumb|Leopard 2 tanks during a [[military exercise|manoeuvre]] in 1986]]

The decision to put the Leopard 2 tank in production for the German army was made after a study was undertaken{{when|date=September 2022}}, which showed that adopting the Leopard 2 model would result in a greater combat potential of the German army than producing more Leopard 1A4 tanks or developing an improved version of the Leopard 1A4 with 105/120&nbsp;mm smoothbore gun, improved armour protection, a new fire control system and a {{convert|890|kW}} or {{convert|1100|kW}} engine.<ref name="Krapke31">Krapke, p. 31.</ref> Various changes were applied to the Leopard 2 design before the series production started in 1979.<ref name="Krapke41">Krapke, p. 41.</ref><ref name="Krapke5455">Krapke, pp. 54 and 55.</ref> The engine, transmission, and suspension were slightly modified and improved. The ballistic protection of the turret and hull was improved and weak spots were eliminated.<ref name="Krapke38"/>

The turret bustle containing the ready ammunition racks and the hydraulic system was separated from the crew compartment and fitted with blowout panels. The development of several new components was introduced to the Leopard 2 during the Leopard 2AV development and after the US testing was completed. For the series version, the Hughes-designed laser rangefinder made with US Common Modules was chosen over the passive EMES-13 rangefinder. The EMES-13 system was considered to be the superior solution, but the Hughes system was cheaper and fully developed.<ref name="Krapke38">Krapke, p. 38.</ref>

The German company Krupp-Atlas-Elektronik acquired the licence of the Hughes design and modified it to meet the needs of the German army.<ref name="Krapke38" /> The modified rangefinder received the designation EMES-15. The installation of the US AGT-1500 turbine engine in the Leopard 2 was tested by MaK.<ref name="Krapke35" /> The AGT-1500 was from the United States and required deep modifications to the Leopard 2's chassis. However, driving tests at the WTD 41 revealed a number of drawbacks such as high fuel consumption and the poor performance of the transmission including the brakes.<ref name="Krapke35" /> This project was thus terminated.

In January 1977 Germany ordered a small pre-series of three hulls and two turrets which were delivered in 1978. These vehicles had increased armour protection on the front of the hull. One of the hulls was fitted with the earlier T21 turret and was used by the German army school in [[Munster Training Area|Munster]] for troop trials until 1979.<ref>Jerchel, pp. 10 and 11.</ref> In September 1977, 1,800 Leopard 2 tanks were ordered, to be produced in five batches. The main contractor was Krauss-Maffei, but Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) was awarded a contract for producing 45% of the tanks. The first batch consisted of 380 tanks. The delivery of six tanks was scheduled for 1979, 114 for 1980, 180 for 1981, and 300 tanks each following year.<ref name="Krapke39">Krapke, p. 39.</ref>

The first series-production tank was delivered on 25 October 1979. By 1982, all of the first batch of 380 Leopard 2 tanks had been completed. 209 were built by Krauss-Maffei (chassis no. 10001 to 10210) and 171 by MaK (chassis no. 20001 to 20172). The first production tanks were fitted with the PzB-200 [[image intensifier]] due to production shortages of the new thermal night-sight system, which was later retrofitted to the earlier models. After the original five batches, three further batches of Leopard 2 tanks were ordered, increasing the number of Leopard 2 tanks ordered by Germany to a total of 2125.<ref name="Jerchel, p. 20 and 21">Jerchel, pp. 20 and 21.</ref> The sixth batch was ordered in June 1987 and consisted of 150 tanks, which were produced between January 1988 and May 1989. The seventh batch of 100 tanks was produced between May 1988 and April 1990. The last batch for the German army totalling 75 tanks was produced from January 1991 to March 1992.<ref name="Jerchel, p. 20 and 21"/>

During its production run during the Cold War, 16 Leopard 2 tanks were being produced per month. The vehicles were produced at a slower rate in the following decades, however KMW still retained the capacity to return to such manufacturing levels should they need to be made again at a higher rate and supply chains are able to deliver sufficient materials.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/02/03/norway-wants-to-buy-dozens-of-new-leopard-2-tanks/|title=Norway wants to buy dozens of new Leopard 2 tanks|website=[[Defense News]]|date=2023-03-03|last=Gosselin-Malo|first=Elizabeth}}</ref>