Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun

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Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun


Leopard 2A4 with L / 44 cannon. At the muzzle of the barrel, the field adjustment mirror installed on the Leopard 2 since 1991

General Information
Manufacturer country: Germany , license production in various countries
Developer / Manufacturer: Rheinmetall
Development year: 1965-75
Start of production: 1975
Model variants: L / 44, L / 55 and LLR / 47
Weapon Category: Smooth barrel cannon
Technical specifications
Pipe length: 5280, 6600 and 5640 mm
Caliber :

120 × 570 mm

Caliber length : 44, 55 and 47
Number of trains : no trains
Cadence : around 10 rounds / min
Furnishing
Ammunition supply: manually
Drive: hydraulic
Muzzle energy: > 13 MJ
Smoke evacuator and protective tube cover of the L / 44 cannon. The rear area, covered with fabric, separates rigid from moving parts of the weapon.

The Rheinmetall 120 mm smooth barrel cannon, or Rh120 for short, is a smooth barrel cannon with a caliber of 120 millimeters, which was originally intended for use in medium and heavy battle tanks . It was developed by the German company Rheinmetall and is produced by its subsidiary Rheinmetall Waffen Munition , which is part of the Rheinmetall Defense division . Licenses for production have been granted to several companies internationally.

The cannon is the first modern smooth barrel cannon developed in the western world after the Second World War . Initially introduced as the main armament of the German Leopard 2 and later used in the US M1 Abrams and other tank types, it is now used in the armies of many countries. So far it has been installed in two versions, the L / 44 and the L / 55 . The development of a third variant, the LLR L / 47 for air-transportable vehicles, has been completed, but it has not yet been used in any weapon system.

background

View from the mouth into the tube

With the worsening of the Cold War and the appearance of new battle tanks on the part of the Warsaw Pact , doubts grew on the part of the Bundeswehr in the mid-1960s as to whether the existing cannons, especially the widespread 105 mm rifled cannon Royal Ordnance L7 , were still in use Would be able to fight these new opponents successfully. These opponents were in particular the T-64 and T-72 tanks, which were equipped with what was then a new type of composite armor and 125 mm smoothbore cannons.

The joint development of a new battle tank by the USA and Germany failed and was discontinued in 1969. After the planned 152 mm cannon, which could fire the MGM-51 tubular rocket , also turned out to be the wrong path for Germany, Rheinmetall decided to take a new path in the development of the cannon, which was introduced in the Soviet Union in 1962 Introduction of the 115 mm smoothbore gun U-5TS at the T-62 was mapped out.

Development and construction

120 mm smoothbore cannon L / 44

Cannon bottom piece. Below on the protective grille, the color-coded barrel return indicator and the lever of the ramp to prevent the breech from automatically opening after the shot.

The 120 mm smooth barrel cannon L / 44 was developed in close cooperation with the Bundeswehr especially for use in the Leopard 2 , which was developed at the time. Research and development work at Rheinmetall began in 1965 under the leadership of Raimund Germershausen . and dragged on for more than ten years Rheinmetall was able to prove after just two years of development that the smooth-barreled cannon could fire wing-stabilized projectiles with great precision.

When the cannon was finished in 1975, Rheinmetall and the vehicle manufacturers showed in a tri-national comparative shooting that it was superior to its western competitors with rifled barrels, namely the US 105 mm and British 110 mm cannons. With the addition of the Leopard 2 to the troops, a completely new weapon technology was available in the West. The first licensee of the L / 44 cannon, General Dynamics , introduced it in 1986 as the M256 on the A1 version of the M1 Abrams . It replaced the rifled 105 mm M68A1 cannon . The L / 44 is suitable for retrofitting and thus increasing the combat value of the Leopard 1 , which is also equipped with a rifled 105 mm cannon (L7A3) .

The cannon has a caliber of 120 millimeters. The caliber length  44, which gives it its name, results in a barrel length of 5280 mm, which roughly corresponds to the length of the Leopard 1's L7A3 . The tube weighs 1190 kilograms and the complete weapon system 3780 kilograms.

The cold-stretched solid pipe is designed for a construction gas pressure of 7100 bar and received an autofrettage . A high-strength, vacuum-remelted steel was used as the material. Compared to the L7A3 cannon, the steel's yield strength has been increased by more than 20 percent to 1.03 gigapascals . Due to the high performance of the ammunition and the associated high thermal and erosive load, the barrel is hard chrome-plated on the inside to increase its durability. Initial problems with this hard chrome plating delayed the development of the cannon.

In order to keep deformation due to solar radiation as low as possible, the pipe has a protective pipe sleeve made of double-walled and foamed GRP . The dynamics of the weapon system are hardly affected by the low mass of the plastic shell. The smoke extractor is also made of GRP. The cannon is mounted on trunnions ; the elevation range when installing in the Leopard 2 is minus 9 degrees to plus 20 degrees.

Loader position of the Leopard 2 with the mount of the blind machine gun, far right the cannon, below the barrel brake (with red cover)

The lock of the cannon is a drop wedge lock with a pilot-controlled opener and ejector mechanism. A closing spring takes over the closing. If the systems fail, the lock can also be opened or closed by hand. The weapon is fired electrically. Emergency firing using an inductive surge generator is possible. The return device of the pipe consists of two hydraulic pipe brakes with a maximum braking force of 600  kilonewtons (kN). With a nominal 340 mm (maximum 380 mm), the return path of the barrel is equivalent to the rifled 105 mm cannon. The rebar works with a hydropneumatic system. The cannon is neither equipped with a muzzle brake nor a flash hider.

Weapon system and ammunition

The cannon is part of a fully stabilized weapon system. A weapon system with a cannon with a larger caliber than 105 mm was formulated as the development goal, which was supposed to be more efficient and more precise while largely retaining the dimensions.

The development specifications for this weapon system were a large effective combat range, a high hit probability with the first shot and a good penetration performance even against modern composite or reactive armor . According to the original price schedule, the cost of the entire weapon system was around seven percent of the total cost of the Leopard 2.

The field adjustment collimator from the pre-production vehicles of the Leopard 2 was discontinued in series production until 1991. From this point onwards, a significantly improved field adjustment mirror was installed and retrofitted to all smooth-barreled cannons.

Since the ammunition, which was co-developed by Rheinmetall in parallel to the weapon system, does not have the stabilizing twist of a barrel with trains and fields, it is stabilized by an aluminum tail unit (steel for newer types of ammunition). The muzzle velocity is up to 1640 meters per second (m / s) with mass bullets , for example the DM  33 . The muzzle energy of the bullet is around 9.8 mega joules (MJ). The service life of the pipe was originally specified as 500 "standard shots". However, by using other types of ammunition, higher gas pressures and more abrasive propellants, the service life is reduced to less than 300 rounds.

120 mm smoothbore cannon L / 55

Leopard 2 A6M of the German Army with the L / 55 cannon
Muzzle of an L / 55 on the Leopard 2E with the newly designed field adjustment mirror

As a result of the further development of international armor construction with the introduction of more effective reactive armor in the 1980s and the development of barrel-launchable guided weapons with a range of up to five kilometers, an improvement in firepower became inevitable from the Bundeswehr's point of view. After Rheinmetall's development for an even more powerful 140 mm smoothbore cannon , the so-called NPzK-140 , had no prospect of being ready for series production, especially due to the fact that the armored turrets had to be replaced, the decision was made to further develop the L / 44 .

The further development of the L / 44 became the L / 55 . Not only is it 25 percent longer and enables an even higher muzzle velocity, it also brought other developments with it. The L / 55 is designed in such a way that, according to the Interface Control Document (ICD), it has an identical chamber geometry as the L / 44 and is suitable for at least the same gas pressures. This means that the L / 44 ammunition can also be used in the L / 55. In addition, a development goal was that the new cannon can be retrofitted in the series turret of the Leopard 2 without major changes. In 1998 it was finally available for use after Rheinmetall had completed testing in 1997 together with the DM-53 ammunition (also known as LKE II ). The pipes are exclusively new products; an extension of the L / 44 pipes is not possible. The side effects of top-heaviness, the less favorable driving behavior in the terrain and built-up areas as well as the more frequent need to check the adjustment with the field adjustment system were classified as justifiable.

The L / 55 is designed for higher gas pressures, thus enabling an even higher muzzle velocity and thus the penetration capacity of the projectiles. In addition, the outer geometry (wall thickness) of the barrel and the production processes were optimized in order to improve the otherwise unfavorable vibration behavior of the weapon when firing. The rear part of the L / 55 is now also given a two-stage autofrettage. Hard chrome plating of the barrel extension in the muzzle area is dispensed with due to the knowledge about the transversal waves that occur during the shot and impair the service life of the chrome plating . The field adjustment system has also been further developed for the L / 55, which offers better vibration compensation by changing the field adjustment mirror on the barrel mouth. With the field adjustment system, the gunner can check the adjustment of the weapon system and determine the current bending of the weapon barrel and thus correct the adjustment of the alignment system.

The braking force of the tubular return brake has also been adjusted from 600 kN to 900 kN, the trunnion bearings in the tower and the fire control and weapon tracking system. The weighing pipe, smoke extractor, base piece and locking wedge were taken over from the old series gun when it was converted. The protective pipe cover was extended accordingly.

The L / 55 variant also has the 120 mm caliber, but the length is 55 caliber lengths and thus 6600 mm. It is thus 1300 mm longer than its predecessor. The barrel of the L / 55 weighs 1374 kg and the complete weapon system weighs 4160 kg. With the DM-53 ammunition newly developed for the L / 55, a muzzle velocity of over 1750 m / s is achieved. This corresponds to a little more than five times the speed of sound. By increasing the penetrator weight and the muzzle velocity, a muzzle energy of around 13 MJ is achieved, which means an increase of more than 30 percent compared to the combination L / 44 with DM 33. According to the Bundeswehr, a penetration capacity of 810 mm armor steel can be achieved at a distance of 2000 m.

Scheme drawing of the M256

In principle, any tank equipped with the L / 44 cannon can be converted to the L / 55. An exception was the M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams. Due to its own further development by General Dynamics and the associated structural design, the L / 55 led to considerable vibration problems. For example, in 1998, as part of the research project on the Advanced Tank Armament System (ATAS) , the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) received not only three L / 55s, but also the license to manufacture a further twelve pipes, which from 1999 onwards were used as M256 E1 for installation tests were. After extensive changes to the weapon cradle and the electro-hydraulic weapon tracking system, the US Army carried out extensive vibration tests, which ultimately resulted in system compatibility. However, since the L / 44 proved to be equivalent to the L / 55 with tungsten carbide ammunition in terms of terminal ballistic performance when using KE ammunition made from depleted uranium, and the XM291 was an in-house development, the USA has refrained from doing so until today (2011) An introduction.

The L / 55 was tested as part of the Challenger Lethality Improvement Program (CLIP) on the British Challenger 2 , which was previously equipped with the conventional rifled L30 cannon in 120 mm caliber . In January 2004 the British Ministry of Defense awarded BAE Land Systems a development contract for a new 120 mm cannon. As part of this order, BAE began manufacturing the L / 55 under license, and in January 2006 the first tank was equipped with a cannon for testing. The ammunition tests carried out at the same time resulted in an increase in performance of the DM-53 ammunition with penetrator made of tungsten carbide compared to the ammunition made of depleted uranium (type "CHARM 3") previously used in the Challenger 2 . In 2014 it was decided not to use the Rh120.

The new L / 55A1 cannons were delivered to the first users in mid-2018 . It is intended for use in the Leopard 2A7 + and designed for even higher gas pressures, which further increases the muzzle energy. In addition, it can fire the programmable multipurpose DM11 cartridge.

120 mm smoothbore cannon LLR L / 47

The Rh 120 LLR L / 47 is a further development of the introduced 120 mm cannons with 47 caliber lengths and thus a barrel length of 5640 mm. LLR stands for Light-Low Recoil (German roughly: light, low recoil ). The technology used and parts of the materials, such as the quenched and tempered steel of the tube and base piece, were ported from Rheinmetall's discontinued project to develop the NPzK-140 to the smaller 120 mm caliber.

The LLR was developed to transfer the firepower and thus the penetration capacity of the well-known 120 mm smoothbore cannons to a lighter and therefore air-loadable weapon system. Due to the lower permissible total weight and the weaker structure of the carrier vehicle, extensive measures are required on the weapon system, such as reducing weight and recoil, in order to be able to use it. With the LLR, the recoil has been reduced by 40 percent and the weight of the recoiling masses by 10 percent compared to the L / 44. This, however, is accompanied by an extension of the return travel of the cannon when firing a shot. It is still compatible with the ammunition introduced for the L / 44 and L / 55, as it is also designed according to the ICD.

ammunition

Development and technology of ammunition

The loader of an M1 Abrams with ammunition
Case stub of a fired cartridge

In order to simplify the operation and reduce disturbances in the output of the ammunition, the requirement for caseless ammunition was made from the beginning , since this is the only way to avoid having to eject a large cartridge case to reload the cannon. In addition, it was possible to optimize the ammunition by increasing the propellant rate (also known as the "drive"), because the burning case practically becomes part of the drive. The ammunition was therefore developed with a combustible case . The sleeve consists of a mixture of cellulose , nitrocellulose , resin and stabilizing additives. In contrast to the initial US ammunition development, Rheinmetall decided early on to use a case base, the so-called "case stub", made of steel. Despite the larger caliber and higher performance, the length and weight of the new ammunition are no greater than the old 105 mm ammunition. The main reason for this lies in the technological advancement of the drive and thus the use of a high-energy propellant.

In addition to its higher performance, this ammunition offers further advantages compared to cartridge ammunition with a case: on the one hand, the bulletproofness is better, on the other hand the ammunition is much more robust; the caseless 120 mm ammunition can still be loaded and fired even after falling from a height of 2 m.

All three variants of the smoothbore cannon can fire a variety of different types and types of ammunition, as long as they are based on the NATO standard for 120mm smoothbore cannons, the STANAG 4385 . Since the 120 mm smooth-barreled cannon was originally developed for the fire fighting of battle tanks in the operational scenarios of the Cold War, the focus was earlier on the armor-piercing bullets and the shaped charge ammunition .

In the context of the current threat of asymmetrical warfare and the changed environmental conditions as they exist in house-to-house warfare , new types of ammunition are being developed and introduced.

Types of ammunition

Armor-piercing ammunition such as

M829 ammunition (APFSDS)
  • APFSDS ( A rmour- P iercing F domestic S tabilized D iscarding S abot): A sub-caliber kinetic energy projectile, which misses a heavy arrow-like penetrator and acts through its kinetic energy. This consists of depleted uranium (as in the US Army) or sintered tungsten carbide (for example in the Bundeswehr), the high specific weight of which increases the energy per surface area again compared to steel. The sabot (now mostly made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic ) isresponsible for sealing the projectile, which is smaller in diameter, against the barrel,and after exiting the barrel it becomes detached due to the increased air resistance.
    Over the years, Rheinmetall developed the DM-13 , DM-23 and DM-33 series, which, apart from the DM 33, are no longer used today. Today, the Bundeswehr, together with the L / 55, uses DM 53/63 ammunition, also from Rheinmetall, which is also known from LKE II . Both the DM 63 and DM 53A1 differs from the DM 53 only slightly, but are with a temperature-independent propulsion (TIPS = Temperature Independent Propulsion Systems) built, which, dt on the SCDB technology (Surface Coated Double Base Propellant. About surfaces -coated dibasic propellant ).
    The US-American APFSDS variant M829 A1 became known in the Second Gulf War for its effectiveness against the Iraqi tanks. Because of its effectiveness, mainly against the T-72 , it was nicknamed "Silver Bullet"by tank crews in the Gulf War.
  • HEAT ( H igh- E xplosive A nti- T ank):Projectilesthat work according to the normal shaped charge principle and are equipped with an impact fuse
  • HEAT MP-T ( H igh- E xplosive A nti- T ank M ulti P urpose - T racer): A shaped charge multi-purpose bullet for light ground targets and slow, low-flying air targets. Another unofficial name, especially for the American version of M830 is MPAT ( M Ultimatum P urpose A NTI T ank).
  • HE ( H igh- E xplosive): The “classic” high-explosive grenade, but adapted to combat situations in the 21st century with a time fuse with impact function; it is a reaction to the protection technology against shaped charge projectiles. It is used against lightly armored transport vehicles, infantry and fortified positions, among other things. A newer, programmable variant is the DM11 , which can also detonate in the air ("airburst"). It is used, for example, as "Multi Purpose (MP) DM11" by the US Marine Corps .

Guided missile

  • Lahat ( La ser H oming A nti T ank missile): Lahat is a laser guided missile of Israel Aerospace Industries with an effective range of more than 6000 meters, which is fired from the cannon or a position-independent boot device. The Israeli army is best known as a user.

or for fighting in an urban environment

  • PELE ( P enetrator with E rweitertem L ateral- E FFECT, English. P enetrator with E nhanced L ateral e ffect ): A type conversion kit for HEAT MP or KE-projectiles, designed for combat in urban environments. By using two materials of different densities, it is possible to achieve a corresponding effect in the target even without explosives or detonators. According to the manufacturer, the penetration performance, sensitivity and fragmentation performance is higher than with conventional ammunition, but with a lower risk of accompanying damage .
  • Cartridge ( Canister ): similar to a large-caliber shotgun cartridge , this ammunition is filled with tungsten balls; it is used against "soft targets" , buried infantry or against buildings. Around 2003 the USA developed the M1028 projectile for the L / 44 cannon for use in the Iraq war .

The was also in development

An overview of the types of ammunition used by the Bundeswehr can be found in the list of Bundeswehr ammunition .

Further development and successor

Rheinmetall is currently working on a further development of the already established L / 44 and L / 55 cannons. The cannon with internal working title as L / 55A1 should be able to fire KE ammunition of the next generation. According to the manufacturer, a shorter version called L / 44A1 can also be offered. Availability is expected for 2018.

In addition, Rheinmetall presented a demonstrator for a possible completely new successor model at Eurosatory 2016. The Rheinmetall 130 mm L / 51 weapon system would be conceptually intended for the new Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

Overview of former and current users

User L / 44

M1A1 Abrams firing the license-made M256 cannon
  • ChileChile Chile : Leopard 2A4CHL, overhauled and converted stocks of the Bundeswehr
  • DenmarkDenmark Denmark : Leopard 2A5DK, partly from Bundeswehr stocks
  • AustriaAustria Austria : Leopard 2A4, taken from the Netherlands
  • GermanyGermany Germany : Leopard 2 up to and including the A5 version
  • GreeceGreece Greece : Leopard 2A4, overhauled and slightly converted stocks of the Bundeswehr
  • FinlandFinland Finland : Leopard 2A4FIN, all from Bundeswehr stocks (only slightly converted)
  • JapanJapan Japan : Type 90 : License production of the L / 44
  • CanadaCanada Canada : Leopard 2A4M CAN, tank taken over and modernized from the Netherlands
  • NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands : Leopard 2 to A5 (no longer in stock, armored troop disbanded)
  • NorwayNorway Norway : Leopard 2A4NO, tank taken over from the Netherlands
  • PolandPoland Poland : Leopard 2A4 & A5, from Bundeswehr stocks
  • SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland : Panzer 87 Leopard WE (comparable to Leopard 2A5), license production of the cannon by K + W Thun
  • SwedenSweden Sweden : Stridsvagn 122, a special version of the Leopard 2A5
  • SingaporeSingapore Singapore : Leopard 2A4
  • Korea SouthSouth Korea South Korea : K1 Type 88 : Equipped with the M256 , which is produced under license in South Korea
  • United StatesUnited States United States : M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams : Licensed version M256 from General Dynamics Landsysteme. Main armament of the M1 Abrams since version M1A1

User L / 55

  • GermanyGermany Germany : Leopard 2 A6 (introduced 2001)
  • FinlandFinland Finland : Leopard 2A6, from stocks of the Dutch Army
  • GreeceGreece Greece : Leopard 2A6 HEL
  • CanadaCanada Canada : Leopard 2A6M CAN, converted and upgraded versions of the Bundeswehr
  • NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands : Leopard 2A6 (no longer in stock, armored force disbanded)
  • PortugalPortugal Portugal : Leopard 2A6 from the Netherlands
  • SpainSpain Spain : Leopard 2E
  • Korea SouthSouth Korea South Korea : K2 Black Panther
  • TurkeyTurkey Turkey : Altay

literature

  • Rolf Hilmes: Main battle tanks today and tomorrow . Concepts - Systems - Technologies. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02793-0 .
  • Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 . His becoming and his achievement. Books on Demand , Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 .
  • Hans Rudol Kurz: The Swiss Army today - on the way to "Army95" . Ed .: Laurent F. Carrel. 12th edition. Ott, Thun 1992, ISBN 3-7225-6852-8 (The current standard work on Swiss national defense, later title: Swiss Army today and in the future ).
  • Frank Lobitz: Leopard 2 battle tank . Development and use in the Bundeswehr / Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank. Vollert - Tankograd, Erlangen 2009, ISBN 978-3-936519-08-2 (German / English).

Web links

Commons : Rheinmetall 120 mm smooth barrel cannon  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : 120mm ammunition  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Large- caliber weapons. (No longer available online.) Rheinmetall Defense , archived from the original on January 18, 2012 ; Retrieved August 5, 2010 .
  2. a b c d Rheinmetall.de with excerpts from the history of Rheinmetall and the Bundeswehr (accessed on January 25, 2009)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rheinmetall-ag.com
  3. a b Information on the 120 mm smooth barrel cannon L / 44 on the Rheinmetall Defense website (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from June 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ A b c Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 99.
  5. ^ A b c Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 97.
  6. ^ A b Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 30.
  7. ^ A b c Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 98.
  8. ^ Main battle tank Leopard 2
  9. a b c M256 data on Inetres.com (accessed January 25, 2009)
  10. Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 125.
  11. ^ A b Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Supplement by Rolf Hilmes , Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 9.
  12. ^ A b c Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Supplement by Rolf Hilmes , Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 8.
  13. Website Army-Guide for the L / 55 (English, accessed on January 25, 2009)
  14. Information on the 120 mm smooth barrel cannon L / 55 on the Rheinmetall Defense website (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from December 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  15. Data sheet for the Leopard 2 (PDF, 1.24 MB) . Armed forces. Retrieved on April 24, 2011.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / treff.bundeswehr.de
  16. Rolf Hilmes: Main battle tanks today and tomorrow. Upgraded 120 mm smoothbore cannon. Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 978-3-613-02793-0 , p. 231.
  17. ^ Rolf Hilmes: Main battle tanks today and tomorrow: Concepts - Systems - Technologies . Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02793-0 , p. 56 .
  18. a b website for Challenger 2 . fprado.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  19. Army Technology website for Challenger 2 . army-technology.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  20. Info on CHARM-3 ammunition . bandepleteduranium.org. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  21. Andrew Chunter: UK Focuses on Challenger, Mobile bridging. (No longer available online.) Defensenews.com, October 15, 2014, archived from the original on October 6, 2015 ; accessed on October 5, 2015 .
  22. Million order from Hungary . rheinmetall-defence.com. September 30, 2019. Accessed March 11, 2020.
  23. Press release on Army Technologie for LLR L / 47 (accessed January 25, 2009)
  24. Data on the NPzK-140 on Jane's (accessed January 25, 2009)
  25. Information on the 120 mm smooth barrel cannon LLR L / 47 on the Rheinmetall Defense website (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from December 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  26. Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 100.
  27. Info on DM 63 on Rheinmetall Defense (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from June 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  28. MBT Revolution - Mission-oriented, modular upgrade for battle tanks. rheinmetall-defence.com, June 14, 2010, accessed on August 17, 2015 .
  29. FAS.org with Silver Bullet Information (accessed January 25, 2009)
  30. FAS.org with information on the M830 (English)
  31. 120 mm HEAT MP-T on the Rheinmetall Defense website (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from December 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  32. Rheinmetall Defense with information on the 120 mm HE (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from June 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  33. Rheinmetall presents new HE DM11 secondary ammunition for 120mm smoothbore cannons . griephan.de. June 16, 2011. Accessed March 11, 2020.
  34. DM11 - FRESH AMMUNITION FOR THE LEOPARD . spartanat.com. July 17, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  35. LAHAT on the Rheinmetall Defense website (accessed on January 25, 2009) ( Memento from December 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  36. Information on the Rheinmetall Defense website on PELE ammunition (accessed on January 25, 2009)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rheinmetall-defence.com
  37. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/m1028.htm
  38. Report on the discontinuation of the development of the XM1111. Retrieved February 17, 2014 .
  39. ^ Rheinmetall - firepower for future battle tank systems. Rheinmetall Defense, June 13, 2016, accessed on October 26, 2016 .
  40. This three-ton cannon is supposed to crack Putin's armor. Stern, June 15, 2016, accessed October 27, 2016 .
  41. Leopard 2 and information about the cannon on FAS.org (accessed January 25, 2009)
  42. Use of the 120 mm cannon in the Type 90 on History of War (accessed January 25, 2009)
  43. Laurent F. Carrel, The Swiss Army Today - On the Way to “Army95” , page 159, 12th edition 1992, ISBN 3-7225-6852-8
  44. Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 202.
  45. M256 information from FAS.org (Engl., Accessed 25 January 2009)
  46. ^ Snow Leopards: Dutch Sell their Remaining Tanks to Finland. defenseindustrydaily.com, January 16, 2014, accessed October 5, 2014 .
  47. Finland in 200 million-euro used tank deal with the Netherlands. yle.fi, January 16, 2014, accessed October 5, 2015 .
  48. ^ A b Paul-Werner Krapke: Leopard 2 his becoming and his performance. Supplement by Rolf Hilmes , Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1425-1 , p. 13.
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on November 7, 2009 in this version .