Leopard 2 PSO-VT

[Woolfi23456789@psn 28]

The PSO-VT

 

History: 

2007 With the War on Terror in full swing, the German and Dutch army is preparing for the deployment of Leopard 2 tanks in the conflict. A new program was created to fulfill this need. The UrbOp (Urbane Operationen) program. 

The idea: making the Leopard 2 ready to fight in a new kind of conflict without sacrificing the capability to fight in a traditional war. 

While the Leopard 2A6M was already fit to do such things in theory, it still didn’t offer enough protection for the job and the L55 wasn’t suitable for tight spaces. The Leopard PSO however was in theory ready for the job with its additional armor, shorter L44 and FLW. But it wasn’t ready to face off tanks since it lacked mobility and the L55. The nations had a great idea: why not take the good tank fighting capability of the A6M and combine it with the good protection of the PSO? Many will now say that it’s the A7+ but no, the engineers had a different idea. While adding additional armor to the skirts is easy and can be undone fast, the additional armor on the turret isn’t easily removed, and the gun would still be a problem. Instead of adding additional armor to the A6Ms turret, they came up with the idea to swap turrets if needed.

For this, old A4 turrets would receive the PSO upgraded and some A6M hulls would be modified to receive the additional armor. If needed, the turrets could just be swapped for the new mission. A prototype was ordered to test the new upgrades. The Dutch supplied an A6M to KMW that would implement the upgrades for the armor, sights and additional sensors. They would keep the L55 for the prototype but upgrade it to use the DM11 (High Explosive Air Bursting).

The prototype got tested by Germany from 2009 onwards. It got qualified, but didn’t fully satisfy the military. In addition to that, budget cuts demand to drop programs and the military decided to continue the Boxer and Puma. In the end, multiple elements of the system would be shown in 2014 on the Leopard 2 A7+.

It would be later Converted into the A7+ and go around as a showpiece.

 

 

Specs: 

 

Armament: 

1. The L55 with 42 rounds of DM53 and DM11 with AB capability
2. MG 3 as a secondary armament 
3. HK GMW (Heckler & Koch Granatmaschinenwaffe) grenade launcher with 32 rounds on the FLW 200.
4. Smoke grenade launchers 18 in total, with 6 on the FLW 200 and 6 on each Side of the turret. 

Additional information on the FLW 200:

Gen 2 thermal sight

Rotation radius	996 mm (with sMG .50);  580 mm (with GMW 40 mm)
Total height	~ 750 mm
Carriage weight	~ 185 kg (without weapon and ammunition)
Lateral adjustment ranges	n x 360°
Vertical adjustment range	-15 to +70° (sMG .50); -12 to +60° (GMW 40 mm)
Lateral laying speed	up to 60°/s
Vertical laying speed	up to 30°/s

Protection: 

1. Mine protection as found on the Leopard 2A6M
2. The MEXAS H armor kit like on the Strg 122 ( on the front of the hull)
3. Rear hull protection as found on the Leopard 2 HEL/SWE/ESP
4. Additional armored skirts as found on the PSO
5. Additional armor on the turret sides, as found later on the A7+

Number 4 and 5 provide all around protection against the RPG 7.

 

Mobility and dimensions:

Power by the MTU MB 873-Ka 501 it has around 1500 HP. 

Up to 72km/h

Around 10,97m long and 3,76m wide.

 

Optics: 

1. PERI-RTWL for the commander (Gen 2 thermal) as found on the Puma                                                                                                                                                           

2. A early version SPECTUS for the driver (Gen 2 thermal) with all around coverage                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

3. A Camera System mounted on the turret

Additional features: 

1. EKKA
2. A spotlight (500W) on the FLW 200
3. SOTAS-IP
4. IFIS

 

Summary: 

The PSO-VT is the step between the PSO and the A7+. It offers similar protection as the A7+ but has worse optics and shells.

 

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, I will try my best to answer them.
Also check out the PSO by __Fleks__: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/profile/745066-__fleks__/ 

 

Sources:

1. https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/aktuelles/mediathek/fernbedienbare-leichte-waffenstation-flw-200-5585006
2. http://tank-masters.de/?page_id=280
3. https://www.panzertruppe.com/detailansicht/wiedergeburt.html

4. https://m.facebook.com/esutde/photos/a.1414296588831255/1498837947043785/?type=3&mibextid=qC1gEa

5. https://www.kmweg.de/systeme-produkte/bewaffnungssysteme/fernbedienbare-waffenstationen/flw-200/

   
   
    

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Woolfi23456789@psn

[Thatz 637]

Open for Discussion 

[Ghostmaxi 873]

I dont play high tier, but i want that 40mm Gun :3

[Milocat 4,857]

+1, would be a fascinating variant to see added!

[MrTouTou06 0]

HIghly doubt Gaijin gonna be adding it soon cuz how much of a xxxx they are, but a +1 from me

Edited April 22, 2023 by MrTouTou06

[oom1992 649]

Let's say Leopard 2 PSO is a premium pack rank VIII for modern ground vehicle

I guess Leopard 2 PSO-VT might be tech tree and new main battle tanks toptier for germany under Leopard 2A6