Leopard 2A4 tanks in service with the Armed Forces of Greece may receive a new set of additional protection with explosive reactive armor. The elements of reactive armor called ASPIS were developed specially for Leopard 2A4 by EODH as part of the planned modernization of the Greek vehicles.
The first photos of the armor set were published by Defencereview.gr, it was made based on the experience of application of this tank in real battles, the media adds.
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Based on the photos provided, the ERA modules of ASPIS are placed on top of the hull front, directed upward. Those have identical shapes and sizes, whereas the elements on the turret with its indeed sophisticated shape all have individual forms: about ten different modules, including a fairly big plate protecting the gun mantlet.
Unfortunately, there is no photo to demonstrate the upper side of the turret to see whether it got additional protection, too. For sure we can say that ⅓ of the hull in front was covered, and the front bottom – probably with NERA elements or simply spaced armor. So this is how we can picture the armor modifications so far:
Notably, the news about the decision of Greek manufacturers to enhance Leopard with armor comes after the reports of the first Leopard 2A4 tanks in the Ukrainian Army had undergone the same kind of modernization. The use of ERA modules on literally anything has become sort of a meme in the internet community, though in the case of Leopard 2A4, there is a point behind this enhancement.
Moreover, there was already a variant of the Leopard 2A4 ERA kit for serial production made by Roketsan even before that trend. The idea came after analyzing the experience of this tank in Syria.
The weight of the armor set by Greek developers, as well as the Ukrainian one, is unknown. The Turkish, however, is known to be 6.3 tons which increased the total weight of the vehicle to 61.3 t. The recommended weight of a Leopard 2A4 without a modernized undercarriage is up to 60 t that's why Poland made lighter armor for their Leopard 2PL so that they wouldn't need to make adjustments to the chassis.
For Greece, the modernization of Leopard 2A4 is an important issue. The country's Ministry of Defense has planned quite a big upgrade to its entire armored vehicle fleet which includes the procurement of German KF-41 Lynx. According to the program, 123 Leopard 2A4 should be modernized to the A7 standard, leaving another 60 tanks as they are. Applying ERA might be a solution for Athens to keep them relevant.
Especially when we talk the Armed Forces of Greece, the 170 Leopard 2A6HEL and 183 Leopard 2A4 tanks are not the primary force of the fleet – it is the Leopard 1 present in the quantity of 500 units. Greek authorities are yet looking for an opportunity to modernize these.
Besides, the Greek Army also still has true vintage equipment: 375 M48A5 Patton tanks. In this context, a way to make a minor upgrade for its Leopard 2A4s is a matter of significant importance.
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