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recceboy

Hi Gang
Just posted some photos from the sandbox at photobucket.com site under ldshrecceboy . Will post more when the" to do "list is finished.
Cheers
Anthony

Jason_Bobrowich · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 09, 2006 Posts: 71

Great pics Anthony,

Get some well deserved time off and then flood us with tank pics.

Thanks again.

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the pictures! How are the Leopard 2A6s doing in Afghanistan??

Are these Leopard 2A6s the former Dutch ones, I understood from Canadians in training with the cavalryschool that the plan was to send first the former Dutch A6s to Afghanistan awaiting the delivery of the German A6Ms.

When you can provide a chassisnumber I can see if it is a Dutch one.

Regards,
Lesley

J.McGillivray · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 149

Lesley,
You got things a little bit backwards. The Canadians leased 20 Leopard 2A6Ms from Germany which are being deployed to Afghanistan at the present time. They are buying about one hundred 2A5s from the Dutch which will be upgraded and used in Canada for training etc.

John

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

Hello John,
There are/were the last years no Leopard 2A5s left in Dutch inventory. All we have in storage are Leopard 2A4's (the ones which were not intended to modify) and Leopard 2A6s.

For all the A5s the upgrade to A6 was already paid for so this was done although most of them were put in storage immediately after upgrading.

The 100 tanks from the Netherlands which went to Canada were 20 Leopard 2A6s (depot Stroe) and 80 Leopard 2A4 (depot Soesterberg).

So the 20 ex Dutch Leopard 2A6s are now in use for training crews in Canada?? Do you know which base?

Regards,
Lesley

Jason_Bobrowich · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 09, 2006 Posts: 71

Lesley,

There are no Leopard 2A4s or 2A5s or 2A6s from either Germany or the Netherlands in Canada...there are no Leopard 2s of any kind in Canada. The Leopard C2 is still being used for training in Canada.

There isn't anyone trained on them in Canada to even use them. The only trained crews are in Afghanistan on the German 2A6Ms. The crews and 2A6Ms in Afghanistan are just getting operational and ready for missions....too early still to tell how they are performing....the crews love the tanks.

The plan to bring the tanks to Canada will happen but not for a while. The priority is to get crews trained in Germany for combat in Afghanistan.

The ex-Dutch 2A6s will likely get the same modifications as the German ones currently being used.

The ex-Dutch 2A4s will likely be upgraded to either 2A5M or 2A6M standards for Canada....whether this happens in Germany or Canada who knows?

Maple_Leaf_Eh · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 517

- Jason_Bobrowich

The ex-Dutch 2A6s will likely get the same modifications as the German ones currently being used.

The ex-Dutch 2A4s will likely be upgraded to either 2A5M or 2A6M standards for Canada....whether this happens in Germany or Canada who knows?

There was mention in a news story about the war, how certain specialty steels were in high demand and the plants had long delivery times. The comment from the spokesman was that this material (I guess for armour plates and reinforcements) could not be made in very many steel mills and everybody had to wait their turn.

And Canada's last independant steel mill just got sold to a foreign conglomerate, who interestingly enough was not the least bit American. Makes you wonder IF all the steel used in WWII was all that different from today's?

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

OK, Thanks for this info, I didn't know that. I was under the impression that they were already on their way to Canada.

Just after the message from the Min of Defence several Leopard 2A4s were moved from the depot in Soesterberg in the direction of Rotterdam, so I thought they were already shipped to Canada.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Lesley