December
12, 2006: Singapore is buying 96 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany. These are used
vehicles, but 66 will be refurbished, while another 30 will be used for
replacement parts, and replacement tanks. The 55 ton Leopard 2A4 is a
contemporary of the American M1, but without the upgraded armor. The 2A4 model
does have a stabilizer (for firing on the move) and a thermal imager (for
seeing through night, mist and sand storms.) The Leopard replaces French AMX-13
light (18 ton) tanks armed with 75mm guns. This provides Singapore with a
formidable armor force, especially when you consider the small size of
Singapore (basically an island city state, plus a few smaller islands.) None of
Singapore's neighbors have a tank that can match the Leopard 2A4. This is not
the latest model (that's the 2A6), but most Leopard 2s were 2A4s, and they were
built in the 1980s. Germany has been selling refurbed 2A4s since the 1990s
(after the Cold War ended and the German army was much reduced in size.)
Currently, a second hand 2A4 goes for about $3 million.
