Since its development, Germany has added around 2,125 Leopard 2 tanks to its arsenal. After the reunification of West Germany and East Germany, many of the tanks were sold to other countries at a discount as Germany sought to reduce its armed forces — spreading the use of the Leopard 2 around Europe and beyond in the 1990s. Today, Germany still operates more Leopard 2 tanks than any other nation, but over a dozen countries also use the proven battle vehicle.
Countries currently deploying the Leopard 2 include Greece, Spain, Turkey, Poland, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Slovakia, Czechia, and Canada. So many Leopard 2 tanks were exported to European nations that the manufacturer even started calling it the “Euro Leopard,” although several countries — like the U.K. and France — still use their own tanks.
The Leopard 2 has operated in several major conflicts around the world over the past few decades, including in the 1990s, when Germany used it for peacekeeping missions during the Kosovo War. It’s also been used by multiple nations, including Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands, during the War in Afghanistan in the first two decades of the 21st century. Turkey also deployed the tank to Syria in the 2010s. Notably, the Leopard 2 has been in recent news headlines, as it’s become part of one of the biggest armed conflicts of the 2020s — the Russo-Ukrainian War.
