Main battle tank combat training simulator system. The Swedish Army will employ enhanced simulator technology from KNDS, contuining the relationship the two companies have cultivated in the past 25 years. Credit: KNDS.

The Swedish Procurement Office (FMV) will acquire 18 Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) combat simulators from KNDS, a European holding company comprising the German and French defence suppliers Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter Systems.

This arrangement will build on a supplier-customer relationship that is already 25-years-old.

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KNDS’ simulation technology will offer enhancements combining turret and driving systems that make Leopard 2 training possible at both the vehicle and wider platoon levels at the Land Warfare Centre in Skodve, central-southern Sweden, as well as three other Army sites.

In addition, the systems offer a realistic combat simulation with up to 1,000 computer generated forces per exercise.

Image of the combat simulator system. KNDS.

Leopard 2 was originally developed in 1979 by KMW as a successor to the Leopard 1 MBT. The platform is in service in the armies of Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and Türkiye.

It employs a smoothbore gun – the 120-millimetre (mm) L55 gun – developed by Rheinmetall to replace the shorter 120mm L44 smoothbore gun on the Leopard 2.

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The extension of the barrel length from calibre length 44 to calibre length 55 results in a greater portion of the available energy in the barrel being converted into projectile velocity increasing the range and armour penetration. With its DM53 kinetic energy ammunition, the L55 gun can fire to a range of 5,000 metres.

Using software and hardware, KNDS’ new training systems enables the integration of the loader position using a weapons simulator and includes an over-the-hatch vision system solution for the tank commander.

The simulator also includes the integration of the Swedish command and control mark management system.

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