Leopard Peace Support Operations (PSO) is a demonstrator vehicle, developed by Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to enable the German Army and other Leopard 2 users to evaluate the use of tanks in urban warfare scenarios. The PSO was displayed at Eurosatory 2006 fitted with add-on armor to the turret and hull (skirts), a dozer blade, operated by the driver, to remove road obstacles. A remotely controlled weapon station is mounted on the side of the turret, next to the loader’s position, enabling the crew to effectively engage close-in targets under the protection of the tank’s armor. This station also improves the tank’s capability to engage targets at higher elevations.
Close-in panoramic coverage is provided by hull-mounted cameras, covering 360 degrees, augmenting the tank’s vision and targeting systems. Existing sights are protected with metal screens to prevent damage by stones or debris. Internally, images from the vision systems can be distributed to all crew members, to share workload in continuous operation. To improve interoperability with nearby troops, external radio/intercom interface was added, enabling nearby troops to communicate with the tank. The tank was painted in an experimental urban combat pattern, recommended for deployment in Afghanistan.
