ELBO Leonidas-2

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Leonidas-2
Leonidas APC ΛΕΩΝΙΔΑΣ
General characteristics
Crew	2 + 8
Length	5.85 m
Width	2.50 m
Height	1.69 m
Weight	14.8 t
Armour and armament
Armour
Main armament	1 x 12.7 mm MG
Secondary armament
Mobility
Power plant	6-cylinder water-cooled diesel 320 hp (745 kW)
Suspension
Road speed	63 km/h
Power/weight	21.6 hp/t
Range	520 km

The Leonidas-2 represented an effort made by the Greek vehicle manufacturer ELBO to produce an advanced fighting vehicle of its own. It is named after Leonidas the ancient king of the city-state of Sparta.

The first version of the Leonidas was the Austrian (Saurer/Steyr) 4K 7FA Armored Personnel Carrier built with minor modifications by the Greek company from 1981 until 1987 (when it was still called Steyr Hellas S.A.). Initial production was essentially assembly, however Greek content progressively increased up to real manufacture. The APC had a 320hp engine and a weight of 14.8 tons.

The 'Leonidas-2' development involved extensive modification of the previous model, done by ELBO itself in 1987 with the aim to essentially develop it as an Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV). The new version had a weight of 18.8 tons and it used a 450hp engine; maximum speed was 70 Km/h. The construction of the turret became a matter of debates involving interested companies (three versions with different types of turrets were proposed, while there were "demands" that the turret should constructed by EBO), but the vehicle was finally produced without turret. About 400 were produced, including a number exported to Cyprus. Plans to develop further the vehicle as 'Leonidas-3' for different roles were abandoned in 2002, as the vehicle was considered outdated. ELBO continued efforts for a modern AIFV development, starting cooperation in 1988 with Steyr-Daimler-Puch of Austria on a joint development, but soon pulled out due to the high cost of the vehicle compared to the Greek Army specifications (Santa Barbara of Spain continued development with the Austrian company, resulting in the Ulan/ASCOD Pizarro AIFV). Eventually ELBO moved entirely on its own, developing a completely new Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle, introducing Kentaurus in 1998.

[edit] SPECIFICATIONS

Armament : 1 x 12.7 mm MG
Ammunition : 1,500 x 12.7 mm
Length Hull : 5.87 m
Width : 2.50 m
Height : 1.69 m
Weight : 14.8 t
Soldiers : 2 + 8
Power/Weight : 21.6 hp/t
Engine : STEYR 7FA, inline 6-cylinder water-cooled diesel, producing 320 hp at 2,300 rpm.
Transmission : ZF Synchronized, 6 gears forward and 1 reverse.
Maximum Speed : 63.6 km/h
Maximum Range : 520 km
Vertical Obstacle : 0.8 m
Trench : 2.1 m