While its predecessor, the Leopard 1, followed a design philosophy that exchanged armor for mobility and firepower, the Leopard 2 was designed with composite armor technologies which enabled it to remain highly mobile while offering a high level of protection and firepower courtesy of its brand new 120mm gun.
Different versions of Leopard 2s can be identified by the appearance of the turret - the Leopard 2A4 was the final variant with a boxy, square turret, while the later variants such as the 2A5 and 2A6 had wedge shaped composite screens applied to the front of the turret, giving the tank a much sharper appearance.
