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121-494: The brigade is in the process of reorganisation. A previous transformation of the 2. Bataljonen to light infantry has been reverted and a fourth mechanised battalion is being formed. The reason for a fourth maneuver battalion stated by the Armed Forces is a NATO requirement four combat battalions in the combat brigades of the organisation, but in the words of Lt.-Col. Espen Strande, the army's chief public communications officer,

242-505: A hydropneumatic suspension based on the MBT-70 design. The running gears of these two hulls had only six road wheels. Different types of auxiliary power units (APUs) were mounted in the prototypes. All turrets were equipped with a machine gun for air defence, except the turret mounted on PT11, where a 20 mm (0.79 in) remotely operated autocannon was mounted. With the exception of hulls PT07, PT09, PT15, and PT17, all prototypes used

363-449: A commuter boat [or ferry ] in 2020, priced at Norwegian kroner 83 million, is still (as of 2022) causing fear that Finnmark will alone get stuck with paying off the boat (when Finnmark becomes a county in 2024); the expense can lead to budget cuts. The town of Hammerfest is experiencing an economic boom as a consequence of Statoil 's construction of the large land-based LNG site on the island of Melkøya , which gets natural gas from

484-553: A computerised fire control system were the main goals of the experimental development. The resulting vehicles were nicknamed Keiler ("tusker"). Two prototypes (ET 01 and ET 02) of the Keiler were built in 1969 and 1970, both of them being powered by the MB 872 engine. The MBT-70 was a revolutionary design, but after large cost overruns and technological problems, Germany withdrew from the project in 1969. After unsuccessful attempts at saving

605-519: A distance of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). The Leopard 2A4's armour has a maximum physical thickness of 800 millimetres (31 in) based on unofficial measurements and estimates made by former conscripts and professional soldiers of the German army. On the Leopard 2A5 and subsequent models, the thickness is increased by the wedge-shaped armour module to 1,500 millimetres (59 in). The side and

726-602: A draft for a new defence organization, with Parliamentary Proposition no. 2 (1953) “The Organization of the Armed Forces”, which has enormous significance for the Army in the post-war period. Two of the proposed three division commands were approved. Already in the autumn of 1952, 1st Division Command was operational. The 6th Division Command was organized by the Norwegian Army Command Germany , and

847-639: A future Leopard 2 upgrade. In 1989, the Kampfwertsteigerung (combat potential improvement) programme was initiated in Germany with the delivery of first prototypes. The official military requirements were published in March 1990. The KWS programme was projected to consist of three stages. The first stage replaced the Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 gun barrel and the corresponding gun mount with

968-568: A higher degree of standardisation in main battle tanks being favourable to NATO. By integrating components already fully developed by German companies for the Leopard 2, the costs of the XM1 Abrams , U.S. prototype tank developed after the MBT-70, could be reduced. A German commission was sent to the US to evaluate the harmonisation of components between the XM1 and Leopard 2. However, under American law it

1089-607: A higher pressure 120 mm (4.7 in) gun firing new ammunition, expected to deliver 20 percent better performance than the L/55 . Mid-term efforts will focus on a Rheinmetall 130 mm (5.1 in) cannon concept offering 50 percent better armour penetration. With the Russian T-14 Armata being equipped with the Afghanit , an active protection system designed to mitigate the effectiveness of ATGM , more importance

1210-404: A higher rate and supply chains are able to deliver sufficient materials. While previous models only varied in detail, the Leopard 2A4 introduced a digital ballistic computer and an improved fire extinguishing system. Starting with the sixth batch, tanks were fitted with an improved armour array and new side skirts. In 1984, the German military procurement agency stated a number of requirements for

1331-559: A long time. This essentially holds true today. The Sami were for many years victims of the Norwegianization policy, which in essence was an attempt by the government to make them "true Norwegians" and forget about their Sami way of life and religion, which was seen as inferior. As a result, the Sami living at the coast and in the fjords gradually lost much of their culture and often felt ashamed by their Sami inheritance. The Sami in

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1452-432: A longer barrelled and more lethal L/55 version. This stage was adopted in the form of 225 Leopard 2A6 tanks, starting in 2001 and lasting until 2005. Stage 2 focused on improvements of armour protection and survivability: it was adopted in the form of the Leopard 2A5, starting in 1995. The base armour of the tank was exchanged and additional armour modules were installed at the turret. The first batch of 225 Leopard 2 tanks

1573-489: A modified MBT-70 turret and hull, with the driver being seated in the hull. Only a wooden mock-up was made. One year later, a choice was made to continue the development based on the earlier Keiler project of the late 1960s, instead of finishing the development of the Eber . In 1971, the name of the design was determined as Leopard 2 with the original Leopard retroactively becoming the Leopard 1, and Paul-Werner Krapke became

1694-622: A number of different companies. IBD Deisenroth has developed upgrades with MEXAS and Advanced Modular Armour Protection (AMAP) composite armour, the latter is being used on Singaporean and Indonesian Leopard 2 tanks. RUAG has developed an armour upgrade utilizing their SidePRO-ATR composite armour. This upgrade was first presented on the IAV 2013. Finnmark Finnmark ( Norwegian: [ˈfɪ̀nːmɑrk] ; Northern Sami : Finnmárku [ˈfinːˌmaːrːhkuː] ; Kven : Finmarkku ; Finnish : Finnmark ; Russian : Финнмарк )

1815-508: A rapid population increase in Sör-Varanger, and the muskrat has spread to almost every part of the municipality. Lynx and moose are common in large parts of Finnmark, but rare on the coast. The county's interior parts are part of the great Finnmarksvidda plateau, with an elevation of 300 to 400 m (980 to 1,310 ft), with numerous lakes and river valleys. The plateau is famous for its tens of thousands of reindeer owned by

1936-508: A requirement for at least 72 new tanks with a preference for 84 units. Despite the fact that the brigade was first established in 2002, it is a continuation of older decommissioned combat formation. The brigade traces its history back to the end of the second world war, when the British government requested Norwegian military support in the British zone of Allied-occupied Germany . In 1946,

2057-450: A result of using vertical modules of spaced multilayer armour . It was also used to test the new EMES-13 optical rangefinder. The modified T14 turret was designated T14 mod . and was fitted with a fully electric turret drive and stabilization system, which was developed jointly by General Electric and AEG Telefunken . In July 1973 German Federal Minister of Defence Georg Leber and his US counterpart James R. Schlesinger agreed upon

2178-418: A specific military unit is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about the military of Norway is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of

2299-561: A tank jointly with France as a successor to both the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks. Technologies and concepts will be investigated to determine what capabilities are needed in a future tank. Deployment of the new tank, titled Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), will be preceded by incremental upgrades to the Leopard 2, including a new digital turret core system and situational awareness system and an active protection system (APS). A short-term lethality increase will come from

2420-594: A total coastline of 6,844 kilometres (4,253 mi), including 3,155 kilometres (1,960 mi) of coastline on the islands. As of 2000, nearly 12,300 people, 16.6% of the county's population, lived in the 100-meter belt along the coastline. Knivskjellodden in Nordkapp Municipality (on the island of Magerøya ) is sometimes considered Europe's northernmost point (on an island); Kinnarodden on Nordkinn Peninsula in Lebesby Municipality

2541-494: Is the world's most northern fortress. In the 17th century, 88 young women were burned as witches in Vardø, an extremely high number compared to the total population in this area at the time. The first person burned as witch in Vardø in the 17th century was a man. [Vardø archives] Finnmark first became subject to increased colonization in the 18th and 19th century. Norway, Sweden, and Russia all claimed control over this area. Finland

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2662-698: Is 914 millimetres (36.0 in) and the wettest season is September until December. The year average temperature difference between Loppa and Karasjok (6 °C) is comparable to the difference between Loppa and London . In the Köppen climate classification , the climate in Karasjok–and most of the lowland areas in Finnmark–corresponds to the Dfc category ( subarctic climate ), while the Loppa climate corresponds to

2783-604: Is a county in northern Norway . By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland ( Lapland region ) to the south, and Russia ( Murmansk Oblast ) to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea ( Atlantic Ocean ) to the northwest, and the Barents Sea ( Arctic Ocean ) to the north and northeast. The county was formerly known as Finmarkens amt or Vardøhus amt . Since 2002, it has had two official names: Finnmark ( Norwegian ) and Finnmárku ( Northern Sami ). It

2904-461: Is being placed on direct-fire weapons. The Leopard 2 uses spaced multilayer armour throughout the design. The armour consists of a combination of steel plates of different hardness, elastic materials, and other non-metallic materials. Steel plates with high hardness and high ductility are used. The armour is a result of extensive research about the formation and penetration mechanism of shaped charge jets. The Leopard 2's armour might be based on

3025-570: Is derived from Old Norse Finnmǫrk : The first element is finn(ar) , the Norse name for the Sámi people, and the last element is mǫrk , which means "woodland" or "borderland". In Norse times the name referred to the land of the Sámi people, or any place where Sámi people lived. The coat of arms is black with a gold-colored castle tower—its blazon reads, "Sable, a single-towered castle Or". The design

3146-445: Is farther east than Saint Petersburg and Istanbul . On 1 January 2020, Finnmark merged with the neighbouring county of Troms to form Troms og Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the counties of Finnmark and Troms were restored after parliament decided on 15 June 2022 to separate them. Four municipalities (of the district's 18) had population increases during Q1 in 2021: Alta, Tana, Berlevåg and Loppa. The name Finnmark

3267-405: Is from 1967 and shows the old Vardøhus Fortress , historically on the eastern border with Russia. Finnmark is Norway's northernmost and easternmost county ( Svalbard is not considered a county). By area, Finnmark is Norway's second-largest county, even larger than the neighboring country of Denmark . With a population of about 75,000, it is also the least populous Norwegian county. Finnmark has

3388-577: Is part of the Sápmi region, which spans four countries, as well as the Barents Region , and is Norway's second-largest and least populous county. Situated at the northernmost part of continental Europe , where the Norwegian coastline swings eastward, Finnmark is an area "where East meets West" in culture as well as in nature and geography. Vardø Municipality , Norway's easternmost municipality,

3509-863: Is powered by a V12 twin-turbo diesel engine made by MTU Friedrichshafen . In the 1990s, the Leopard 2 was used by the German Army on peacekeeping operations in Kosovo . In the 2000s, Dutch , Danish and Canadian forces deployed their Leopard 2 tanks in the War in Afghanistan as part of their contribution to the International Security Assistance Force . In the 2010s, Turkish Leopard 2 tanks saw action in Syria . Since 2023, Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks are seeing action in

3630-569: Is the northernmost point on the European mainland. Honningsvåg in Finnmark claims to be world's northernmost city, and Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and farther east than Istanbul . The coast is indented by large fjords , many of which (in a strict sense) are false fjords, as they are not carved out by glaciers. Some of Norway's largest sea bird colonies are on the northern coast;

3751-574: Is the only place in the country with a population of muskrats , stemming from their introduction from their native North America into Europe in the early 20th century, which included their release in 293 localities all over Finland from 1919 onward, and then of about 1,000 muskrats on the Kola Peninsula during 1931–36. The animal spread and the observations of first 'possible' muskrats in the river Alta area in Troms were made around 1960, though

Brigade Nord - Misplaced Pages Continue

3872-618: Is used for training by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and other NATO allies, in conjunction with the nearby Halkavarre shooting range, which allows for practice with precision-guided munitions. Garnisonen i Porsanger is near the Halkavarre training area. There is also the Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger ( Gsv ) in the east, which guards the border with Russia. The town of Vadsø is the administrative centre for

3993-533: The Arctic Circle , Finnmark has midnight sun from the middle of May until late July. Conversely, in two months of the winter, from late November to late January, the county experiences polar nights where the sun is always below the horizon. As a consequence, there is continuous daylight from early May to early August. At midwinter, there is only a bluish twilight for a couple of hours around noon, which can almost reach full daylight if there are clear skies to

4114-698: The Independent Norwegian Brigade (in Norwegian : Tysklandsbrigaden , lit.   ' The German Brigade ' ) was founded. This expeditionary brigade consisted of a contigent of 4200 young conscripts, which served six months in Germany, before the next contigent carried on with the service. The brigade, under the command of the Norwegian Army Command Germany ( Tysklandskommandoen ), was stationed in Schleswig-Holstein . In total, twelve contigents served in Germany between January 1947 and April 1953. The Military Committee and

4235-713: The Russo-Ukrainian war . Even as the Leopard 1 was just entering service, the West German military was interested in producing an improved tank in the next decade. This resulted in the start of the MBT-70 development in cooperation with the United States beginning in 1963. However already in 1967 it became questionable whether the MBT-70 would enter service at any time in the foreseeable future. Therefore,

4356-1022: The Snøhvit undersea gas field. A new oil field was discovered in 2009 just 45 km (28 mi) off shore, close to the Snøhvit field. There is optimism in the eastern part of the county, as the growing petroleum activity in the Barents Sea is expected to generate increased economic activity on land as well. Some snow molds are prevalent and well adapted here, including Sclerotinia borealis and Typhula ishikariensis (especially T. i. group III). Both are pathogens of wheat , and S. b. also affects rye , barley , and some trees. There are eleven airports, but only Alta Airport , Lakselv-Banak Airport , and Kirkenes-Høybuktmoen Airport have direct flights to Oslo . In addition, Lakselv-Banak Airport in Porsanger Municipality

4477-454: The West German army . Various iterations of the Leopard 2 continue to be operated by the armed forces of Germany , as well as 13 other European countries, and several non-European countries, including Canada, Chile, Indonesia, and Singapore. Some operating countries have licensed the Leopard 2 design for local production and domestic development. There are two main development tranches of the Leopard 2. The first encompasses tanks produced up to

4598-526: The Yom Kippur War , a higher level of protection than the prototypes' heavily sloped spaced armour was demanded in late 1973 and the Spitzmaus-Turm was never produced. The weight limit was increased from MLC50 to MLC60, which equals approximately 55 tonnes (54 long tons; 61 short tons). The T14 turret was modified to test a new armour configuration, taking on a blockier-looking appearance as

4719-409: The 16th century, settled along the coast. See the articles on Kven people and Vardøhus Fortress for more details. The Sami are the indigenous people of Finnmark, but Norwegians have lived for hundreds of years on the islands' outer parts, where they made up the majority. The Sami people still constitute the majority in Finnmark's interior parts, while the fjord areas have been ethnically mixed for

4840-648: The British Burlington armour , which had already been demonstrated to West Germany in 1970. Later, in the mid-1970s, full details about Burlington were handed over to the West German government. The frontal arc of the Leopard 2's armour is designed to withstand large caliber kinetic energy penetrators and shaped charge projectiles. During the 1980s, it was estimated that the Leopard 2's front would resist 125 mm (4.9 in) armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds fired from

4961-485: The Cfc category. The northeastern coast, from Nordkapp Municipality east to Vardø Municipality , have arctic tundra climate (Köppen: ET), as the average July temperature is below 10 °C (50 °F). Furthermore, elevations exceeding approximately 100 to 200 metres (330 to 660 ft) in coastal areas in western Finnmark and 300 to 500 metres (980 to 1,640 ft) in the interior result in an alpine climate , and in

Brigade Nord - Misplaced Pages Continue

5082-590: The German Brigade, the young men now served one year in their respective detachments. The brigade in Northern Norway had two main functions: As a standing unit, it was an essential part of the land military invasion defense in Northern Norway; as a complete brigade, with all types of weapons and troops, it was an important training institution for the field army. During the Cold War , the brigade

5203-556: The German wish that the Leopard 2AV and the XM1 prototypes would be evaluated at the same time, the US Army decided not to wait for the Leopard 2AV and tested the XM1 prototypes from Chrysler and General Motors beforehand. Two new prototype hulls and three turrets were shipped to the US: PT20 mounting a 105 mm (4.1 in) rifled L7 gun and a Hughes fire control system, PT19 with the same fire control system but able to swap out

5324-515: The Independent Norwegian Brigade was converted into a combat formation called Brigaden i Nord-Norge . There were many logistical challenges in the process of moving the German Brigade to Northern Norway. One challenge was deciding in which garrion to place the different brigade detachments. Another urgent challenge was that not all the establishments were ready to accommodate the battalions. The construction of new barracks

5445-419: The Leopard 1 and for use on a future main battle tank programme. At first 25 million DM were invested, but after the industry came to the conclusion that with such a low budget the development of the two projected testbeds was not possible, a total of 30 to 32 million DM was invested. The experimental development was contracted to the company Krauss-Maffei, but with the obligation to cooperate with Porsche for

5566-413: The Leopard 1A4 with 105/120 mm smoothbore gun, improved armour protection, a new fire control system and a 890 kilowatts (1,190 hp) or 1,100 kilowatts (1,500 hp) engine. Various changes were applied to the Leopard 2 design before the series production started in 1979. The engine, transmission, and suspension were slightly modified and improved. The ballistic protection of the turret and hull

5687-546: The Leopard 2 was tested by MaK. The AGT-1500 was from the United States and required deep modifications to the Leopard 2's chassis. However, driving tests at the WTD 41 revealed a number of drawbacks such as high fuel consumption and the poor performance of the transmission including the brakes. This project was thus terminated. In January 1977 Germany ordered a small pre-series of three hulls and two turrets which were delivered in 1978. These vehicles had increased armour protection on

5808-464: The Leopard 2A4 standard and are characterised by their vertically faced turret armour. The second tranche, from Leopard 2A5 onwards, has an angled, arrow-shaped, turret appliqué armour , together with other improvements. The main armament of all Leopard 2 tanks is a smoothbore 120 mm cannon made by Rheinmetall . This is operated with a digital fire control system , laser rangefinder , and advanced night vision and sighting equipment. The tank

5929-416: The MB 873 engine. The road wheels were taken from the MBT-70 and the return rollers from the Leopard 1. The prototypes were designed with a projected weight of MLC50 , which equals approximately 47.5 tonnes (46.7 long tons; 52.4 short tons). The welded turret utilised spaced armour formed by two steel plates. The prototypes were equipped with an EMES-12 optical rangefinder and fire control system, which later

6050-540: The MBT-70 by conceptual changes in order to eliminate the biggest issue—the driver being seated in the turret—it became clear in late 1969 that Germany would stop the bi-national development. The assistant secretary of the military procurement division of the German Ministry of Defence suggested reusing as many technologies developed for the MBT-70 as possible in a further programme, which was nicknamed Eber ("boar") due to his being named Eberhardt. The Eber used

6171-566: The Norwegian Parliament made many changes to the structure and organization of the army in the 1950s. The allied military advisors had recommended that Norway should organize the army into three divisions: 1st Division Command in the east, 3rd Division Command in the south and 6th Division Command in the north. Based on a report from the Norwegian Post-War Army Command, The Norwegian Parliament prepared

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6292-456: The Sámi, and swarms of mosquitoes in midsummer. Finnmarksvidda makes up 36% of the county's area. Stabbursdalen National Park ensures protection for the world's northernmost Scots pine forest. The Tana River , which partly defines the border with Finland , gives the largest catch of salmon of all rivers in Europe, and also has the world record for Atlantic salmon , 36 kg (79 lb). In

6413-418: The US Army. Before the trials were finished, it was decided that instead of the US Army possibly adopting the Leopard 2AV, the focus was shifted to the possibilities of common components between the two tanks. FMC, after having acquired the licenses for the production of the Leopard 2AV, decided not to submit a technical proposal, as they saw little to no chance for the US Army adopting a vehicle not developed in

6534-604: The US, which declared that a modified version of the Leopard 2 should be trialed by the US against their XM1 prototypes, after the Americans had bought and investigated prototype PT07 in 1973. The MoU obliged the Federal Republic of Germany to send a complete prototype, a hull, a vehicle for ballistic tests and a number of special ballistic parts to the US, where they would be put through US testing procedures for no additional costs. The Leopard 2AV ( austere version )

6655-429: The US. The US Army evaluation showed that on the XM1 a larger portion of the tank's surface was covered by special armour (composite armour arrays) than on the Leopard 2AV. Differences in armour protection were attributed to the different perceptions of the expected threats and the haste in which the Leopard 2AV was designed to accommodate special armour. On mobility trials the Leopard 2AV performed equal to better than

6776-443: The West German government issued the order to research future upgrade options for the Leopard 1 to the German company Porsche in 1967. This study was named vergoldeter Leopard ( Gilded Leopard ) and focused on incorporating advanced technology into the Leopard design. The projected upgrades added an autoloader , a coaxial autocannon and an independent commander's periscope. The anti-air machine gun could be operated from inside

6897-604: The XM1 prototypes. The AGT-1500 turbine engine proved to consume about 50% more fuel and the Diehl tracks had a higher endurance, while the tracks used on the XM1 prototypes failed to meet the Army's requirements. The heat signature of the MTU diesel engine was much lower. The fire control system and the sights of the Leopard 2 were considered to be better and the 120 mm (4.7 in) gun proved to be superior. The projected production costs for one XM1 tank were US$ 728,000 in 1976, and

7018-408: The XM1. Instead of using actual performance data, the calculated hypothetical acceleration was used. The XM1 was found to have a slightly higher rate of fire despite having internal layouts similar to the Leopard 2AV because the XM1 prototypes were manned by professional crews, while the Leopard 2AV had to be manned by conscripts in order to prove that the Leopard 2AV was not too complicated. Firing on

7139-595: The annual average is −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), and precipitation is only 366 millimetres (14.4 in) per year with summer as the wettest season. Karasjok has recorded up to 32.4 °C (90.3 °F) in July, giving a possible year amplitude of 84 °C (151 °F) (rare in Europe ). Finnmarksvidda has annual mean temperatures down to −3 °C (27 °F) (Sihcajavri in Kautokeino Municipality ),

7260-587: The area in the 18th century from Meänmaa , and later in the 19th century from Finland , suffering from famine and war. In 1576, the King of Norway established Vardøhus len as a new administrative unit for most northern part of the kingdom. In 1660, it became Vardøhus amt , a subordinate to the large Trondhjems stiftamt , based in Trondheim . In 1787, the island of Senja and the Troms area were transferred from Nordlandenes amt to Vardøhus amt. In 1866,

7381-404: The armour has been gradually improved over the years. A modified version of spaced multilayer armour was introduced beginning with the 97th vehicle of the 6th production batch. The same batch also introduced an improved type of heavy ballistic skirts. The Leopard 2A5 upgrade focused on increased armour protection. While upgrading a Leopard 2 tank to the Leopard 2A5 configuration, the roof covering

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7502-483: The armour modules is cut open and new armour modules are inserted. New additional armour modules made of laminated armour cover the frontal arc of the turret. They have a distinctive arrowhead shape and improve protection against both kinetic penetrators and shaped charges. The side skirts also incorporate improved armour protection. A 25 mm (0.98 in) thick spall liner reduces the danger of crew injuries in case of armour penetration. The Leopard 2A7 features

7623-782: The army has the sufficient armament and equipment for only two. A tender for new main battle tanks for the army is in progress with the 2A7 version of the German Leopard 2 currently operated and the South Korean K2 Black Panther as the two contenders for the order. However the current quantity of tanks in the Norwegian Army is insufficient for four tank squadrons and the Chief of the Army Major-General Lars Lervik has stated

7744-425: The brigade soldiers and officers. This national building program had a price tag of 735 million kroner, of which 60 million went to the newly established brigade in Northern Norway. The brigade was formally declared operational on September 1, 1953. As a result of the parlaments's introduction of a new army system in 1953, the standing brigades were to be made up of conscripted soldiers in their initial service. Unlike

7865-542: The coldest in mainland Norway (except for higher mountain areas) and even colder than Jan Mayen and Bear Island . Sihcajavri has also recorded 34.3 °C (93.7 °F) on 23 June 1920. Due to the proximity to the ice-free ocean, winters are much milder in coastal areas (and more windy); Loppa Municipality has average January and July temperatures of −2 °C (28 °F) and 11.6 °C (52.9 °F) respectively, with an annual mean of 3.6 °C (38.5 °F), despite being further north. Average annual precipitation

7986-604: The costs for one Leopard 2AV were US$ 56,000 higher. After the American evaluation of the Leopard 2AV and the US Army's decision to opt for the XM1 Abrams, both American and German sources blamed the other side. US Army test officials discovered that the PT19 Leopard 2AV prototype used for mobility trials did not contain special armour. In Germany, the test conditions were criticised for being unrealistic and favouring

8107-432: The county is above the tree line , and large parts of the other half is covered with small Downy birch . The lushest areas are the Alta area and the Tana valleys, and in the east is the lowland area in the Pasvik valley in Sør-Varanger Municipality , where the pine and Siberian spruce forest is considered part of the Russian taiga vegetation. This valley has the highest density of Brown bears in Norway, and

8228-399: The county merged into Troms og Finnmark . 18 of those exist as of 2021. People have lived in Finnmark for at least 10,000 years (see Komsa , Pit-Comb Ware culture and Rock carvings at Alta ). The destiny of these early cultures is unknown. Three ethnic groups have a long history in Finnmark: the Sami people , the Norwegian people , and the Kven people . Of these, the Sami probably were

8349-425: The county of Finnmark, although Alta has the largest population. The Finnmark County Municipality was the governing body for the county. The county was generally divided into two districts: West-Finnmark ( Vest-Finnmark ) and East-Finnmark ( Øst-Finnmark ). Until 2006, Statskog , the Norwegian state-owned agency responsible for the management of state owned forest and mountain real estate, owned about 95% of

8470-401: The development of the chassis and with Wegmann for the development of the turret. Two prototypes with different components were built with the aim of improving the conception of Leopard 1 in such a way that it would match the firepower requirements of the MBT-70. A high first-hit probability at ranges of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and the ability to accurately engage targets on the move using

8591-439: The driver's station. The bottles are connected to pipes and hoses and are activated automatically by the fire detection system when temperatures rise above 82 °C (180 °F) inside the fighting compartment, or manually via a control panel in the driver's compartment. An extra 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) halon fire extinguisher is stored on the floor beneath the main gun. Following Leopard 2's introduction into service in 1979,

8712-626: The east, the Pasvikelva defines the border with Russia . The Finnmarksvidda plateau in the interior of the county has a continental climate with the coldest winter temperatures in Norway: the coldest temperature ever recorded was −51.4 °C (−60.5 °F) in Karasjok Municipality on 1 January 1886. The 24-hour averages for January and July at the same location are −17.1 °C (1.2 °F) and 13.1 °C (55.6 °F),

8833-653: The end, the dam was built on a much smaller scale than originally intended and the Sami culture was on the government's agenda. The Sami parliament ( Sámediggi ) was opened in Karasjok in 1989. Gjesvær in Nordkapp is mentioned in the Sagas ( Heimskringla ) as a northern harbor in the Viking Age , especially used by Vikings on the way to Bjarmaland (see Ottar from Hålogaland ), and probably also for gathering food in

8954-469: The exception of Dutch Leopard 2s, which are equipped instead with a Dutch-designed smoke mortar system with six barrels on each side. Swedish Stridsvagn 122 utilises French GALIX smoke dispensers, similar to the system found on the French Leclerc. The Leopard 2 is equipped with a fire protection system. Four 9 kg (20 lb) halon fire extinguisher bottles are installed on the right behind

9075-498: The explosion and fire away from the crew. The crew is also protected against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) threats, as the Leopard 2 is equipped with a Dräger NBC overpressurization system, which provides up to 4 hPA over-pressure inside the vehicle. Two groups of four Wegmann 76 mm (3.0 in) smoke mortars are mounted on either side of the turret and can be electrically fired either as single rounds or in salvos of four. They are mounted on most Leopard 2 models, with

9196-621: The first actual specimen was not recovered until 1969, when a muskrat was captured alive in Smalfjord  [ no ] in Tana Municipality (Lund & Wikan 1995). In 1970, another specimen was collected from Jarfjorden in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark (Pedersen 1970). Between 1980 and 1988 there were very few observations of muskrats in Norway (Lund & Wikan 1995). Since 1988 there has been

9317-474: The first people to explore Finnmark. Ohthere of Hålogaland was an adventurous Norwegian (Norseman) from Hålogaland , the area roughly corresponding to today's Nordland county. Around 890 AD, he claimed, according to historical sources (see Ohthere of Hålogaland ) that he lived "north-most of all the Northmen", and that "no one [lived] to the north of him." Later, Norwegians in the 14th century, and Kvens in

9438-509: The flanks of the turret and hull, while slat armour can be adapted at the vehicle's rear. The armour modules provide protection against the RPG-7, which depending on the warhead can penetrate between 280 millimetres (11 in) and 600 millimetres (24 in) of steel armour. The Leopard 2A6M CAN increases protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) by including additional slat armour . Additional armour packages have been developed by

9559-489: The front of the hull. One of the hulls was fitted with the earlier T21 turret and was used by the German army school in Munster for troop trials until 1979. In September 1977, 1,800 Leopard 2 tanks were ordered, to be produced in five batches. The main contractor was Krauss-Maffei, but Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) was awarded a contract for producing 45% of the tanks. The first batch consisted of 380 tanks. The delivery of six tanks

9680-689: The gun for the 120 mm (4.7 in) Rheinmetall smoothbore gun, and the PT21 fitted with the Krupp Atlas Elektronik EMES-13 fire control system and the 120 mm (4.7 in) Rheinmetall gun. The Leopard 2AV fully met the US requirements. A study made by the American FMC Corporation showed that it was possible to produce the Leopard 2AV under licence in America without exceeding the cost limits set by

9801-470: The hull (like mines with bending wire triggers) and explosively formed penetrator mines. The weight of the Leopard 2A6M is 62.5 tonnes (61.5 long tons; 68.9 short tons). The latest version of the tank is the Leopard 2A7, which entered service in an initial batch of 20 tanks in 2014. Already before the first Leopard 2A7 tank was handed over to the German Army, plans for upgrades were made. At this time an "extensive" increase in combat value, while retaining

9922-401: The hulls were designated PT1 to PT11 and PT13 to PT17. To test a larger number of components and concepts, each prototype was fitted with components not found on the other prototypes. Ten of the turrets were equipped with 105 mm (4.1 in) smoothbore guns and the other seven prototypes were equipped with a 120 mm (4.7 in) smoothbore gun. Hulls PT11 and PT17 were fitted with

10043-568: The interior managed to preserve more of their culture. In the 1970s, instruction of the Sami language started in schools, and a new sense of consciousness started to grow among the Sami; today most are proud of their background and culture. In the midst of this awakening (1979), Norway's government decided to build a dam in Alta to produce hydropower , provoking many Sami and environmentalists to demonstrations and civil disobedience— Alta Conflict . In

10164-572: The island of Senja and the Troms area were separated from Vardøhus to form the new Troms ø amt. In 1919, the name was again changed to Finnmark fylke . In 2002, the Sami language name, Finnmárku , was added as a co-official name for the county. Per Fugelli has said that World War II resulted in many persons acquiring psychiatric disorders ( psykiske senskadene ) which could be from experiencing "bombing, accidents involving mines , burning down of homes, forcible evacuation, illness and starvation during

10285-917: The land in Finnmark county. On 1 July 2006, the Finnmark Estate agency took over the ownership and management of that land in Finnmark. The Finnmark Estate was governed in tandem by the Finnmark County Municipality and the Sami Parliament of Norway . The Sami Parliament of Norway is based in the village of Karasjok . The national government runs the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority which in turn owns and operates two hospitals in Finnmark, located in Kirkenes and Hammerfest . There were 19 municipalities in Finnmark when

10406-550: The largest are Hjelmsøystauran on the island of Hjelmsøya in Måsøy Municipality and Gjesværstappan in Nordkapp Municipality . The highest point is atop the glacier Øksfjordjøkelen , which has an area of 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi), and is in Loppa Municipality . Both Øksfjordjøkelen and Seiland Glacier are in western Finnmark. The Øksfjord plateau glacier calved directly into

10527-442: The latest generation of passive armour and belly armour providing protection against mines and IEDs. The Leopard 2A7 is fitted with adapters for mounting additional armour modules or protection systems against RPGs. For urban combat, the Leopard 2 can be fitted with different packages of modular armour. The Leopard 2A4M CAN, Leopard 2 PSO (Peace Support Operations) and the Leopard 2A7 can mount thick modules of composite armour along

10648-467: The move was demonstrated on flat tracks, which nullified the better stabilization systems of the Leopard 2AV. Germany later withdrew its tank from consideration. The decision to put the Leopard 2 tank in production for the German army was made after a study was undertaken , which showed that adopting the Leopard 2 model would result in a greater combat potential of the German army than producing more Leopard 1A4 tanks or developing an improved version of

10769-600: The nearby seabird colony. Coastal areas of Finnmark were colonized by Norwegians beginning in the 10th century, and there are stories describing clashes with the Karelians . Border skirmishes between the Norwegians and Novgorodians continued until 1326, when the Treaty of Novgorod settled the issue. The first known fortification in Finnmark is Vardøhus festning , first erected in 1306 by King Haakon V Magnusson . This

10890-461: The new thermal night-sight system, which was later retrofitted to the earlier models. After the original five batches, three further batches of Leopard 2 tanks were ordered, increasing the number of Leopard 2 tanks ordered by Germany to a total of 2125. The sixth batch was ordered in June 1987 and consisted of 150 tanks, which were produced between January 1988 and May 1989. The seventh batch of 100 tanks

11011-562: The northeast this merges with the Arctic tundra climate . The climate in sheltered parts of fjord areas (particularly the Altafjorden ) is usually considered the most hospitable: winters are not as cold as in the interior, and summer warmth is comparable. Even if winter temperatures are milder in coastal areas, the coast is more exposed to winter storms, which often complicate or shut down road and air communications. Situated far north of

11132-630: The northern Pacific Ocean but brought to the Barents sea by the Russians, have invaded from the east and are now being exploited commercially (especially in the Varangerfjord ). To prevent the crab from spreading too far south, crab fishing west of Nordkapp is totally unregulated. In more recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with the North Cape (in Nordkapp Municipality ) and

11253-560: The original mobility of the Leopard 2, was planned. The optics of the tank will also be improved. In April 2015, Welt am Sonntag claimed that tungsten (wolfram) rounds used in Leopard 2 cannot penetrate the Russian T-90 or the modernized version of the T-80 . They also stated that the German military will develop a new improved round, but it will be exclusively developed for the Leopard 2A7. In 2015 Rheinmetall disclosed that it

11374-477: The project officer of the Leopard 2 program. Originally two versions were projected: the gun-armed Leopard 2K and the Leopard 2FK, which would be armed with the XM150 gun/launcher weapon of the MBT-70. In 1971, 17 prototypes were ordered but only 16 hulls were built as the production of hull PT12 was cancelled. Ten were ordered initially before another seven were ordered. The 17 turrets were designated T1 to T17, and

11495-440: The rear of the tank protect against heavy machine guns, medium caliber rounds, and older types of tank ammunition. The side of the hull is covered by armour skirts to increase protection against projectiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) . The frontal third of the hull sides is covered by heavy ballistic skirts, while the rest of the hull sides is covered by steel-reinforced rubber skirts. For increased protection against mines,

11616-457: The region of Finnmark could not be held, and that Norway had to be prepared for invasion from the east, both into Finnmark and through Finland. Parts of the brigade were therefore on high alert for long periods of time, down to 30 minutes, in order to meet an attack. A parliamentary decision from July 1953 stipulated that the two standing brigades in the new army structure should act as standing contingency forces in exposed areas, until mobilization

11737-405: The sea ( Jøkelfjorden ) until 1900, the last glacier in mainland Norway to do so. Finnmark's central and eastern parts are generally less mountainous, and have no glaciers. The land east of Nordkapp is mostly below 300 m (980 ft). The nature varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation. About half

11858-464: The short-range grenade launcher for use against infantry, the retractable searchlight, the spotlight, the retractable passive night vision sight, the APU and the mechanical loading assistant. Due to the design and production of the Leopard 2AV taking more time than expected, the shipment to the US and the US evaluation was delayed. It was not possible to test the Leopard 2AV before 1 September 1976. Despite

11979-419: The sides of the hull floor are sloped by 45° and the floor is reinforced with corrugations. The Leopard 2's design follows the concept of compartmentation. Possible sources of fire or explosions have been moved away from the crew. In the turret, the ammunition and the hydraulics are located in compartments separated from the crew. In case of a detonation, the blow-off panels on the compartment roofs will direct

12100-569: The south. Finnmark is in the Aurora Borealis zone, and because of the dry climate with frequent clear skies, Alta Municipality was early chosen as a location for study of the phenomenon. For this reason, Alta is sometimes called the city of the northern lights. Fisheries have traditionally been the most important way of living along the coast, where the majority of the Norwegian population live. The red king crab , originally from

12221-536: The town of Kirkenes on 25 October 1944 (as the first town in Norway), the Red Army did not attempt further offensives in Norway. Free Norwegian forces arrived from Britain and liberated the rest of the county. When war was over, more than 70,000 people were left homeless in Finnmark. The government imposed a temporary ban on residents returning to Finnmark because of the danger of landmines . The ban lasted until

12342-533: The towns of Alta and Hammerfest as the most important destinations. As of 2001, one percent of the work force were employed in the oil industry and the mining industry. There is some mining industry, though exploitation of the iron ores along the Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line was paused in 2015 and has not restarted as of 2022. The slate industry in Alta is well known and have sold to customers as far away as Japan . An irregular procurement of

12463-528: The turret of prototype PT19 was fitted with a laser rangefinder developed together with the American company Hughes . In comparison with the earlier Leopard 2 prototypes, the fire control system was simplified by replacing the EMES-12 optical rangefinder and removing the crosswind sensor, the air pressure and temperature sensors, the powder temperature sensor, the PERI R12 commander sight with IR searchlight,

12584-591: The vehicle and a TV surveillance camera was mounted on an extendable mast. The shape of the turret and hull was optimised using cast steel armour, while the suspension, transmission, and engine exhaust vents were improved. Following the end of the Gilded Leopard study in 1967, the West German government decided to focus on the Experimentalentwicklung (experimental development) in a feasibility study and to develop new components for upgrading

12705-547: The war and liberation. But it was maybe in particular the treatment of Russian prisoners that left marks on the local population." Towards the end of World War II , with Operation Nordlicht , the Germans used the scorched earth tactic in Finnmark and northern Troms to halt the Red Army . As a consequence of this, few houses survived the war, and a large part of the population was forcefully evacuated further south ( Tromsø

12826-496: Was adopted on the Leopard 1A4. In mid-1973 a new turret was designed by Wegmann saving 1.5 tonnes (1.7 short tons) in weight. It was nicknamed the Spitzmaus-Turm (shrew turret) due to the highly sloped front. This design was only possible with the new EMES-13 optical rangefinder, which required a base length of only 350 millimetres (14 in) instead of the previous 1,720 millimetres (68 in). Based on experiences in

12947-501: Was based on the experiences of the previous Leopard 2 development. It was created in order to meet the US requirements and the latest protection requirements of the German MoD. The T14 mod turret was used as the base for the Leopard 2AV's turret, but meeting the required level of protection for the hull required several attempts until the final ballistic trials on 23 to 26 June 1976. Following the US' preference of laser rangefinders ,

13068-469: Was central to the defense against a possible invasion from the Soviet Union . The brigade was stationed in the eastern valleys of Troms, which was defined as the defensive center of gravity for the territorial defense. Here, the brigade was to ensure that the opponent would be stopped and hold out until allied reinforcements could arrive. For a long time, defense planning was based on the assumption that

13189-534: Was chosen over the passive EMES-13 rangefinder. The EMES-13 system was considered to be the superior solution, but the Hughes system was cheaper and fully developed. The German company Krupp-Atlas-Elektronik acquired the licence of the Hughes design and modified it to meet the needs of the German army. The modified rangefinder received the designation EMES-15. The installation of the US AGT-1500 turbine engine in

13310-423: Was crowded), but many people avoided evacuation by hiding in caves and mountain huts and waited until the Germans were gone, then inspected their burned homes. There were 11,000 houses, 4,700 cow sheds, 106 schools, 27 churches, and 21 hospitals burned. There were 22,000 communications lines destroyed, roads were blown up, boats destroyed, animals killed, and 1,000 children separated from their parents. After taking

13431-467: Was developing a new 130 mm (5.1 in) smoothbore gun for the Leopard 2 tank and its successor. This gun will offer a 50% increase in performance and penetration. Marketing for the new gun was slated to begin in 2016. The Leopard 2 first entered service in 1979, and its service life is anticipated to end around 2030. In May 2015, the German Ministry of Defence announced plans to develop

13552-504: Was improved and weak spots were eliminated. The turret bustle containing the ready ammunition racks and the hydraulic system was separated from the crew compartment and fitted with blowout panels. The development of several new components was introduced to the Leopard 2 during the Leopard 2AV development and after the US testing was completed. For the series version, the Hughes-designed laser rangefinder made with US Common Modules

13673-413: Was initiated. Throughout its existence, the brigade was central to the training and education of Norwegian army soldiers and units, from all types of troops. The soldiers were trained in basic military skills while practicing under the special and demanding conditions in Northern Norway. In 1995, the 42-year-old brigade was disbanded in favor of a new defense arrangement. The motivation behind this change

13794-419: Was not possible for a public bidder to interfere in a procurement tender after a contract with intention of profits and deadline was awarded to private sector companies. As a result, the modification of the Leopard 2 prototypes in order to meet the US Army requirements was investigated. Following a number of further talks, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on December 11, 1974, between Germany and

13915-406: Was part of Russia at that time and had no independent representative. Finnmark was given the status of an Amt (county) in the 19th century. For a time, there was a vibrant trade with Russia ( Pomor trade ), and many Norwegians settled on the Kola Peninsula (see Kola Norwegians ). The Finnic Kven residents of Finnmark are largely descendants of Finnish -speaking immigrants who arrived in

14036-563: Was prioritized in Setermoen garrison and Maukstadmoen camp. This led to soldiers using temporary barracks and tents. It was a demanding task for the Norwegian Armed Forces' building technical corps to build barracks and technical garages in time for the last contigent of the Independent Norwegian Brigade was in place in Troms. In 1951, the Norwegian Parliament adopted a three-year building program, in order to be able to house

14157-487: Was produced between May 1988 and April 1990. The last batch for the German army totalling 75 tanks was produced from January 1991 to March 1992. During its production run during the Cold War, 16 Leopard 2 tanks were being produced per month. The vehicles were produced at a slower rate in the following decades, however KMW still retained the capacity to return to such manufacturing levels should they need to be made again at

14278-505: Was projected. It was never finalised, but the 140 mm (5.5 in) NPzK tank gun was tested on an older prototype. In 1995, it was decided to cancel due to changes in the political environment. The funds were redirected to the Neue Gepanzerte Plattformen (New Armoured Platforms) project of the German army. The Leopard 2A6M was developed with a kit providing enhanced protection against mines that can detonate below

14399-499: Was scheduled for 1979, 114 for 1980, 180 for 1981, and 300 tanks each following year. The first series-production tank was delivered on 25 October 1979. By 1982, all of the first batch of 380 Leopard 2 tanks had been completed. 209 were built by Krauss-Maffei (chassis no. 10001 to 10210) and 171 by MaK (chassis no. 20001 to 20172). The first production tanks were fitted with the PzB-200 image intensifier due to production shortages of

14520-549: Was the 1992 Defense Study, which concluded that a strong invasion defense in Troms was still necessary, but the operation needed to be more cost-effective than before. From August 1996, the Brigade in Northern Norway ceased to be an operational brigade, and the garrisons of the brigade became independent garrisons directly under the command of the 6th Division Command. In 2002, the brigade was reestablished as Brigade Nord ( lit.   ' Brigade North ' ). This article about

14641-491: Was upgraded to Leopard 2A5 configuration between 1995 and 1998; a second batch of 125 followed from 1999 to 2002. The third stage was the planned replacement of the Leopard 2 turret by a new turret fitted with a 140 mm (5.5 in) NPzK tank gun, an autoloader, and the IFIS battlefield management system. The ballistic protection at the hull was to be improved. Originally a total requirement for 650 Leopard 2 tanks with KWS 3

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