LEOPARD 2: Practice well!

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by the Bundeswehr to deliver additional new 120mm practice ammunition for main battle tanks. The German armed forces ordered 10,715 units of the cartridge DM98 and 10,000 units of the cartridge DM88. The contract, booked in the second quarter of 2022, has a gross value of approximately 42 million EUR. Delivery has been ongoing since August 2022 and is expected to be completed by October 2022.

The German armed forces first received the new 120mm practice ammunition DM98 at the end of 2017. The 120mm full-caliber practice cartridge, developed by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH, is the successor to the older DM18. Key features of the new cartridge include above-average accuracy beyond 2,000 meters and good, continuous visibility of the tracer under all daylight conditions for shot observation.

The new type of ammunition was qualified in 2015 by Denmark as a pilot customer under the designation "RH88" for all variants of the Leopard 2 weapon system. In 2016, it was successfully qualified by the Bundeswehr with a second packaging system and introduced with the model designation DM98. The English designation is "Cartridge 120mm x 570, DM98 TP-T" (Target Practice Tracer).

The also new sub-caliber 120mm practice ammunition DM88 was qualified by the Bundeswehr in the Leopard 2 in 2015/2016 and has since been successfully introduced in the army. It is Rheinmetall's further development of the DM78 with an improved tracer and minor adjustments due to changed material requirements. Like the DM98, the DM88 impresses with its excellent accuracy, allowing for optimal training for real missions. The English designation is "Cartridge 120mm x 570, DM88 TPCSDS-T" (Target Practice Cone Stabilized Discarding Sabot Tracer).

The design of both cartridges fully complies with the requirements of the European Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

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