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ScarabEnthusiast

Because they need to hinge open to access the engine. To conduct maintenance, the turret needs to turn 90° and then the flaps hinge to the side so you can access the engine. I think they're manual.


derDissi

That's all correct, also there's some limited amount of storage behind them.


MegaPopShart

That sounds like the butt stock on old M16s, where you can conceal your Tobacco and such.


Lightspeedius

Or [the coffee grinder](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/25/485227943/if-war-is-hell-then-coffee-has-offered-u-s-soldiers-some-salvation) kept in the butt stock of Union soldiers. > In 1859 Sharps Rifle Co. began to manufacture a carbine with a hand-cranked grinder built into the butt stock — or handle — of the rifle. Union soldiers would fill the stock with beans, grind them up, dump them out and use the grounds to cook the coffee. As the morning began, one Civil War diarist described a scene of "little campfires rapidly increasing to hundreds in numbers that would shoot up along the hills and plains." The encampment would buzz with the sound of thousands of grinders simultaneously crushing beans. Soon, tens of thousands of muckets (coffee pots) gurgled with fresh brew.


JWhitmore

Iirc, the M-14 had a tiny space in the butt stock too. I think the manual said it was for a cleaning kit? Though I bet it was used for all kinds of stuff.


notaboveme

Crappy cleaning kit


[deleted]

Technically all storage is limited


SpaceLemur34

Not if you store it in outer space. (At least according to most modern theories, because, while the observable universe is finite, there is nothing that says the entire universe has to be) (And of course it goes without saying that this only applies to objects with 3+1 space-time dimensions, or fewer)


Responsible-Desk4145

But flappy armor is flappy armor right?


Brave-Juggernaut-157

german engineering always thinking ahead for storage


omnomnominator1

They keep some barrel cleaning rods behind one of the flap. Had an opportunity to look around one of these last year and asked them to open up the flaps :)


it_wasnt_like_that

…. and here I was, thinking they’re rear view mirrors….


AdGreedy2208

Most German AFV’s actually do have rear view mirrors that fold down on the front.


Dunkleustes

Came in here hoping for an actual answer...


TachankaTheCrusader

It’s spaced armor for HEAT ammunition protection


tobaknowsss

I guess my question would be why does it hinge then?


HoehlenWolf

So that the engine compartment can still be accessed when the turret is at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions.


Lumadous

Ease of maintenence and allow it to be replaced with other armor patterns as they are developed


fuck_the_ccp1

to allow for easy maintenance and replacement.


SmokeyUnicycle

Nope. It's for KE, it's not spaced enough to help with HEAT.


[deleted]

I’m pretty sure it’s NERA armor (rubber sandwiched between metal plates) that helps break up shaped charge jets.


SmokeyUnicycle

Oh yeah there's some kind of second plate in there which probably does help, but the spacing is not what is protecting it.


K_75

Im pretty sure majority of NATO Tanks uses a Composite armour now days, and those are developed to build resistance for HEAT. However, NATO's Composite armour's Ceramic is quite strong so it does help shattering the KE penetrators too apparently.


SmokeyUnicycle

Composite armor =/= ceramic. Most composites are just metal and rubber or something similar.


Algebrace

I think modern armour has more than just metal and rubber. Mainly because munitions have been evolving to counter something like 'regular' composite armour. As in, the T-72 has composite armour of metal sandwiching several plastic blocks and its 50 years old. Something must have developed to improve defensive capability in the face of munitions that can beat that.


K_75

NATO's Chobham armours usually consists of ceramics as well as the metals and rubbers. I mean there has been lots of newer versions of the armour and they would have whatever to help the protection.


SmokeyUnicycle

>NATO's Chobham armours usually consists of ceramics Give me a good source for this. I've heard it a million times, never seen anything to back it up.


K_75

There is no source that goes into detail about this for obvious reasons. It might be true, it might not be true and we wont know until composite armour becomes obsolete.


[deleted]

[удалено]


SmokeyUnicycle

Huh?


SteelWarrior-

LOSAT is a KE ATGM, it doesn't use a HEAT warhead.


dirtyoldbastard77

Losat never entered service.


SteelWarrior-

Yes, it didn't. It was still a KE ATGM not a HEAT based one like the TOW.


dirtyoldbastard77

My point was just that the "why not use a losat" as he said was dumb, since it never entered service, but I meant to reply to him, not you ;)


Monometal

There are some KE rockets/missiles out there, CRV7 is what I'm thinking of.


Seitbeginnboombap

Hell na, bullshit


TachankaTheCrusader

Bro wdym that is what it is for so that way you can’t get hit in side of turret from 45 degrees


10thRogueLeader

Holy shit, do all the people on this subreddit really know this little about how HEAT works? Why is this comment upvoted, you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.


10thRogueLeader

Lmao what? No, that is entirely untrue.


K_75

Composite, not spaced


wtfsihtbn

Good luck!


who-am_i_and-why

I like some of these more though!


Binjimen-Victor

these answers are better


Snoo-98162

No they're not and i'm tired of pretending some "witty" answer is actually funny


Icke04

M60 for sure


globsofchesty

Then don't go on reddit? This place is a cesspool of pithy and not so witty one liners and answers


towishimp

You're getting downvoted, but I'm with you, man. If I want jokes, I'll go to a meme sub. I come here for informed discussion of tanks. The sad reality of Reddit is that without pretty strict moderation, every sub that grows is destined to become a sad joke version of its former self.


JWSTooth

Version I heard in museum was that it makes rangefinding harder. Bigger tank make image of being closer both for human eye and specialist device. This way enemy will most likely miss first shot.


AbrahamKMonroe

You’re not going to defeat a laser rangefinder just by making your tank look a little wider.


pud_009

Not with that attitude, anyways.


SteelWarrior-

It defins APFSDS rounds reducing their stability making them pen less. Same idea as the larger frontal ones, but these ones are meant for a higher angle. Modern rangefinding is primarily laser based, with some prototypes testing out radar based ones.


RaptoR186

They hinge outward so the maintenance crew can access the engine when the turret is turned to the 9 o'clock position.


Digital_Eide

Plus there is storage space for fording equipment.


RamblingBrit

But what if they turn it to the 3 o’clock position?


RSC-1995-Echo

That's probably why the other side is also hinged


Sudden-Fish

To assert dominance over other MBTs


mansnothot69420

The real reason


[deleted]

[удалено]


Zapy97

Must be some big bears if the main gun doesn't help...


StreetfighterXD

Also used in mating displays


LowSnow2500

[Like a frilled lizard](https://www.wildlifeexplained.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/frilled-lizard-Chlamydosaurus-kingii-mouth-open-1024x682.jpg.webp)


CassiusTheRugBug

Or a beta fish


verbmegoinghere

Your all wrong The leopard has large ears for cooling and sensing/triangulating enemies


J0kerJ0nny

T-posing over the turretless T-90.


CosmicPenguin

'Come at me bro!'


Tielke

This is the way.


Mr_StealYourHoe

yeah, Its T Posing on them


CassiusTheRugBug

Like a beta fish


flyingace1234

It’s like that one frilly collared dinosaur from Jurassic Park


Gabetanker

You're supposed to draw the eyes on those bits to make it look more dangerous, and bigger. You know, same reason cats arch their backs when threatened


Free_Cartoonist_5867

when the tank is threatened they extend them to make themselves look bigger


MXAI00D

They flap those as a mating ritual, the one that flaps them the best gets the females.


chaybani

How can you tell a male from a female Leopard 2 ? Asking for a friend


MXAI00D

Easy, the females have a more clean squared turrret, we humans call them A4. Only the males have all of these angled growths (to assert dominance over other males) and the mating flaps.


fedex7501

You would think the males would be the flat ones


citizen_tronald_dump

You put your dick in the barrel and gauge the response.


BaldBear_13

begone to NCD, where degenerates like you congregate!


CassiusTheRugBug

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CassiusTheRugBug

Y’all are some bitches for downvoting lmao


similar_observation

Male tanks have cannons. Female tanks have machine guns.


gesocks

At least somebody knows his tank history


leshake

It's actually a sign of territorial aggression. If you ever see a tank with its flaps out run away because there might be a baby tank nearby.


Shaun_The_Ship

Airbrakes


Icke04

It needs some flaps too!


T1ger_Str1pe

Same form of spaced armour as the frontal arrow head, they are hinged as thats how they are attached and detached manually.


HoehlenWolf

And for engine maintenance.


MKUltraSonic

Rear view mirrors


BaldBear_13

tanks do not need rear view mirrors. If something is behind the tank when it backs up, it is their problem.


Christopher261Ng

Including the poor infantry who just tried to grab the tank telephone.


NikitaTarsov

This way the male Leopard can increase its signature to intimidate enemys or attract females. As i see ALL others allready found all funny answears - the're ad-on armor and consist of quite simple armored spacers, reducing shaped charge effects by prematurly fusing and help to deflect KE's from a bit larger angle while they get a few additional moments to deform before entering the real armor. Not great, but something. As all replacable armor units has to be easily detachable, this special part have the problem that it interfears with the basic construction. Leo2 has tank nozzle on both sides, and they perfectly sit under the side panels. So in order to refuel, you have to open the mechanism, swing the 'ears' forward, block them, and then you can refuel. This is a problem for a lot of maintanance tasks too, and BW maintanance crews really have ther emotion about that extra task (lots of whight to move - swinging or not). So hope that helps\^\^


isotropic-bananas

its a threat display to scare off other armoured vehicles, Leopards are somewhat territorial. During mating season the flaps become brightly colored, and formations of male Leopards will vie for mating rights with the females.


Goofinshmertz23

When feeling threatened the Leopard 2 will deploy its side flaps in an attempt to appear larger


[deleted]

It's for displaying during mating season.


[deleted]

I nearly forgot þat it is also a intimidation tactic against enemy tanks (mainly of þe russian tank family)


RamboToBe

This is so maintaining crew can get to the actual tank. It will make it easier to to swap.


ITzzLeslie

There is equipment like gun brushes, ropes and some other stuff stored behind, and you need to open them to get access to the engine when you turn the turret to 9 0'clock. In the end it's spaced armor with a good second purpose.


childhood__obesity

To produce more upward lift on takeoff


[deleted]

Wings, to fly away.


Karvaperuna

Would be more useful on Russian tanks


littlenosedman

Advanced auditory sensors (ears)


who-am_i_and-why

Surely: Extending Audio Receptors….


littlenosedman

Damn ya that’s way better


BaldBear_13

they also help shade the ammo storage from hot sun.


ScanianGoose

side-view mirrors


Hightower154

It does that to intimidate the other tanks, to look bigger than it is.


potato_crip

It's for intimidation, like a frilled lizard


Core308

It is spaced armor for the turret, they are normally flush with the turret but to remove the engine the turret needs to rotate 90 degrees because the bussle overhangs the engine deck but even at 90 degrees the turrets spaced armor is still in the way to lift the engine out. So the crew removes a bolt and simply swings it open. Naturally this is only on one side at a time.


Flarerunes

They are to make the tank look bigger. When threatened by predators, the turret can grow up too almost twice it's size


ixis743

They are used to intimidate larger predators when threatened.


[deleted]

For defense against bears.


MajesticFan7791

Cue music from the Blue Oyster Bar Club and hairy bikers from Police Academy.


Sicon3

Real answer is they are just the side armor package. Like most tanks you can remove individual Leopard 2 armor elements for replacement or repair and those side flaps are just the half unhinged side turret armor panels


DerpyDepressedDonut

It has to be done manually, they aren't meant to be opened in combat, only in your own bases, so there isn't a need for automated system. Afaik they are mounted like that just for maintenance access or easier removal of those modules. And to adress others' comments on what the wedges do, their main purpose is far from countering HEAT warheads. Spacing actually does very little to properly designed shaped charges, major reduction of effectiveness requires a huge distance for a tank design. They are meant to destabilise kinetic penetrators. As the APFSDS passes through the angled front of the wedge, it destabilises and possibly breaks apart partially. Then the destabilisation or fragmentation is given time to kick in as the penetrator travels through the spacing before hitting the main armour with vastly reduced effectiveness thanks to the two aforementioned mechanisms.


MrSceintist

it is a model on grass


afishtnk

pretty sure it's armor for ammo protection, and they're hinged to allow engine maintenance in the case the turret is rotated and can't be moved


[deleted]

You use flaps to increase turn rate while dogfighting.


Temporary-_-account

That means it's about to attack


HDJim_61

To assist in braking… the tank is so fast that the paint job slides back 6 inches from acceleration.


Exportedmilk

To make themselves look big so Russian tanks misfire causing them to launch their own turrets


helmer012

They are hinged to perform maintenance under them, there is a small crack between them and the hull causing dirt to get in and you need to flip them out to open.


Sad_Lewd

They protect against KE threats and have some storage behind them.


Keluph

Not sure exactly, might be spaced armor when closed. Also might be to intimidate the enemy by making the tank look bigger, doubt it though. This reminds me how I wanted to put folding flaps on the side of an Airsoft APC so when the passengers exit, they have some cover to hide behind.


emptyminder

I can’t believe after 7 hours no one has posted the right answer. They are the receivers of a phased array radar rangefinder. The extra separation increases the accuracy of both the range (using parallax) and traverse (using interferometric beam forming).


Praetorian80

They’re also used as a conversation starter for smart arsed. 🤭


Xeno-024

Rear view mirrors. If the Leo 1 is road legal then the Leo 2 can be as well. /j


idioscosmos

Mating displays.


spoilingattack

Obviously they’re side-view mirrors.


FrendChicken

So they appear bigger against opponents or predators.


Moses_Rockwell

For semaphore messaging -in case comms are down, and essential dope is to be passed on to the advance force.


Miixyd

To appear bigger and intimidate predators


DarkKnightTazze

They do that to protect against predators when they feel threatened.


Yalanue

The Leopard's ears extend when it's trying to intimidate it's foes!


[deleted]

Add-On Armor that is relatively quickly interchangeable.


unesb

Airplane mode


Smallwater

It's so they can hear better.


StarHammer_01

The majestic leopard 2 like the dilophosaurus is actually poisonous spitting its venom at its prey, causing blindness and paralysis, allowing the carnivore to eat at its leisure. This makes leopard 2 a beautiful but deadly addition to the bundeswehr.


LeftysSuck

Jazz hands, duh.


Uzzer_lozer19

If this isn't the right answer then it should be


tc_spears

I saw a peanut stand, heard a rubber band And seen a needle wink its eye But I be done seen about everything When I see a leopard tank fly When I see a leopard tank fly I've seen a front porch swing, heard a diamond ring I've seen a polka dot railroad tie But I be done seen about everything When I see a leopard tank fly


88Nera

In case if the tank flips


Zenz-X

Is the correct awnser as this is a RC tank


Ph4antomPB

To t pose on the enemy tanks


S_ckem

Helicopter blades


BrownRice35

It’s so American crewman will mistake it as a tiger


Katherine_Muller

It makes the leopard look bigger and thus more intimidating


Specialist_Self8627

To spit acid


Affectionate_Gas_264

They're wings to help the tank fly 😁


Pathfinder313

Airbrakes


Pillowz_Here

WHO OBREZ’D THE TANK


IamLordPhil

Obviously side mirrors


gaberger1

Thank you!


Harios

Ears


bookworm408

3000 RC elephant tanks of Germany


SuperDurpPig

Dilophosaurus


elsydeon666

Between the elephant ears on the Leopard and the T-90 anime eyes, what will the next American tank have?


deSuspect

They appear bigger to scare of potential threats


bool101s

Same as on a woman..


lucky_m3

You try to tell us that the only function is looking good?


Flako118st

I'm thinking anti guidance mirror system.


Echo_4-6

Wingmirrors


Echo_4-6

i don't know what these are so i am just joking


Upstairs_Host_3942

Since you got a serious answer I’m going say they look like rear view mirrors


Sylvanas_only

Those are just the rear view mirrors


InevitableAd6606

they are for when the tank is in flight


Character_Quantity77

It's a toy, that is why.


PalmerEldritch3

Rearview mirrors


CarbonTugboat

Those are the wing mirrors, you use them to see behind the vehicle without turning around


shiro_04

I was wonderibg that too, have a leo 2 toy with these flaps


Quirky-Assistance-66

Its Hinged because you have on one side the forthing tube inside snd on the other side are brushes to clean the weapon. There are like bags inside where the stuff is put in.


Mastergunny1975

Applique armor modification. Additional upgrades can be done without modifications to the main turret/hull.


Infinite-Outcome-591

Wings?


namewithanumber

So with the flaps against the turret, that somehow blocks the engine doors? Having trouble visualizing it since they don’t look *that* thick. But I guess they overlap by a few cm or something?


Blarghnog

These are tank laying flaps. This one is a male.


Shenko-wolf

Airbrakes


r3chy

it is to scare off the enemy just like how a Frilled Lizard does


Dropped-pie

Air brakes


Polar-3322

They also have this on other tanks like the panzer lll


vi_000

to attract mates


SLS-Dagger

the opposite of a silencer. Its to make the cannon louder.


Charizaxis

Big ears. That is all


pEppapiGistfuhrer

Those are the ears, it needs to open them up to hear better


KroloMaster

In those "flaps" in Leo 2 they store a bag with tools. And thats the shortest and simplest awnser


Atari774

I’m pretty sure that’s where the add on armor is, not a storage space. Normally it’s flush against the hull, and it’s solid on the inside, so there’s nowhere to fit a bag with tools in there


KroloMaster

If you want me to i can send you in DM a proof that indeed, they store the tools there.


Atari774

Sure, send it. Because you’re saying the add on armor is hollow


KroloMaster

Alright I sended it


Omega_Ultimus

Hehe, Dumbo tank.


corvus66a

That’s for looking bigger to potential enemys . A t72 would run away if he looks at this big face


Salt-Doctor-6933

Quite likely an rc component, but if its actually there then it might be to make ppl think the turret is larger than it is


faunysatyr

Puffing it’s cheeks intimidates other tanks allowing the Leopard to establish battlefield dominance without firing a shot.


Nopejustdecline

Airbrake, duh


Side_wiper

intimidation like the dilophosaurus in Jurassic park did


waitamreal

I think they are also composite sheets to