The systems trialled were the American M1 Abrams, the French LeClerc and the German Leopard 2A5 - which became known as the Leopard 2(S) or 'Improved S' with the aforementioned additions in place. The Swedish government undertook a program to upgrade their armored forces with the introduction of a new main battle tank of foreign origin as a budget-conscious initiative. The Leopard 2 itself first entered frontline service in 1979, eventually producing a plethora of notable variants (2, 2A1, 2A2, 2A3, 2A4, 2A5, 2A6, 2A7+) and specialized battlefield vehicles all based on the proven and successful Leopard 2 chassis. French-designed smoke grenade dispensers (two banks of eight each) have also been added to the turret sides while Swedish radio equipment, a Raman shifted Nd-YAG laser range-finder and a modular Tank Command and Control System (TCCS) has been integrated. The turret roof armor is also better protected. The frontal armor of both the turret and hull have been addressed (an increase of some 3 tons) to provide for better point ballistics defense while the revised FCS adds to greater accuracy when firing on-the-move. Major differences between the Strv 122 it and its German counterpart are improvements to the armor protection system and the fire control system (FCS).

The Stridsvagn 122 (or Strv 122) is the Swedish designation for German Leopard 2A5 series main battle tanks in Swedish Army service.

Modern german tank fireing speed