Editing Panzer 87-140 (section)

==History==
Class: Main Battle Tank (Prototype)</br>
Developed: 1989-2006</br>
Service: N/A</br>
Vehicles built: 1-2</br>
Operators: N/A

The Panzer 87 Main Battle Tank is a Swiss version of the Leopard 2A4 MBT. The decision to adopt it was made on August 24, 1983 and in 1984, adequate funds were allocated to the program. The production first started in Germany (35 vehicles), but in 1987, it moved to Thun in Switzerland where further 345 more vehicles were built between 1987 and 1993. The Swiss Panzer 87 featured a number of small differences when compared to its German counterpart. They included prominent exhaust mufflers, making the vehicle quieter (based on the demands of the villages affected by military trainings), somewhat different turret rear, different machineguns, American radios, and a few smaller changes.

Faced with the threat of the newest generation of Soviet MBTs, the Swiss, not being part of the NATO, launched a 140mm cannon independent development program in the late 1980s. The weapon was developed by RUAG and a single Panzer 87 was upgraded with this weapon in 1989, producing a variant called Panzer 87-140. This prototype was thoroughly tested.

What happened in the 1990s and 2000s is a bit of a mystery. With the fall of the Soviet Union, there was no real reason to keep this expensive program running and it apparently became one of the victims of 1990s budget cuts. However, in the early 2000s, news emerged about the testing of another RUAG 140mm in a Panzer 87, this time along with an advanced armor kit, improved electronics and optics. This project was not adopted either and the prototype (possibly the same vehicle from 1989, only upgraded) was mothballed. Its current state is unknown.