As of what i have read befoe the Leopard 2 can be submerged under water. I'll ask someone who knows.

Originally Posted by AlexKall

As of what i have read befoe the Leopard 2 can be submerged under water. I'll ask someone who knows.

Both the Leopard 1 and 2 can be submerged down to about 4 meters.

http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/ar...eopard_003.htm
http://www.haaland.info/leopard1/versions/
http://www.haaland.info/leopard1/ver...a1_snorkel.jpg

I believe the shells are depleted uranium.

Deep fording preparedness was a big thing during the cold war because opposing forces were expecting a major river to cross every 2 kilometers on the European battlefield and had to assume bridges would be out.
That is why bridge layers were combined with floating pontons, river bank management teams and amphibious or deep-fording capable vehicles.
4 meters with a schnorkel tower was the standards. Air for the crew and the engine was provided byt this ten inches tube mounted on top of the turret. Seals were inflated and kept under pressure and leakage minimized by pumping out incoming water...
Low fording is up to 2 meters with no special preparation...turret was open (AMX30) + a door to the engine compartment. Exhaust and engine compartment were otherwise sealed.
Water could reach up to top to turret but air would come through cmmder's hatch to crew and engine.
As far as the topic goes, Dragon got it all...the gun recoils in a bracket mounted on the mantel that supports it. Usually, a couple hydraulic "shocks" slow its movement back and another similar system brings everything smoothly back in position. During the rear movement, mechanically, the breech opens and locks open, extractors kick the casing in a receiving bag, whether it is a copper or alloy full size case or an ash-tray looking piece (for combustable cases).
The Leclerc does not have a loader....the return position is such that the breech is accessible by an automatic loading arm. Electric moving rack and code bar lecture allows the presentation of the right shell behind the armored sliding door. Door opens, arm pushes pre-selected round, door and breech close, gun ready!!!

Originally Posted by silent driller

I believe the shells are depleted uranium.

How do you figure that?

Originally Posted by 1217

How do you figure that?

That's almost common knowledge, quite a few people talk about that.

I know the A-10 uses depleted uranium shells to destroy tanks. I've heard rumors AH-64 uses them (I know we don't), but I just don't see a reason for tanks to use them, they can just use bigger shells.

Originally Posted by dragon_master_gunner

1.Yes, Tank barrels DO recoil. The M1-series Main battle tank has a Concentric Hydro-Spring Constant Recoil System. Basically, it uses a huge spring and Hydraulic fluid to absorb most of the recoil energy from the tank firing its main gun.

2. Yes, the breech (where you load the round) recoils back into the crew compartment. It ravels back approximately 12-18 inches. If you are in the way, it WILL kill or seriously injure you. The loader, Tank commander, and gunner all have guards to prevent them from getting injured by the breech.

3. The M1 tank has a crew of four. One of them is the loader. His job is to load the main gun with one of two types of ammunition, HEAT or APFSDS-T (SABOT). The standard for loading the main gun, according to TCGST (Tank Crew Gunnery Skills Test) is 7 seconds. I have had loaders in my tank that can reload in 2.9 seconds, on the move. All it takes is practice.

4. The M1A1 and M1A2 SEP use ammunition with combustable casings. This means the ammunition casing (the part that holds the propellant) burns up in the breech, along with the propellant. The only thing that comes out of the breech is the AFT CAP (the part that contains the electrical primer). They make great ash trays. The casing itself is made of Nitro-cellulose. It's nitroglycerine based.

5. The toxic gases from firing the main gun are addressed with the Bore Evacuator, which uses an air pressure system of the round leaving the barrel to move the gases out of the tank, following the round out of the tube.

6. And without a fording kit, the M1 series tank can cross water obstacles about as deep as the top of the ballistic skirts. Otherwise, water gets into the Vee Packs (3 large air filters), and cut airflow to the AGT 1500 Turbine Engine. The tank immediately aborts (shuts down). Turbines don't work without air.

7. The tank doesn't have a motor. It has an engine. Motors are electrical, engines are run by fuel. (Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves.)

Actually the word "motor" can describe both electrical and combustion motor/engine, same with "engine", its both.
"Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves."