I was given the honor/honour to fire two blanks on the C3 Howitzer to begin and end a moment of silence for Remembrance Day. It was an amazing experience to participate in such a special occasion to respect and remember our fallen. We Will Remember Them. Remembrance Day 2019 - 105mm C3 Howitzer Blank Firing howitzer, Canada, Canadian Army, Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian artillery, artillery, remembrance day, 105mm howitzer ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZJLegjVObM

Development of the Leopard 2 main battle tank began in 1970. In those days a clash between NATO and the Warsaw Pact was possible and the German Army needed a well protected MBT, which was superior to the models introduced in the Eastern Block. The first prototypes of the Leopard 2 were completed in 1972. In 1977 Bundeswehr initially ordered 1 800 of these main battle tanks to replace the Leopard 1. First production batch of 30 tanks was completed in 1979 and the Leopard 2 was adopted by the German Army the same year. At the time of its introduction the Leopard 2 was a very advanced and successful design. By 1993 German Army operated a total of 2 155 of these MBTs. This vehicle was also exported worldwide. Export operators are Netherlands (445 tanks), Poland, Switzerland (380 tanks, known as the Pz.87), Sweden (160), Spain (650), Turkey, and some other countries. Fire control system, armament, ammunition, transmission and tracks of the Leopard 2 are similar to the US M1 Abrams main battle tank, to simplify maintenance. This MBT has a welded hull and turret. Composite armor of the Leopard 2 tank is similar to British Chobham Armour. It offers good protection against armor-piercing rounds and ATGWs. Vehicle is fitted with NBC protection system and automatic fire suppression systems. The Leopard 2 main battle tank is armed with a fully-stabilized Rheinmetall RH-M-120 120-mm smoothbore gun. Vehicle carries 42 rounds for the main gun. 15 rounds are stored in the turret bustle, while the rest are carried in front of the hull. The turret bustle is separated from the fighting compartment and has a blow-out panels. The Leopard 2 normally uses two types of ammunition - the APFSDS-T and HEAT-MP-T rounds. The APFSDS-T round penetrates about 450 mm at 2 000 m range. It is worth mentioning that since its introduction some generations of APFSDS-T rounds were developed and used by the German Army. The HEAT-MP-T round is effective against both soft and hard targets. Secondary armament consists of two 7.62-mm machine guns. One of them is coaxial, while another is mounted on top of the roof. The Leopard-2 has a crew of four, including commander, gunner, loader and driver. One interesting feature about this main battle tank, that it has an escape hatch in the floor behind the driver. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQNqpGq8ys