Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55

Historical Record

Provenance & Service

Rheinmetall's 120 mm smoothbore began service on the Leopard 2 in 1979 and, as the M256 derivative, on the M1A1 Abrams from 1985. The longer L/55 variant introduced in 1991 increased muzzle velocity for the latest APFSDS rounds. It is the de facto NATO standard tank gun.