, -...

Modern Co at Vehic es: 3

A.J.Barker

A.J.Barker

y..

LONDON
IAN ALLAN LTD

.\ ...
Contents

Introduction 4

l. Development of the Leopard 10

2. Production of the Leopard 19

3. Characteristics of the Leopard I 25

4. Versions and Variants of

the Leopard 1 33

5. Derivatives of the Leopard 1 45

6. Leopard 2 61

7. Servicing and Maintenance 75

8. Training Aids 77

9. The Leopard compared with other

MBTs 81

Appendices
1. Comparison of MBTs 103

2. Contractors involved in the

production of Leopard 105

3. Specifications 107

Bibliography 1I 1

Acknowledgements
I wish to express my appreciation and
acknowledgement to those who have provided
the material from which this book is compiled.
In particular I wish to acknowledge the
assistance afforded by General a.D. Graf von
Schwerin, myoId friend Generalmaj or a.D. H.
J. Loser, and Krauss-Maffei AG and
Christopher F. Foss who has provided the
majority of the photographs, much technical
information and checked the captioning.

Cape Town A. 1. Barker

Introduction

The idea of the tank as a mobile, weapon-carrying, were suited only to limited operations, and although they
armoured platform is almost as old as warfare itself, and did manage to break through the German lines on
may be traced back at least to the Persian chariots which practically every occasion they were used they never
were eguipped with revolving scythes to mow paths managed to penetrate to any depth; sooner or later the last
through the enemy ranks; for practical purposes however, of them would break down or run out of fuel and the
the modem tank dates back to World War I. In that war it Germans would bring up infantry reserves, counter­
soon became clear that improvements in the accuracy, attack and seal off the gap punched in their defences.
rates of fire and killing power of small arms - the machine On occasions individual tanks achieved minor
gun in particular - meant that infantry and cavalry could successes which pointed the way to the future
not break through fortified entrenchments without employment of such vehicles when their shortcomings
prohibitive casualties, and various attempts were made to had been overcome. On one such occasion a single British
break the stalemate deriving from this situation. The tank, after breaking through the German front, roamed
entrenchments could be devastated, barbed wire around the enemy rear area shooting up supply columns,
entanglements destroyed, and those defending the over-running static service installations, and generally
position stunned or killed by intense artillery bombard­ creating panic. Ultimately its exploits came to an end
ments - but such tactics meant not only that the element of when it overturned in a ditch.
surprise was lost but also that the ground was churned up The lessons of operations like this were not lost on a
and this created fresh obstacles to further advances. few far-sighted officers in both Britain and Germany.
Furthermore both sides guickly realised that all they had Lack of imagination stultified the majority however and
to do to counter a systematic breakthrough was to between the wars tanks were envisaged essentially as a
reorganise their defences in depth, so limiting the means of assisting infantry to dislodge an enemy
attacker's gains. After 1917 the German infantry tried entrenched in World War I type lines . In consequence
infiltrating tactics and these had some limited success. most armies concentrated on designs of tanks intended as
However as they were unable to cope with the logistic purely infantry support vehicles - slow, heavily armoured
problems resulting from a sizeable breakthrough no and generally equipped with little more than a machine
worthwhile advance was possible. Only when the motor gun as main armament. However the Germans - under the
vehicle replaced the horse-drawn wagon as the mainstay guidance of General Heinz Guderian and with Hitler's
of the supply services was a solution to the logistic encouragement - followed a different line and seized on
problems possible, and in 1917 this solution was some 20 an important tactical innovation. Concentrating on fast
years away. medium tanks they created independent armoured
For the future the most significant development in the divisions in which tanks were combined with motorised
search for a means to break the deadlock on the Western infantry. With the Luftwaffe providing the fire support in
Front was the revival of the concept of an armoured ' land lieu of artillery, these Panzer divisions were expected to
ship'. Armoured boxes equipped with machine guns and penetrate deep into the enemy's rear, disrupting and
propelled by internal combustion engines on self-laying cutting his communications and isolating large forma­
tracks to give them cross-country mobility were devised; tions of enemy troops. It was a concept which facilitated
and in 1916 the first 'tanks' went into action on the Blitzkrieg and revolutionised armoured warfare, and it
Somme. * Achieving complete surprise they smashed
through the German lines. But the new machines were
* 'Tank ' was originally a misleading British code-name,
heavy, cumbersome, mechanically unreliable and adapted for security reasons. In 1916 gigantic steel water
extremely uncomfortable. (They had no springs and when cisterns were being constructed for British troops operating in
battened down for action their ventilation was such that the tropics , and few people were party to the secret that the
the crews soon reached suffocation point.) Thus they word ' tank ' referred not to those cisterns but to ' land ships' .
4
was vindicated in the early years of World War 2. new and formidable anti-tank weapons had been
Ranging far and wide over half Europe the Wehrmacht's developed since World War 2. The argument still
-anks fought encirclement battles of staggering dimen­ continues. However one of the best cases for the value of
sions. In the first phases of the German invasion of the tanks in any future war was made by Marshal
Sov iet Union advances of up to 100km a day were Malinovsky , a fomler commander of the Soviet
~o mmon; in one battle alone 650,000 men were Armoured Forces, when he wrote:
surrounded and taken prisoner. The tank , it seemed , was . neither now, nor obviously in the future, are we able
ki ng of the battlefield and the role of the infantry had been to dispense with the tank. The tank has many remarkable
reduced to that of a supporting arm . Even defence took on combat features which allow the successful execution of
new mobile forms. The best answer to a tank, it seemed, combat tasks in a nuclear war. Among all the other types
was another tank; if possible one with a bigger gun and of combat means, the tank alone is able to survive a
thicker armour. The result was a race towards even larger nuclear burst, especially the shock wave and dangerous
and heavier tanks, with bigger and bigger guns. Armour radiation. This is a very important attribute in modern
became many inches thick, and guns grew to the size of conditions. In addition , the tank has high mobility ,
the 88mm of the German Tiger, and the 85mm of the firepower and striking force ... Many tasks still have to
Soviet T34. be executed by conventional firepower. Tanks are the best
With the end of the war in 1945 the race came to a means for this. Thus, the tank-type combat vehicle will
temporary halt. Apart from those who believed that major remain in service with our Army ... '
wars were now a thing of the past, it was postulated that The Arab-Israeli War of 1967 appeared to strengthen
the tank had virtually lost its dominance to the atomic Malinovsky's contention just as events in the Arab-Israeli
bo mb. However the armour-gun race was reactivated War of 1973 seemed to suggest that the future of the tank
when Soviet tanks in Korea confirmed the role of the tank on a sophisticated battlefield may now be in doubt. The
in conventional operations . Moreover by this time the fact remains that the tank is a unique vehicle combining
advent of the tactical nuclear weapon provided a new three basic factors - firepower, protection and
argument for armoured vehicles. Such vehicles, it was manoeuvrability - into a single weapon system. However
no w suggested , could protect men from the effects of these factors are so interdependent that undue emphasis
blast and nuclear radiation and enable them to cross on any of them inevitably weakens the others. Many tank
contaminated ground quickly in order to close with the experts consider that high speed provides good protection
enemy. Those who took a different view pointed out that f.or a tank trying to evade enemy fire. Moreover, with the
possibility of tactical nuclear weapons being used on the
battlefield, future armoured units need to be capable of
Bdo w: Mobility of AFVs is not limited to their performance on the high speeds and mobility - so that they can disperse over a
battlefield - they have to get there before they can fight. The size and wide area for safety and re-concentrate quickly for
weight of an AFV, therefore, limits its transportability, which could
offensive operations. But there is a practical limit to high
be crucial at time of war. Railways are still the most important
vehicle speeds over cross-country terrain and, although it
method of transporting AFVs to the battlefield, although specialised
tank transporters are used for shorter journeys. Here an Elefant
is possible to design engines, transmissions and
I Faun SL T 50-2) tractor is seen with a Leopard on its semi-trailer.
suspension systems for high speed performance, the
The Leopard is a lAlAl-a retrofit carried out to the Leopard lAl, resultant vehicle would lack combat potential, be
the most visible sign of which is the additional armour applied to the extremely expensive to produce, and complicated to
turret. Bundesminisrerium der Veneidigung (BdV) maintain.
 There is also a practical limit to the amount of armour 750hp. * But the power output of the engine determines
that can be carried on a vehicle, and to the size and weight the power-to-weight ratio, which in turn determines the
of the armament it carries. In short firepower and weight of the vehicle. In effect therefore the
armoured protection are directly proportional to weight, power-to-weight ratio is dependent on what speed is
and mobility is inversely proportional to weight. considered necessary and this hinges on the question of
Consequently, in designing a tank a compromise has to be mobility.
made. The minimum speed and performance required So far as a tank is concerned mobility primarily means
must be defined to determine the minimum permissible cross-country movement and for this high power-to­
power-to-weight ratio, which will vary according to the weight ratios are important. Engine power is only one
size and type of engine used. limiting factor in cross-country travel however. Equally
Railways are still the most important means of important is the need for an effective suspension system
transport when moving armoured units over long to provide a smooth ride , the ability to be able to change
distances , and railway transportation requirements ­ gears smoothly and rapidly , and the ability to steer
which differ from country to country - set a limit to the properly when the vehicle is moving across rough terrain .
width of the tank. Furthermore with any tracked vehicle High speeds are possible only if hydro-pneumatic
there is a certain range of values for the steering ratio suspension systems, automatic or infinitely variable
(known as the LlC ratio) which is defined as: gearboxes and specially designed tracks are used .
Sophisticated mechanisms of this kind invariably bring
length of track on the ground their own complications to the design as well as raising
width between track centres production costs. Nevertheless, in view of the probable
future pattern of war in Europe, NATO tank designers
If the LlC ratio is outside the given range of values then now consider them worthwhile. (Seen from Moscow the
the tank simply will not steer. Thus the physical size of likely course of events suggests there are other priorities.
the tank is restricted , and with it the size of the engine and The Warsaw Pact armies pursue a doctrine of armoured
the associated fuel and cooling systems. (In practice it has
been found that with conventional internal combustion * The American XM J uses a J ,500hp turbine engine; it is the
engines the limit of engine power is 1,OOOhp. Leopard 's first production MBT to use a turbine as its sole engine. The
engine develops 830hp and that of the British Chieftain Swedish Slrvl03 has a turbine as an auxiliary engi ne.
=c~~:'ore
~: speed is
ues tion of

~ ~~, c c it is the
~ ~::0 o e The
=:' ~ t r: e.

Le[r:Russian T62s on exercise. This vehicle, armed with a IISmm waves and nuclear radiation; and if it is equipped with a
main gun, epitomises the Soviet tank doctrines of cheapness, pressurised air conditioning system no radioactive dust
simplicity, mobility and reliability - over 40,000 are believed to have should be able to penetrate the interior. Furthermore if
been built and it is used by many other countries. Tass nuclear weapons are employed the tank will be able to
Above: The Bell AH-IS HueyCobra armed with TOW anti-tank
move across contaminated terrain.
missiles. The anti-tank helicopter has made the battlefield a much Whether or not the tank has a role on the nuclear
more dangerous place for the modern MBT. Bell battlefield is only one side of the coin. A whole range of
effective anti-tank weapons has been developed since
World War 2. Apart from long range guided missiles fired
offence and to be sure of success they need large number from the ground, such missiles have also been installed in
of tanks - a minimum of three times as many as their helicopters, and from the 'tank busting' planes of
opponents. Thus cheapness and simplicity are prime 1944-45 a new generation of combat aircraft has emerged
factors; so too is mechanical reliability and mobility.) equipped with even more deadly anti-tank weapons.
West German strategic experts view the situation Other technical advances have also increased the tempo
somewhat differently to British and American strategists. of conflict since infra-red sights and driverscopes will
All agree that conflict in Europe would probably start with permit combat to continue even at night and radar has
an assault on West Germany by mechanised and extended the limits of the battlefield.
armoured forces. For West Germany, therefore, the basic It was against the background of the foregoing
question is whether the Bundeswehr should give considerations that the West German Ministry of Defence
preference to a form of static or mobile defence. As began to examine the new German Army's tactical
mentioned earlier the possibility of nuclear weapons concepts and to draw up specifications for a new tank
being used complicates the problem. But so long as the suited to these concepts.
nuclear menace does not include the neutron bomb, the In the event of a conflict the Bundeswehr experts
crew of a tank obviously has a better chance of surviving a concluded that NATO forces in the field would first have
nuclear strike than a detachment of infantry - even if the to slow up and delay the advance of enemy armoured
infantrymen are dug in. Because of its weight the tank can columns into West German territory; because the attack
withstand blast; its armour offers protection against heat would almost certainly involve an element of surprise and
7

• •""l: .,
~~~~!,~

.,'­
be delivered by a force of overwhelming numerical Above: The Swedish Strv103B - better known as the S-tank­
superiority it was unlikely that the advance could be showing its turretless configuration . While the vehicle has a very low
blocked or halted completely in the earl y stages. Loss of silhouette and weight, the problems of firing - especially on the move
- are obvious! The ,'ehicle in the photograph is equipped wilh a
ground would have to be accepted and offset by time
dozer blade folded under the tank nose and flotation screens, Note
gained for the concentration and deployment of NATO's fuel tanks at rear of vehicle. Swedish Army
reserves. Apart from blunting the enemy's spearheads the
aim would be to compel him to deploy for a set-piece Above rig hI; Leopard -the first Panzer built and designed by the
battle as soon as possible. Following the delaying action Germans since World War 2, Tailor-made for its environment, it is
there would be a series of defensive operations to contain amongst the most effective AFVs of its generation. The photograph
the enemy columns and prevent any further advance and is of a Leopard I A4 showing its paces.
loss of territory. After that the final phase of the war
would be offensive operations to drive the enemy back in fact, have been detected beforehand).
and destroy him. Assuming a maximum combat range of 2,000m, the
Lnfortunatel y the capabilities required for armour used next question concerns armament. Should the tank be
in delaying , defensive and offensive operations differ. In armed with a gun or guided missiles? As a trained tank
delaying operations it is essential for the delaying forces gunner can fire six rounds within a minute at a target
to maintain contact with the enemy but equally essential 2,000m away, while the rate of fire of the wire-guided
that they avoid or evade any direct involvement. anti-tank missiles in service with NATO armies in the late
Disengagement demands good mobility and high cruising 1950s was only one round per minute, it appeared that the
speeds, while perfect radio communications are needed to gun was superior to guided missiles at ranges of up to
ensure the coordination of movement by individual units. 2,000m.
Firepower is clearly most important, and to avoid direct This decision was reinforced when the question of
involvement delaying actions are best fought at the ammunition was studied. There are three main types
furthest range possible. This should be the range at which available to gun tanks : those which achieve their effect by
the enemy is sighted , and the main problem here is a piercing a hole in the armour, relying on their mass and
gunnery one - that of hit probability. Because the range is velocity for penetration. Armour piercing discarding
often limited by the terrain there is a further problem: in sabot (APDS) shells are included in this category of
West Germany much of the countryside consists of kinetic energy (KE) ammunition. A concomitant of
rolling hills and woodlands - visibility is rarely more than penetrating power with APDS rounds is higher muzzle
2,000m. Thus an enemy can not be seen and identified velocity which inevitably means increased barrel wear.
positively until he is within this range (although he may, The second type of ammunition, the High Explosive
8
Anti-Tank (HEAT) relies for its effect on the hollow specific ground pressure if problems with the carrying
charge or shaped charge principle. Unlike the KE round capacity of bridges were to be avoided. Giving priority to
the effectiveness of the HEAT round is independent of its these considerations meant, of course, restricting the
striking velocity so its muzzle velocity - and hence barrel weight of armour and. therefore, the ballistic protection it
wear - is lower. The third anti-tank projectile is known as accords.
HESH (High Explosive Squash Head). In this type of There were other problems for the Bundeswehr which
ammunition a large quantity of plastic HE is carried in a related to their tactical decision. In defensive battles the
shell and it achieves its effect by way of shock waves purpose is to hold ground and the defending force stands
which detach a 'scab' from the inner surface of the armour to fight. Consequently the engagement is generally fought
plate on the target. at shorter ranges than those prevailing in a delaying
The fact that all three types of ammunition can be fired action. Firepower is therefore all important-especially if
from a gun, while guided missile rounds - because they the enemy has numerical superiority; what is needed is a
are fin-stabilised in flight - are only suited to carry HEAT combination of high rate of fire and high hit probability.
warheads, is a further argument in favour of arming a tank In offensive operations the situation is somewhat
with a gun. Furthermore at ranges of 2,OOOm or less all different. Firepower is still important, but mobility is of
three types of gun ammunition are more economical than greater significance than in delaying actions. In any
missiles. Beyond 2,OOOm however the hit probability of a advance across Europe an armoured force taking the
round fired from a gun tends to decrease. offensive will encounter water obstacles and as tanks are
The next question at issue was whether a tank designed too heavy to swim they must be capable of fording such
for delaying actions should be rigidly mounted in a obstacles. They also have to be able to negotiate steep
casemate (as is done in the Swedish Strv 103 tank) or in a gradients such as river banks , and they need tracks which
traversable turret. * For such operations there can be little will grip well in muddy terrain and on icy roads.
doubt that only tanks with a traversable turret and gun It can be seen from the arguments put forward that the
stabilisation are capable of firing at the enemy while on Bundeswehr's decisions for their main battle tank were
the move in a withdrawal. Finally there was the related directly to the tactical situations foreseen to
overriding importance of mobility and manoeuvrability; counter the threat of Soviet invasion. Leopard's final
and for this requirement the vehicle needed not only an specifications were, therefore, a compromise between the
adequate cross-country performance, but also a low mechanical and the tactical. The result was a tank
tailor-made for its environment, a tank which people in
* Some details of the Strvl03 are included in the section the Federal Republic proudly refer to as the 'Panzer made
comparing the Leopard with other MBTs. in Germany'.
9
1. Development of the
Leopard

In 1945 Germany was disarmed, her armament industry approved an order for four of these prototypes (two from
dismantled and its design teams dispersed. Thus in 1955 each industrial group). In France the project was
when the new German army of the Federal Republic was delegated to the Atelier de Construction d' Issy-Ies­
re-established, its equipment had to be provided from Moulineaux , from whom the French DEFA (Direction
outside sources. The choice so far as tanks were des Etudes de Fabrication d' Armement, now Direction
concerned was strictly limited between the American Technique des Armements Terrestres (DT AT), ordered
M47 and the British Centurion. Economic, political and two prototypes.
availability considerations weighted the choice in favour Firms which had already been striving to break into the
of the American vehicle and so by 1957 the Bundeswehr world armaments market were among those participating
armoured units had been equipped with the M47 and an in the German development. In 1955 Daimler-Benz had
improved version of the same tank, the M48. tendered for the supply of military vehicles to India, and
The American vehicles enabled the Germans to make a had proposed that German industry might participate in
start on the training of tank crews , but it soon became the design , development and production of a main battle
clear that the M47 did not fit in with the tactical concepts tank weighing some 36-39ton, specifically for the Indian
which had emerged from bitter German experience Army. The firm F. Porsche KG of Stuttgart, better known
gained in World War 2. Moreover the Germans saw an for its sports cars, which was linked to this project , was to
opportunity to rebuild their armaments industry and be responsible for the general design of the new tank and
possibly even to enter the lucrative arms markets. In the manufacture of its chassis. Similarly Zahnradfabrik of
consequence it was decided to design a new ' Europanzer' Friedrichshafen was to be responsible for the transmis­
in conjunction with the French and Italians who were in a sion, Daimler-Benz for the engine, and Ruhrstahl AG for
similar position. The three nations agreed that production turret and armament. The hull of the new vehicle was to
of the new tank should start in the mid-1960s and a be fabricated by the Indian firm of TATA, India' s
common specification known as NATO FIN ABEL 3A5 Ministry of Defence was to provide the optical and
was drawn up and issued jointly in November 1956. telecommunications equipment, and the project visual­
According to this specification mobility and firepower ised the production and assembly of 100 vehicles a year in
were to be given priority over ballistic protection ; other one of India' s state factories (See specifications pJ07).
important criteria were laid down in a document issued by Design and development, it was reckoned, would take
the Technical Department of the German Ministry of four years and the first vehicles would start to roll off the
Defence on 25 July 1957. These criteria called for: production lines in the fifth year.
• An all-up combat weight of 30 tonnes. In due course Porsche produced a design for a 40ton
• A maximum height of 2 .20m (7ft 3in) and width of vehicle , which was to be powered by a Daimler-Benz
3.15m (10ft 4in). MB837 A eight-cylinder diesel engine, manned by a crew
• A power/weight ratio of 30ton. of four, and armed with a 90mm gun. Both hull and turret
• A radius of action of not less than 350km (220 miles). were to be of cast iron, the former having 90mm of
• A gun capable of defeating 150mm (5. 9in) of armour armour plate protection and l30mm maximum thickness
at 30°, with a maximum effective range of 2 ,500m on the turret. On the basis of these estimates it was
(2,374yd) and two machine guns. calculated that the new tank would have a top speed of
• An air-cooled multi-fuel engine and a torsion bar or 50mph and that its effective weight would be in the order
air-hydraulic suspension system. of 39,500kg .
• A ground pressure of 0.85kg/sq cm (l1 .3Ib/sq in). In the event the project was abandoned at the design
In Germany two industrial consortia were fOlmed to stage. However the fact that Porsche and others had done
design and develop two competitive prototypes of the considerable work on it meant that German industry was
Europanzer, and the German Ministry of Defence in a favourable position to participate when the German
10
 /

_: : ([Wo from

_;) India. and

The re-establishment of the Army of

the Federal Republic of Germany
in 1955 led to the decision to equip
with American M47s (above) and,
later, M48s (right). The need to
replace these vehicles in the 1960s
and 70s led to the work on the
e- : . ~5 a year in Europanzer and, finally,
Leopard. BdV
- _ _ ' .,)/1 , p f07) .
.. oul d take
.011 off the

JJ
 Left and below: The Team B prototype.
Krauss Maffei

Ministry of Defence called for tenders for the Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux, which was already
Europanzer. achieving considerable success with its AMX-13 , had
Porsche led one of the two consortia and a group of concentrated French efforts into a single design, and their
designers from the firms of Porsche, Atlas-MaK of Kie1, prototype was eventually designated the AMX-30.
Luther-Werke of Braunschweig and Jung­ In January 1961 Porsche' s Team A presented two
Lokomotivfabrik of Jungenthal constituted Team A. prototypes, designated A-I and A-2 and eight months
Team B - controlled by Ruhrstahl - consisted mainly of later Ruhrstahl' s Team B offered its two prototypes, B-1
designers and engineers from Rheinstahl Hanomag and and B-2 (See specifications pIG7). A- I was desig­
Henschel of Kassel. Italy , France and Germany had by nated '723', A-2 '773', 8- I 'TI' and B-2 'Tn'.)
this time agreed that mobility and firepower should take All four prototypes incorporated a common turret
precedence over armour protection in the projected developed by Rhei nmetall and used the Daim ler­
vehicle. This largely reflected the French view, although Benz 838 engine. Additionally all four German vehicles
it was shared in large part by the Germans, and it was were armed initially with a 90mm Rheinmetall gun.
deri ved from the belief that the power of modem anti-tank Apart from these common features howeve r, the
weapons had outrun the defensive properties of armour. designs of the A prototypes were substant ially different
In consequence it was felt that safety should be sought from those of the B prototypes. In the A models the
primarily in speed and manoeuvrability. Shaped charge suspension systems were of the torsion-bar type with
and high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectiles would seven road wheels, while the B models had air-hydraulic
be discounted, and the Europanzer' s armour need only be suspension and six road wheels. With both the A-I model
sufficient to defeat conventional (KE) projectiles of up to built by Jung-Jungenthal Lokomotivfabrik in Kirchen!
20mm, at the fighting range of the tank . However, great Sieg and the A-2 produced by a member of the Krupp
importance was attached to the necessity for another form Group, Maschinenbau of Kiel (MaK), the nominal
of protection - protection against nuclear radiation and c:-odu..:.= . - _
toxic agents ie against nuclear, biological and chemical t.;-:u. a ~ ~ :: =:::; _
(NBC) warfare. This implied careful planning of the sc:::li - 2 '':: C''~ ­
fighting compartment together with the provision of some
form of air-conditioning and aeration plant which would
permit the crew to remain in action for a 24hr period
without fear of their air space being polluted. To help
make life bearable in such conditions it was proposed that
the very latest human engineering techniques should be
studied and employed where feasible. As to the question
of fire hazard, it was considered that the use of a diesel
engine would reduce thi s, but an automatic fire
extinguishing equipment was to be built into the vehicle. ? ro01Y~ ~

The two German teams completed their designs and , ld to : ~~ ­

produced wooden mockups in 1959 - within a year of ll1e P o~': -::r. ­
their contracts being signed. Meantime Atelier de to prod ' <2~ :­

12

- ---- --
 -
weight of the vehicle had risen to 35ton, largely because these were actually assembled and the development of the
the turret originally estimated as 7. 8ton had increased to B models was discontinued in the autumn of 1962.
8.3ton. The two B models - presented by Rheinmetall­ The Standardpanzer copies of the A-2 prototype which
Hanomag of Hannover and Henschel of Kassel eventually rolled off the assembly line incorporated a
respectively - complied with the weight specifications number of improvements and changes. Among these
but, after comparative trials at the Bundeswehr Proving were increased armour protection and a greater vehicle
Group near Trier in January 1961, prototypes A-I and width (3.52m - an increase of 100mm). Additionally the
A-2 were judged to be superior. In simple terms the new vehicles had a somewhat better suspension system ,
reason for this was that the A models were based on improved transmission and a modified fire control
traditional concepts, were less expensive, and more system; the 600hp eight-cylinder engine used on the
suited to speedy production. By this time the 90mm gun original tank was also replaced by an 830hp to-cylinder
had been replaced by a 105mm Rheinmetall weapon. motor. Based on the experience gained with the A-2
(Subsequently two different 105mm guns were tried: the prototype the turret had been redesigned to allow the
Rheinmetall and the British L 7A I which was later barrel of a 105mm L7 gun to be depressed to _9°. This
developed into the L7A3.) entailed cutting back some of the barrel support which, in
In fact the trials at Trier were staged before the German tum, altered the position of the centre of gravity, with
contractors had completed their own tests, and this fact attendant problems. Minor changes were also made to the
was reflected in the results. One engine failed during a turret basket and the gun control equipment.
250km road test, an idling wheel jammed during a By this time the Germans had decided to adopt the
cross-country trial and various defects showed up in tyres Vickers L7 gun , designed and built in Britain, and which
and shock absorbers. But the fact that it had been agreed a in 1960 was the most advanced tank gun in existence. So
triLateral commission would inspect the French pro­ during the autumn of 1962 1,500 guns of the current
totypes in February (196 L) and the German ones early in L7 A3 model were purchased to equip the Standard panzer
March set the date for the Trier trials. Furthermore, even and the tanks which would follow when they were mass
if it had been possible to persuade the French to defer the produced. And, as the L 7 A3 had been specifically
work on the trilateral commission, arrangements had designed for the British Centurion MBT and the US M60,
been made for the new tanks to be shown at the beginning the decision was an important step towards standardising
of February to selected audiences of German politicians tank ammunition within NATO. *
and senior officers, and to a panel of foreign tank experts. Testing of the new prototypes started at Meppen in late
Another factor influencing the date of the Trier trials was 1961 and it was soon found that the transmission was not
that the French prototypes had already been put through suited to the more powerful 830hp engine. The first step
their paces at Bourges , south of Orleans and in Satory was to replace the coupling between engine and
near Versailles; from these they had emerged with a transmission but the problem was not overcome until
favourable report . improved lubrication and a better cooling system were
-_ ~ type with As the proving ground at Trier was not suited to firing installed. The results of the various tests also showed that
- .; :ill-h ydraulic trials comparative tests of the 105mm guns had to be the chassis would have to be improved, and modifications
-=: ~ ;:> .-\ -I model conducted at a range in Meppen on the river Ems. From were made to the steering gear, the braking system,
--' ~2: lfl Kirchen! these trials and the earlier ones at Trier differences of hatches, air cleaners, engine air intake and fuel system,
- -_ .:.>:- the Krupp view at both technical and political levels began to fighting compartment , heating, cooling and aeration
. - _ :11;:> nominal appear. Ultimately these led to the French deciding to system. (The latter was especially important because of
produce their own tank (based on the AMX-30 equipped the specified NBC requirement.)
with a 105mm gun of French design rather than the British Tests of the new turrets started in March 1962 and were
semi-automatic L7 for which the Germans had opted), conducted concurrently with the engineering and running
although comparative tactical and technical trials were trials; their purpose was to determine how the turret
carried out between the German and French prototypes up components would behave while a tank was being driven
to October 1963. Later, for political reasons the Italians at high speed over rough terrain. The L 7 gun and its
also decided to back out of the Europanzer project, and to related sighting system were also tried out at the same
buy the US M60 . This left the Germans on their own , with time to see how their components would stand up to
a growing need to replace their ageing M47s and no wish simulated battle conditions. In the end it was concluded
to buy the M60s. that neither the turret, the gun nor the optical equipment
These developments were of course in the future . So
far as the Germans were concerned the trials of their four * The Gennan decision to adopt the L7 ended Rheinmetall's
prototypes were completed by May 1962 and Team A was programme to produce a gun capable of filing a spin-stabilised
told to produce 26 copies of the A-2 model (now called hollow-charge missile developed in France. It is relevant to
the Porsche Standardpanzer) . Team B received an order add that the French did not adopt the L7 and continued to
to produce six copies of prototype B-2; but only two of develop their own gun.
13

- - -- ----~-- ,- -- -~--- - -_.

 WARENEINGANG

)4
were yet fit for mass production , and before they could be the tank commander' s and gunner's telescopes could not
classed as such most of the components needed do so either a new optical rangefinder had to be
considerable modification. The gun mounting, for developed. In the event this was done in record time by
example, had not stood up to the stresses imposed on it the firm of C. Zeiss of Oberkochen , and it was installed
during the high speed cross-country tests and had to be for use by the tank commander. Unfortunately, however,
redesigned. So too had the recoil and recuperator its installation necessitated a further modification to the
mechanism since it was found that firing three different turret which had to be raised.
types of ammunition (APDS, HEAT and HESH)* with During September 1962 six out of the total of 17
their varying muzzle velocities produced target patterns Standardpanzers which were then available were handed
which showed considerable deviation. It also became over to the Bundeswehr's 93rd Panzer Training Battalion
apparent that the machine gun which had been installed in Munsterlager for troop trials. Before these trials were
for ranging purposes was useless for this purpose since it completed in March 1963 the German Federal
was effective up to only about 1,800m , while accurate Armaments and Material Office sanctioned the manufac­
ranging - because of the gun 's flat trajectory - was not ture and assembly of 50 pre-production tanks incorporat­
necessary until after about 1,500m. To overcome this a ing the modifications recommended during the trials.
range finder was clearly necessary. But none capable of Delivery of these pre-production vehicles, code-tagged
determining ranges up to 2,500m was available, and as by Porsche 'Model 814 ' , started early in 1963. (17 were
manufactured by Jung-Jungenthal, another 17 by Luther
* The Leopard actually calTies five types of ammunition: APDS, and Jordan of Braunschweig, and the remaining 16 by
HEAT, HESH , HEP and smoke . Maschinenbau GmbH of Kie1.) Meantime the intensive
activities at Meppen were continuing. Arduous test runs
were made in mud and sand and on steep slopes and in all
of them the Standardpanzer behaved impeccably. In the
Lefl and below lefl : Leopard s~cond series prototype: note lack of ditch crossing, fording, and submerged trials which
rangefinder and the mount for the ranging machine gun lRMG) in followed they were equally successful. By means of a
the mantlet. The RMG was replaced by an optical rangefinder
snorkel mounted on the tank commander' s hatch a
because the former was found to limit the range of the lOSmm main
Standardpanzer was capable of submerging to a depth of
gun. Krauss Maffe i
5. 3m, and during both deep fording tests - up to the turret
Below: Pre-production Leopards showing exhaust louvres' roof line - and in the submerged trials it proved possible
differences. Note lack of optical rangefinder; all these vehicles have to shut off the engine and re-start it after a 10min interval.
ranging machine guns. Krauss Maffei Cold weather trials were conducted during the winter
months of 1962-63 at the Munsingen proving ground in Right: The IOSmm-armed AMX-30 which the French decided to
Swabia. The object of these tests was to ascertain the develop instead of continuing collaboration with the Germans on the
Europanzer. ECP Armees
behaviour of the vehicles at low temperatures and in snow
and ice. Their results were assessed as satisfactory,
Below righr: Pre-production Leopards showing different AA and
revealing much useful information which was subse­ coaxial machine gun mounts. Krauss Maffei
quently put to good use in developing tracks with a high
cohesive power.
In October 1962 comparative trials were staged with a replaced the earlier 250krn road run . (On I October the
Standardpanzer competing against the French prototype Standardpanzer had been redesignated Leopard and it was
AMX-30. Observers from the US, the Netherlands, and under their new name that the German vehicles operated
Belgium attended these trials , which focused on a 250km from now on. *) Both German and French tanks were
road test and a five-hour cross-country run - each to be again judged to have performed equally in this road run.
completed without any breakdown and in the shortest The results of the remaining tests were much the same;
possible time. The results favoured the Standardpanzer it seemed that there was little to choose between the
which attained an average cruising speed of 60. 8kmlhr in Leopard and the AMX-30. However it did appear that
the road test, while the French prototype vehicle achieved despite its greater combat weight (40ton as against the
an average speed of only 50kmlhr. Similarly in the AMX-30's 36ton) the Leopard had a better cross-country
cross-country runs the Standardpanzer was equally performance than the French tank , could move just as fast
successful, completing the tests without breakdown and on roads (about 10% quicker in fact) and had 18% better
at average speeds of 24kmlhr. The minor faults which did acceleration. Because the French gun fired only a
show up during these trials were easily corrected, and the spin-stabilised shaped-charge projectile while the L7
modifications fed back to be embodied in the design of the British gun in the Leopard fired three types of ammunition
pre-production and production models. no valid comparison of the main armaments of the two
Despite the superior performance of the Standardpan­ tanks was deemed possible. In any event the French were
zer compared with the French prototype the foregoing not prepared to accept the conclusions of the Italian
trials were not considered definitive, however, and in evaluation team - to the effect that the Leopard was
September 1963 a fresh series of exhaustive technical and marginally superior to their AMX. And as changes in
tactical comparative trials were carried out between France's defence posture meant that no money would be
Standardpanzers and French tanks (which had by this available for the purchase of tanks until 1965 at the
time been officially designated AMX-30) . So far as the earliest, the French decided to opt out of the joint
Germans were concerned the die was cast in as much as development of the Europanzer and to press on with the
during the July preceding the new trials the German development of their own AMX-30. For their part the
Defence Committee had decided to mass produce their Germans were now set on replacing the Bundeswehr's
improved version of the Standard panzer and equip the ageing M47s with the Leopard, and DM150,000million
Bundeswehr with it. But the trials went ahead, directed by were allocated for this purpose in the Defence Budget of
an evaluation committee composed entirely of Italians , 1964 . In due course this was to lead to the firm of
watched by French and German experts and attended by Krauss-Maffei AG of Munich being charged with setting
observers from Belgium and the Netherlands. up an assembly line and organising the preparations for
The tactical trials started on 16 September 1963 at the production of 1,500 Leopards - an order that was
Mailly-Ie-Camp, the French Proving Ground in subsequently increased to 1,800.
Champagne Province, with five German and five French Meantime development of the pre-production models
tanks participating. The first test was a 300krn run and all was continuing. An intensive study was made of the fire
10 tanks took part. One French and one German tank control system - the optical equipment in particular. And
failed to finish the course because of engine failure, and by 1964 approximately 7,300 rounds of ammunition had
the German tank had to be withdrawn from the been fired from the guns of seven of the vehicles
competition because a crane was needed to remove and participating in the tests , and 8,000 rounds of machine
replace the powerpack , and the rules of the competition gun ammunition. Simultaneously six other Leopards
did not permit this. The next trial was a gruelling two-day were tested and tried on road and cross-country runs , in
performance test under simulated battle conditions, and at ditch crossing operations, and on steep gradients. (All in
the end of it both French and German tanks were judged to all these six vehicles covered some 68,600-49 ,600km on
be about equal. Comparative engineering trials followed, roads and 19 ,OOOkrn cross-country.) And in J u Iy 1964
with the AMX-30 being tested at Bourges and Satory there was an underwater test. Near the road bridge at
while the German vehicles were tested at Meppen . In
effect these particular trials were virtually a repetition of * For the past 40 years Genna n armoured fighting vehicles have
those of October 1962, except that a lOOkrn lest - half of been named after feroc ious wild animals - such as tige r,
which had to be run with petrol and diesel respectively ­ panther, grizzly bear etc .

16
 on the

, " runs, in
.: ~:ents. (All in
_-:-! ,600kmon
- ...::.L _J July 1964

- ,~ : h as tiger,

17

 the crew and engine compartment ventilation systems.

Left: In 1967·68 the Dutch Army tested the Leopard I and Chieftain.
They eventually ordered 453 Leopards which were delivered In April 1965 another two of the Standardpanzers were
1969·71. This vehicle shows the Dutch stowage box modification on
tested at the Belgian Armoured Warfare School at
hull sides but has not yet been fitted with smoke dischargers, of
Leopoldsbourg by the Belgian Army, and in January
which the Dutch have their own variety. Dutch Amly
1966 two pre·production Leopards were sent to Britain in
exchange for two Chieftains for comparative trials in both
Rodenkirchen three Leopards fitted with snorkels countries. Meantime a series of cold weather and snow
successfully crossed and recrossed the Rhine - which is trials had been mounted at Camp Shilo in Canada; these
4m deep and 320m wide in this area. While they were ran from December 1965 until February 1966. Then in
submerged control of the Leopards was exercised by October 1966 the Norwegian Army began a series of
radio signals picked up by an aerial mounted on the evaluation trials at Trandum and Snoeheim in Norway,
snorkel. On surfacing all three tanks fired their main which lasted a year. Finally, between December 1967 and
armament and machine guns, to demonstrate they were May 1968 the Dutch Army also tested two Leopards and
unaffected by their submergence. two Chieftains at their Armoured School in Amersfoort.
When France opted out of the development of a From all these trials the Leopard emerged with flying
Europanzer, Italy - the third partner in the trilateral colours, resulting in Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium
arrangement - was in a difficult position. Like the and subsequently Italy deciding to equip their armies with
Bundeswehr the Italian Army was equipped with the the Leopard.
obsolete M47 which had to be replaced, and the Leopard But this was not the end of the story. In June 1974
was one of the possibilities the Italian considered. Thus it Denmark also decided to equip her army with Leopards
was that between May and July 1964 two of the and ordered 120. Then, after comparative trials between
pre· production Standardpanzers were put through yet the Leopard and the American M60Al, Australia
another set of proving trials at the Italian Annoured Corps ordered 90 of the latest mark of Leopard - the I A3 for
Training Centre at Cape Teulada on the southern coast of delivery between 1977 and 1981. And during June 1976
Sardinia. Initially these trials were conducted by teams of Canada decided to buy 114 Leopard I A3s, fitted with
Italian and German experts, but when the Italians had Belgian computerised fire control systems and laser
collected sufficient results for their evaluation, the rangefinders, for delivery in 1978. Greece finally
German team prolonged the trials in order to gather more ordered 106 MBTs and four ARVs to be produced
data regarding the behaviour of the Leopard during between Feb 1983 and Apr 1984 by Krauss Maffei (73)
driving and firing at high temperatures over extremely and MaK (43 plus ARVs) with an option for a further
difficult terrain. These tests showed conclusively that the llOMBTs. Turkey has ordered 81 MBTs and four ARVs
optical equipment, the gun and machine guns, the (54 by Krauss Maffei, 27 by MaK). Italy has talked
suspension , the power train and the cooling system were about a new order for a further 160 'specialised versions'
capable of standing up to high temperatures. Furthermore of the Leopard I. Since the time of writing 225 of the
the dust clouds raised by the vehicles travelling at about Bundeswehr's 420 Gepards have been fitted with laser
40kmlhr on the road tests demonstrated the efficiency of rangefinders.
18
O!

2. Production of the
Leopard

As mentioned earlier the design and development of the assembly line. For Krauss-Maffei they were two years of
26 prototypes of the Leopard was undertaken by a group feverish activity. Before production could start th e
of designers from various firms. To mass produce the new activities of all the 2,700 odd firms participating in the
tank, however, the German Ministry of Defence decided project had to be coordinated, an assembly line set up ,
to utilise another group of firms and to appoint a general techniques devi sed to monitor production at vari ous
contractor who would coordinate production and be stages and special tools developed and manufactured ,
responsible for quality control of the components and technical manual s com piled. In the event the fir st Leopard
sub-assemblies provided by the subcontractors, assembly to be completed left the assembly line on 9 Se ptember
of the vehicl~s , their final testing and their maintenance 1965 and was officially ' taken over' at a ceremony
after delivery. Four different finTIs or groups of firms attended by Germany 's Minister of Defence.
tendered for this ' management' contract, and in the To ensure a smooth flow, the assembly line is
summer of 1963 the German Ministry of Defence composed of 17 individual assembly stations connected
announced that it had been awarded to Krauss-Maffei of by a roller conveyor. Each station has a pre-assembly
Munich - a well-known engineering company with over a
century's experience in building railway locomotives.
Below: Leopard I production line at Munich. Krauss Maffei
Wegmann and Co of Kassel, an armaments firm which
produced turrets for the Tiger tank during World War 2
and which had developed the turrets for the protoytpe
Leopards, was given the contract for producing the turrets
needed for the series production of the new vehicle.
Rheinmetall GmbH of Dusseldorf, another firm having
long association with the armaments industry , was to be
responsible for the gun systems and minor assemblies in
the turrets . Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU) of
Friedrichshafen was to produce the engine designed for
the Leopard by Daimler-Benz, and Zahnradfabrik
Friedrichshafen AG, also of Friedrichshafen , would
manufacture the transmission system. Over and above
these firms manufacturing the major components, about
2,700 other companies are currently involved in the
Leopard project, manufacturing and assembling parts .
For example Blohm and Voss AG of Hamburg, a
well-known ship-building firm , produces the tank's hulls.
Similarly the huge electrical engineering corporation of
Allgemeine Elektrizitats-Gesellschaft AEG-Telefunken
of Frankfurt supplies the infra-red night sights and the
combined infra-red/white light searchlight with which the
Leopard is equipped . (A brief review of the other main
firms involved in the manufacture of Leopard and its
, :' - -\-~- .. .-'" .
associated vehicl es is contained in Appendix 2.)
Two years elapsed between the signing of the contracts .' t ~~...- - t'll· l_ -

and the first series production Leopard rolling off the

19
area, and the flow from them is controlled in accordance driven away under its own power to a test track for a series
with the output determined for any given day; some of of trial runs , which include tests on steep slopes and
them are used exclusively by Krauss-Maffei's inspection submergence. During the trials the tank's performance
department. Delivery of components and parts is linked to and that of its components are closely monitored and any
the output rate and each component and part is subjected faults that become apparent are corrected. The radio
to inspection before it is embodied in the next stage of system is also installed and tested in this last phase of
production. For example the hulls - coming from Blohm production. Finally the vehicle is turned over to an
and Voss AG - are subjected to careful dimensional independent team of inspectors of the Bundeswehr.
checks before they are moved to the assembly line. (This By the end of 1965 about 600 Leopards had been
despite the fact that they have already been checked in produced, and the German Army had already taken over
Hamburg.) Similarly the powerplant (engine, cooling about 100; 50 more were now coming off Krauss­
system and gear box - all of which are made by different Maffei's assembly line every month. Reference has
firms) are tested separately before they are assembled at a already been made to the Belgians and Norwegians and
separate subsidiary powerplant assembly line. Then, in Dutch deciding to re-equip their armies with Leopards;
its assembled fonn, the complete powerplant is tested to the Belgians placed an order for 334 Leopards in
see if it functions properly before it is moved to the December 1967 - of which the first was delivered two
assembly line proper. months later; Norway ordered 78 in November 1968; the
The turret is mounted on the hull and the tracks fitted at Netherlands followed with a contract to buy 415 in the
the two last stations. The engine is then started up and following month and subsequently increased the order to
after a brief final check-out the completed Leopard is 468. Then , following evaluation trials in September
1969, the Italians arranged to buy 200 Leopards from
Germany in addition to producing 600 others under
Le{(: Leopard lA4 turrets being fitted with IOSmm guns at
licence. These were manufactured by a consortium of
Rheinmetall's Dusseldorf facility . Rheinmetall firms including Fiat, Breda and Lancia and directed by
OTO Melara of La Spezia. Production in Italy was to have
Beluw: Leopards ARVs and Marder MICVs (right) in production begun in 1972 and completed in 1974 but the first Leopard
at Krupp MaK at Kiel. Krupp MaK tA2 (which was the version ultimately built in Italy) only
rolled off the assembly line in September 1974 and the system. Canada too decided in June 1976 to buy 114
order - since increased from 600 to 720 - is still in Leopard 1A3s. Finally there have been the orders from
production. Turkey (150 of the lA3 version, 40 of which had been
In the event the Italians took delivery of their first delivered by the end of 1977) and the interest expressed
Leopards in the spring 1970; these were produced in by Greece in producing the Leopard under licence.
Germany and destined to become ' demonstration' tank s Meanwhile back in Germany the Bundeswehr had
at the Italian Armoured Corps School at Caserta. The increased their demands from the initial I ,500 to 2, 187 in
balance of the 200 ordered from Germany followed and 1972 and to 2,437 in 1974. In sum this meant that by the
by early 1973 the three armoured regiments of the end of 1976 firm orders had been placed for 4 ,561
Pozzuolo del Friuli Brigade had received their full quota Leopards, of which 4,171 had actually been produced.
of Leopards.
Denmark in June 1974 ordered 120 of the latest model
of Leopard - at that time the I A3 with deliveries to begin NOTE ON THE DISPOSAL OF THE LEOPARDS
in 1976 . They were delivered between March 1978 and WHICH ARE NOW IN SERVICE:
November 1978. Australia followed up with an order for West Germany
90 Leopard I A3s - they were delivered between 1976-78 In 1978 the Government of the German Federal Republic
and were fitted with the Belgian SABCA fire control announced that it was reorganising the Bundesw~hr, and
 Right: Leopard Is of the Belgian
Army . Note replacement of the
uced. usual MG3 on the turret by a FN
7.62mm MAG weapon .
S tephen Tunbridge

LE OPARDS Below: Italian Leopard IA2

produced in Italy by OTO Melara
of La Spezia. The Italians expect to
produce 600-800 Leopards.
OTO Me/ara
that the German Army will eventually have 16 Panzer Above; Norwegian Leopard 1 on exercise. The Norwegian Army
brigades, of three tank battalions eac h and 20 ordered 78 MBTs and 6 ARVs delivered 1965-71. MoD
Panzergrenadier brigades with two tank battalions each.
Each tank battalion will have three companies with 10
tanks each (each company having three platoons of three
tanks at battalion HQ - giving a total of 33 tanks per lieu of the MG3 machine gun , the Dutch have mounted
battal ion) . Belgi an-made MAG machine guns on their Leopards,
Dutch smoke dischargers in banks of six and optical
[taly sights to use the British L52 APDS round.
In the Italian Army the Leopard tank regiments have 45
tanks - 10 in eac h of four squ adrons and five with the Norway
regi mental HQ . Norway ' s 78 Leopards have been issued to the tank
regiment in the Northern Brigade, and to one battalion of
Belgium the Southern Brigade.
The Belgian armoured regiments to which Leopards have
Australia
been assigned are organised into independent sq uadron s
The 90 Leopards purchased by Australia have been used
or squadron groups , each of three squadron s with 17 tank s
to equip a single Leopard battalion .
per squadron.
Canada
The Netherlands Most of the 114 Leopards, called the CI by the
Like the Belgians , the Dutch have assigned their Canadians , bought by Canada will be issued to the 4th
Leopard s to 17-tank squadrons (each of three platoons Canadian Mec hanised Brigade Group , which is currently
with five tank s apiece and two with the squadron HQ). In assigned to NATO.
24
 3. Characteristics of the

Leopard 1

The Leopard has a crew of four - commander, driver, exhaust heat of the heating system can be used to preheat
loader and gunner, and in common with most other battle the coolant in the radiator and air from the heated crew
tanks the driver sits in the front part of the hull while the compartment can be blown over the batteries to warm
other three members of the crew are located in the turret. them. In hot weather the heating system's fresh air blower
The latter rotates through 3600 and houses the main can be used as a fan. But , to anyone who has travelled in a
armament and the two machine guns as well as the crew. Leopard the outstanding sensation is one of an incredibly
On the assumption that in battle the crew be confined to smooth and quiet ride even when moving fast over rough
their vehicle for prolonged periods of time the vehicle has ground. The main reason for this may be attributed to the
been designed and fitted out in such a way as to make life torsion bar suspension system which uses seven
as comfortable as possible. Apart from conventional road wheels on each side with wide roadwheel travel. This
features such as padded seats and an electric heater to wide travel allied with five hydraulic shock absorbers
cook food and prepare hot drinks, the Leopard's air reduces pitch and roll vibrations even at high speeds over
conditioning, ventilation and heating systems make life
inside the tank considerably more bearable than is
generally the case is most fighting vehicles. To make Below: Early production Leopard I - note verticals on exhaust
engine starting easier in cold weather conditions the louvres at rear of hull . Krauss Maffei

_-\rmy

~;malion of

25
Right: Detail of commander's hatch
on the Leopard IA4 with telescope
guard on left of photograph .

Below right : Detail of loader's hatch

showing MG3 mount and
periscopes.

Below: The main armament of the

Leopard I is the British-made L 7A3
I 05mm gun. This drawing shows
the in-turret components: 1 gun
barrel; 2 gun cradle and shield ; 3
recoil guard; 4 main gun empty
cartridge bag; 5 scavenging system;
6 empty cartridge bag for coaxial
7.62mm machine gun; 7 coaxial
machine gun with electrical firing
mechanism. Krauss Maffei

Right: Closeup of the MG3 7.62mm

machine gun and four smoke
dischargers. The photograph also
shows clearly the spaced armour
retrofitted to Leopard lAls to bring
them to IAIAI standard.
Michael Ledford

26
cross-country terrain , and makes for crew comfort and a The gun can be layed either manually or by an
stable gun platform . electro-hydraulic drive system , and an override control
The first Leopards (designated Leopard I) were enables the tank commander to take over the gunner's
equipped with the 10Smm high-performance gun; this functions of sighting, laying and firing. Elevation range is
was designed and built in Britain although the German between _9° and +20°. The weapon itself has
versions were fitted with improved breech and recoil demonstrated remarkable accuracy with tests showing
mechanisms. (The decision to equip NATO tanks with that the L7 A3 gun firing APDS ammunition can put 99
guns of 10Smm was taken after a NATO study which rounds out of 100 into a tank turret target measuring
concluded that the prospective combat ranges in Central 0.80m by I.SOm at a 1,000m, achieve a 100% hit rate
Europe would be about 2,000m . The 10Smm gun is firing at a tank size target at the same distance, 98% rate at
accurate and effective well beyond this range.) The gun 2,OOOm and an 89% rate at 3,OOOm.
consists of a rifled tube with 28 grooves and, to prevent The ammunition racks are located in both turret and
toxic fumes getting into the crew compartment, a bore hull, within easy reach of the loader : 60 rounds are
evacuator is fitted in the middle of the tube. The bore carried, 19 of which are in the turret, the other 41 in a rack
evacuator is a hollow sleeve around the gun tube . When a on the left of the driver. The Leopard carries three
round is fired some of the propellant gases enter the different types of armour-piercing ammunition - APDS,
evacuator through gas ports in the tube. As soon as the HEAT, HESH and smoke. Because of its flat trajectory
shell leaves the muzzle of the gun the gas collected in the and high velocity the APDS projectiles arc accurate and
evacuator flows rapidly back through these ports, effective even at long range: the shaped charge HEAT
dragging the propellant gases in the rear half of the tube rounds are capable of defeating the armour of any tank
forward and out of the muzzle. The breech mechanism is currently in service; while the HESH projectiles are
semi-automatic, having a horizontal sliding breech block mUlti-purpose rounds for use against both hard and soft
which opens automatically after a round has been fired targets.
and then closes automatically when a new round has been The Leopard's secondary armament comprises two
loaded. This makes for a high rate of fire - in the order of 7.62mm MG3 machine guns with 5,500 rounds of
9-IOround/min. As a further measure to prevent fumes ammunition , 1,000 of which are carried in the turret. One
from residual gases in the spent cases fouling the crew of the machine guns is mounted coaxiall y to the left of the
compartment when the breech of the gun is opened, the main gun; the second can be mounted on the turret roof
spent cases are collected in a bag which is fitted to an beside either the commander's or loader' s hatch for
extractor/scavenging system. anti-aircraft defence . The MG3 is an improved version of

= IC)
 Left: The MTU MB838 CaMSOO
diesel engine as installed in Leopard
1. MTU

Below: Details of main components

of the Belgian SABCA fire control
system which is installed in Leopard
Is of the Australian, Canadian and
Belgian armies. SABCA

the famous MG42 with a cyclic rate of fire of The Leopard's fire control system is an elaborate one .
l2round/min . Like its predecessor which made an Fourteen periscopes are provided, eight for the
enviable name for itself with both the Wehrmacht and the commander, three for the driver, two for the loader and
Allies in World War 2, the MG3 is a most reli able one for the gunner; this makes for good all round vision
weapon, well able to resist dirt and rough treatment. The even when the hatches are closed. A variable power
coaxial gun is equipped with an electrical firing (x6-x20 magnification) panoramic zoom telescope is
mechanism and follows the laying movements of the mounted on the turret roof in front of the commander'S
main armament. lfthe need arises however both machine hatch, and even in poor light the commander can observe
guns can be dismounted and used in a ground role. the terrain and range targets. A flexible shaft connecting
There are also two sets of four 76mm smoke the telescope and azimuth indicator enables the target to
dischargers . Firing them either in a single volley or in two be tracked while the turret is being tranversed. For night
volleys of four produces an 80m wide smokescreen at a fighting the panoramic telescope can be replaced by an
distance of approximately 60m from the tank. This infra-red sighting device which operates in conjunction
particular type of smoke grenade launcher has been in with an infra-red searchlight; this searchlight can also
service with the Bundeswehr for some considerable time project white light. For the gunner there is a binocular
and is regarded as completely reliable. rangefinder and a coaxial monocular telescope. The
28
 d bove left behind, Oil
MTU
( diesel from abo,ve2 rightCrankfront
casean a '3 Heater
intake, plugs;
) I Water 4,
mamfold, ,2
I pumps, er (Rear ,5
Front) ' I '5
FueFuel filter,, 6 Supercharg
'to pumps, , '4 Fuel injector,
Supercharger mam han~er; 70iltilter;
reserVOIr, 'fold' 31nJec r 8 Oil filler;
Exhaust; 6 Heat exc
9 Dipstick,

··-6

29

rangefinder, which can be used for both stereoscopic and the hull; the tank can also be driven from a secondary
coincidence ranging, doubles as a sighting device. All driving position in the upper part of the turret and this is
three optical sighting devices are fitted with automatic customarily used when the vehicle is fording a water
flash shutters which close the sights for a quarter of a obstacle.
second when the gun is fired so that the muzzle flash does For night driving the driver has an infra-red
not blind the crew. 'driverscope'. Infra-red filters are mounted on the
The engine and transmission of the Leopard are at the vehicle's headlights and the driverscope replaces the
rear. The engine is a 37.4litre lO-cylinder 90° V -type middle of the driver' s three periscopes. The commander
supercharged diesel capable of running on either diesel can also replace his front periscope with a second
fuel (F-54) or jet fuel (F-40). Based on a 1960 infra-red driverscope and so help the driver to negotiate
Daimler-Benz design it is not only powerful but compact difficult terrain.
also - enabling a complete automotive unit to be replaced Mention has been made earlier of the Leopard's torsion
in about 20min with the help of the Leopard armoured bar suspension system, which is rugged, simple and
recovery vehicle. The motor is liquid cooled, and has a extremely effective . The system consists of seven
dry-sump lubrication system which assures the oil rubber-tyred light alloy road wheels on each side,
being circulated even when the vehicle is inclined at an mounted on road arms connected to individual torsion
acute angle. At 2,200rev/min it develops an output of bars which run transversely across the hull. Between road
830hp which gives the vehicle a road speed of wheels one and two, two and three , four and five , six and
65kmJh(40mph). Fuel capacity of 9851itre(217 Imp gal) seven there are four small diameter support rollers. The
and a consumption (of diesel) on roads of l65litrell00km first three of these and the last two road wheels have
gives the Leopard a range of some 600km (375 miles). hydraulic shock absorbers and there are buffer springs to
The Leopard's transmission has four forward and two serve as bump stops and to limit the torsion angles of the
reverse speeds and is equipped with a hydraulic torque torsion bars.
convertor, electro-hydraulic gear changing and a bypass The tracks themselves are high alloy steel connected by
clutch - a combination which enables the driver to change double pins , rubber-bushed, and fitted according to the
gear rapidly and easily even when moving over difficult circumstances either with 55cm wide slide-in rubber track
terrain. Speed, mobility and manoeuvrability provide pads or steel anti-skid combat tracks with a ground
good additional protection for a tank, and in the Leopard contact of 4.23m (13ft I lin). There are also special
this is achieved by providing two gear shift positions for spiked track pads for use in snow . Changing from one set
forward travel: ' forward cross-country' and ' forward ' . In of tracks to another takes approximately two hours .
the 'forward cross-country' position the torque converter The electrical system operates at 24 V on eight batteries
is connected in the first three gears - depending on the located in the fighting compartment, and is charged by a
vehicle' s speed; consequently the driver can overcome three-phase generator . The whole system is controlled by
small obstacles without having to shift and so does not run a master switch on the driver's instrument panel, and the
the risk of stalling the engine at a critical moment. In the electrics in the turret are connected to the main power
'forward' position however, the torque converter is supply by way of a slip ring. All the cables are water and
switched on in the first gear only, the clutch being dustproof, detachable and easily replaced.
operated when the other gears are shifted. This increases The hull of the Leopard is fabricated from steel armour
the efficiency of the transmission and effects a marked plates welded together, while the turret is cast in one
saving in fuel. piece; the sllspension is protected by lateral skirting
The Leopard is steered by a two-radii cross-drive plates. Although the characteristics and thickness of the
steering transmission. This, together with the shift armour plate and the armour steel of the hull remain
transmission, fan drive and summation gears, is installed classified, it is estimated that the armour on the front of
in a common hOllsing and actuated mechanically and the hull is about 70mm thick and that of the turret about
hydraulically. The large steering radius is designed for 52mm thick. This will not afford the same degree of
high speeds on roads, and if the driver turns the steering protection as the armour of the heavier British Chieftain,
handle beyond a pressure point of the large radius, the but within the constrictions of the specifications laid
small gear-dependent fixed radius is brought into action down the German designers accepted they could not hope
and this gives the vehicle tremendous manoeuvrability, to achieve complete immunity against armour piercing.
especially on cross-country terrain. It is hoped that these shaped charge, and squash-head projectiles. They elected
radii - which are relatively small for such a heavy vehicle to give priority to firepower and mobility (unlike Britain ,
- might enable the Leopard to evade a guided missile; the United States and the Soviet Union whose current
certainly by using its steering differential the tank can tanks all emphasise firepower and ballistic protection
twist and tum almost within its own length with great over mobility). However the Leopard has a low silhouette
rapidity. The steering handle , which looks like a and its curved surfaces increase the likelihood of
horizontal figure 8, is located in the right front portion of projectiles ricocheting off hull and turret. Furthermore
30
 ---- ---....,.
16
infra-red
- . ._ - ",:;
- o....C on the

17

24 23 22 21 20

1 horn 11 air cleaner blower 21 heater fuel pump

2 head light 12 fuse box 22 front bilge pump
3 side marker light 13 fuel tank 23 slip ring box
4 steering control 14 coolant pump 24 governor
5 quick-disconnect (slave gyro compass) 15 distributor box 25 CBR scavenger fan
6 control box 16 convoy light 26 automatic fuel cut-off
7 instrument panel 17 stop and B.O . stop light 27 CBR main fan
8 slave battery receptacle 18 rear bilge pump 28 foot dimmer switch
9 battery contactor 19 fuel leve l indicator sending unit
10 battery 20 tandem fuel pump

the openings and ballistic traps in the vehicle have been Above: Leopard electrical system.
reduced to a minimum, and the designers maintain that
the Leopard comes very close to the optimum ballistic protected from radioactive dust collecting on the outside
configuration of a main battle tank. of the vehicle, since the Leopard is virtually hermetically
A special camouflage paint protects the Leopard sealed and its ventilation and air conditioning systems can
_. .s : as t in one against detection by infra-red sighting devices at night, be adjusted to create a pressurised crew compartment
-"~f':-al skining and protection against heat detection is provided by supplied with filtered air. This means that on a nuclear
- ::::.. ::'-.'1 ';5S of the mixing the exhaust gases with air and so reducing their battlefield the Leopard would be able to cross safely a
- - - ~ hu ll remain temperature. stretch of radioacti ve ground or pass through a radioactive
_- - ~ front of Besides affording protection against missiles and dust cloud. Vehicles doing so would have to be
projectiles the armour of today's fighting vehicles has a decontaminated of course , but the Leopard is easy to
secondary role. It must be able to protect the crew from decontaminate and the filters in the air conditioning
the effects of nuclear radiation and the flash , heat and system are simple to exchange - although they are in fact
blast effects of a nuclear explosion . Armour plate is well designed to withstand several successive sorties through
suited to this task - although it must be added that nothing radioactive dust at concentrations which it is believed are
can be expected to protect tanks close to ground zero. The unlikely to occur.
blast wave from a powerful explosion quickly At this point mention must be made of the techniques
- "kc Britain, degenerates with distance and initial radioactive radiation used when the Leopard has to cross a water obstacle. Prior
:' ) 5e current is only effective up to a point where the blast wave will to such an operation all the chassis openings on the tank
ro rection cause heavy damage . Thermal radiation may scorch the are closed hydraulically - the muzzles of the guns are
._ : v ,;. silhouette outside of the vehicle some way beyond this point, and sealed, the range finder is covered by flaps operated from
- ~ Eh cod of even set paint and rubber components on fire - but the inside the tank and if the water is deep a snorkel is
crew inside a Leopard should be safe. They will also be mounted . This is a large diameter telescopic collapsible
31
 4. V

th

Current :\lod'
The first p~ ('
designated 5 :"-:­_~ _
time nearly :­ __

decided to ml ~­
first four pro.:_
and the mo L--:'-:-':'
Then, in 19- .1 , ­ ­
previous two :. __
version of the :...:
all incorpora:c-..:: -~
designated L.o-_.
impossible to .
Leopard I A.:
Leopard J,~__:
ment of the L ~__
Above: Leopard 1 equipped for deep fording during an exercise on degrees to dislodge the plugs on the coaxial MG3; the version in se:-._~
the River Moselle near Trier. Krauss Maffei muzzle cap on the main gun is penetrated as soon as a still more im;--:-:
round is fired and the flaps covering the chassis are (For specific::::.
opened merely by reducing the pressure in the hydraulic
ventilation tube carried in a bracket on the outside of the system which controls them.
tank. It is in three sections so can be adapted to the depth An efficient fire extinguishing system has been built
of the water. From the snorkel- which in effect raises the into the Leopard as a protection against attacks by napalm
height of the commander's hatch - the commander and other incendiary mixtures as well as the fl ash of a
controls the vehicle through the crew's intercom . The nuclear explosion, Fire extinguishing foam is piped from
preparations for such an operation take about IOmin, and two containers through nozzles which operate automati­
the vehicle is able to cross watercourses up to 4m deep. cally when the system is triggered by warning sensors at
During the crossing the air to the engine is taken in temperatures of 175°C . First the foam is sprayed over the
through the snorkel and passes to it via the crew entire compartment; if that is not sufficient the driver has
compartment. Spring loaded valves on the exhaust are two other extinguishers which can be operated manually.
switched on and off by a submergence hydraulic system, Radio communications are provided by an SEM25
allowing the exhaust gases to flow directly into the water. radio system composed of two sets. There is also an
To dissipate heat while submerged the cooling system is intercom system for the crew and an external telephone
flooded, but a thermostat control protects the engine from enabling the infantry to talk to a Leopard and vice versa.
undue cooling. Any water that has got into the vehicle is The two radio sets are frequency modulated transceivers
sucked out by two electric bilge pumps , one for the engine with a frequency range of 26-69.96MHz. A total of 880
and the other for the crew compartment. As soon as the channels are available for communications, 10 of which
obstacle has been crossed, the Leopard is ready to go into can be pre-set and changed quickly by means of a rotary
battle almost immediately. All that has to be done is to switch, Each transceiver is connected to its own 2.5m
discard the snorkel and traverse the turret through a few whip antenna and a special antenna tuning unit,
32
 4. Versions and Variants of

the Leopard 1

Current Models Leopard IAI (ex-Leopard, ex-Leopard I) and

The first production versions of the Leopard were Leopard IA2 (ex-Leopard A2)
designated simply Leopard. In 1968 however - by which The improvements which led to the eventual designation
time nearly 3,000 Leopards had been completed - a Leopard 1A2 included the fitting of a new stabilisation
variety of improvements were introduced and the tanks system to the main armament. This system, produced in
which incorporated them were designated Leopard A2, Germany at Mainz by Feinmechanische Werke and
the older ones being designated Leopard 1. In 1971 it was known as WSAI, reduces the time the tank has to remain
decided to modify all the old Leopards (Leopard 1 of the at rest while firing and enables both the target and the shot
first four production batches) issued to the Bundeswehr, fall to be observed while on the move. With it the Leopard
and the modified tanks were redesignated Leopard J AI. is said to have a 50% first-round hit probability, firing at a
Then, in 1974,232 Leopards built in Germany during the target range of 1 AOOm while travelling at a speed of
previous two years (the fifth production batch), and the 15-28kmlh (9-17 mph). With the better observation it
version of the Leopard built under licence in Italy which confers, the new stabilisation system makes for improved
all incorporated the same modifications as the lAl, were fire support and hence economy in the use of tanks in a fire
designated Leopard 1A2. In effect it is virtually support role. Because it enables a firing position to be
impossible to distinguish between a Leopard 1A 1 and a taken up more rapidly, it reduces the tank's vulnerability.
Leopard lA2. The original electro-hydraulic laying system did not have
Leopard JA3, produced in 1973-74, was a develop­ to be modified when the stabiliser was installed.
ment of the Leopard IA2; and Leopard 1A4, the latest Other improvements introduced into the Leopard IAI
version in service, is based on the lA3 but incorporates
-=....."c as soon as a still more improvements.
~: :!'::-: chassis are (For specifications of Leopard J see pJOS.) Below: Early production Leopard I. Krauss Maffei
_:= ~ ili ~ hydraulic

~ -- ~ _c:ae automati­
-=-uin g sensors at
..;; '7 :ayed over the
--~: m edriver has
_­ _ : ~:ed manually.
- .: : :.- an SEM25

33

,~ I~'
I
Above: Early production Leopard I . Note early pattern engine included a light alloy thermal sleeve fitted to the main
exhaust louvres, stowage of equipment on hull sides, stowage basket armament. This sleeve is similar to those fitted to the guns
at turret rear with box for infra-red searchlight when not in use.
carried by the AMX-30 and British Chieftain, and its
Krauss Maffei
purpose is to lessen any distortion of the barrel caused by
Below: Leopard I (fourth production batch). Krauss Maffei
uneven cooling after firing due to atmospheric conditions
- wind, rain or ice, etc - affecting only one side of the
barrel.
New tracks with flexible rubber pads which are ideal
for both road and cross-country travel were also fitted to
the Leopard I A I. For operations in deep snow or on ice
the pad at every eighth or ninth link can be replaced by a
special spiked crampon. At the same time mudguards and
 -.-.1,;;:.'-:
-~

Three views orthe Leopard lAI.

Note the eccentric rume extractor
on the I05mm gun and the lack or a
thermal sleeve ror the barrel .
Krauss Ma ffei

or on ice
~~ ~ ,::-. ~w
x :-q laced by a
guards and
This page and above right: Four
views of the Leopard tA2. All these
vehicles have thermal sleeves on
their tOSmm main guns and rubber
side skirts. The vehicle in
photograph at left has a wading
attachment over the comma nder's
position. Note the differences
between the Leopa rd 1A2 's cast
turret and the welded turret of the
Leopard lA3 (below right).
A ll Krauss Maffei
heavy steel-reinforced rubber skirts were fixed to the device preventing the commander' s hatch being opened if
sides of the vehicle to shield the suspension system. the pressure inside the crew compartment were at a level
These skirts, besides reducing the amount of dust, water which would endanger the crew while the tank was
or snow thrown up by the vehicle, protect the suspension wading through water.
against hollow charge projectiles.
The Leopard lA2 differs from the Leopard lAI in only Leopard IAIAl
minor respects. The Leopard lA2 has a stronger turret, Leopard I A I s have been retrofitted with spaced armour to
better filters in the ventilation system and the infra-red the turret and mantlet and have become Leopard lA I A Is.
equipment used by the commander and driver in the This modification has not been made to any Leopard
earlier Leopards was replaced by light amplification lA2s.
periscopes. A spotlight with an infra-red filter has also
replaced the left front head lamp. Among other minor Leopard lA3 (ex-Leopard A3)
improvements in the Leopard I A2 which deserve Leopard I A3 incorporated all the improvements of the
mention was new fording apparatus which included Leopard 1A2 together with others. Among these the most
lifejackets for the crew, and a longer tow cable than was noticeable is a completely new welded turret made from
issued to the Leopard 1AI. The latter had turned out to be spaced armour; this replaces the old cast turret. The space
too short, especially when tanks disabled during a fording between the armour plates is filled with a special material
or wading operation had to be pulled out of the ditch. The and it is claimed that this reduces the effect of the hollow
final improvement was the incorporation of an automatic charge ammunition still further. The turret in the Leopard

Left and overleaf. below righl and

lefl: Three views of the Leopard
IA3. Krauss Maffei

37
Above: Leopard tA2 (without skirts,left) compared to the tA3 . I A3 is about I .5cu.rn bigger than that of its predecessors,
Krauss Maffei making the crew compartment more comfortable. I IO of
the I A3 version were produced for the Bundeswehr in
1973-74, 120 for Denmark and 42 for Australia.

39
 Leopard lA4 (ex-Leopard A4)
Based on the I A3 the Leopard I A4 has the same turret but
with a marginally higher commander's cupola, In
addition it includes a new (COBELDA) fire control
system based on an electronic computer (the earlier
versions of the Leopard had a stereoscopic rangefinder
which served as the gunner's sight), and a daylight
infra-red panoramic telescope for the commander. 250 of
the Leopard 1A4 have been produced since 1974, and in
1975 it was proposed to produce another 250 but the
Bundeswehr did not confirm the order and it lapsed .
As a result of all the improvements the combat weight
of the Leopard has risen from 40,000kg (Leopard) to
41 ,500kg (I A I) , 42,500kg (I A2 and I A3), Nevertheless
until they are replaced by another generation of tanks the
Leopards now in service will probably continue to be
modified to incorporate further improvements. One such
modification currently being effected is the fitting of all
Leopards with the completely new (GWS-2HR-A)
automatic gear selector developed by Zahnradfabrik
Friedrichshafen AG,

Optional Leopard 1 Equipment

Krauss Maffei offer a number of modification kits for the
Leopard J which include a number of items - stowage
boxes on hull side , SABCA fire control system - already

Be/ow and righl : Head on ,'iews of Leopard J A4. The ribbing on

glacis plate is to hold snow/ice grousers, visible on photograph at

right . Krauss Ma/Tei

I, -.
40
l~ ..... \.~ '
"p

-. ..
•

----. ~ ­
~ .
. ~ .
.
'

41
adopted by other countries (Holland and Belgium Machinenbau GmbH of Kiel, and Ingenieurburo Dr Hopp
respectively). Other modifications are: additional armour - suggested that a more powerful version of Leopard I
for turret (cfLeopard IA lA I) , stowage of all ammunition could be developed by replacing the L7 gun with a
below turret ring (which reduces dramatically turret fire 120mm smoothbore weapon, and by fitting a new engine
risks), armoured side skirts, automatic transmission , the and heavier armour. This tank - to be known as the
stowage box and fire control system alterations ' Improved' Leopard or Leopard I A5 - was offered to the
mentioned, dozer blade (Australia has adopted this), new lranian Government of the Shah which at the time of its
gunner' s sight, new snorkel, passive searchlight, passive demise was considering buying 1,000 of them.
commander's and driver's periscopes, a tropical kit and a In 1975 also another consortium of German and Italian
stabilisation system for the main gun. firms (Krauss-Maffei, Dr Hopp, Blohm & Voss, Diehl
KG Remscheid , Arnold lung, MaK Maschinenbau
Projected developments GmbH, Luther-Werke of Braunschweig. OTO Melara,
In 1975 a consortium of firms - Blohm and Voss, MaK Fiat and Lancia) was formed whose aim was to produce in
 Italy a cheaper version of the Leopard 1. The hull, engine, though the name was subsequently changed to Leone
transmission and armament were to be the same as those (Lion), and the intention was to market it to Middle East
of the Leopard 1, and so too would the electrical and and Third World countries. The German firms in the
optical systems - with the exception of the electro­ consortium would produce approximately 50% of the
hydraulic stabilisation system fitted to the main gun; the components, including hull, engine and transmission,
latter would be replaced by a less expensive Swiss while the Italians produced the remaining 50% ­
system. But the turret would be different, being including the turret, the armament and electrical
constructed from angled welded steel plates. Initially this equipment; the Italian firm of OTO Melara would also be
version of the Leopard was designated the Leopardino, responsible for assembling the vehicles at La Spezia. The
- 5: '0 55, Diehl first prototype was to be completed in 1977 and it was
.: . l3S hinenbau hoped that the Leone would go into series production in
'= ;' OTO Melara , late 1978 . (In the event the tank did not attract the
~ :o produce in Four views of the Leopard IA4. Krauss Maffei (2): BdV: Krupp MaK attention that was hoped for.)
"

5.

Above and right: Two views of the

Leopard tAtAt- the updated and
uparmoured version of the Leopard
t and tAl-showing clearly Ihe
additional mantlel armour and the
side and rear turret armour which
covers the stowage baskets, Both
vehicles have thermal sleeves on
their IOSmm main guns and early
e~hausllouvres, Wegmann

44
5. Derivatives of the

Leopard 1

To sustain the efficiency of modern tanks on the

battlefield specialised support vehicles are needed.
Ideally such vehicles should have similar characteristics
in terms of speed , mobility and protection to the tanks
they are supporting. Ideally also, to ease production,
maintenance and training problems, both tanks and
support vehicles should be constructed from the same
components. Plans for a ' family ' of support vehicles
based on the Leopard started early in the development
phase and led eventually to the series production of
armoured recovery, armoured engineer and bridgelaying
vehicles. An anti-aircraft tank, the 'Jepard (Hunting
Leopard), has also gone into production, and there have
been studies in the design of a self-propelled 155mm
gun/howitzer, using the Leopard chassi s . The turret for
this gUn/howitzer has been developed in France for
mounting on an AMX-30 hull, and as the original
Europanzer specification stipulated turret rings for both
AMX-30 and Leopard, the Germans had no problem

Above and left : A private venture

between Krauss MalTei and GIAT
of France involved the marrying of
a Leopard chassis with a French
155mm GeT turret. (A
specification for this project can be
found on pliO.) Krauss M affei

45
 mounting a French 155mm gun/howitzer turret on a Leopard I . Only the recovery and lifting equipment had
Leopard in 1973. But the Bundeswehr is committed to the to be developed, built and tested. Prototypes were
development of a 155mm self-propelled gun in a joint produced by the firm of Jung-Jungenthal in September
programme with Britain, and interest in the Leopard SP 1966 and in due course the vehicle went into series
gun project appears to have waned. production under the auspices of MaK Maschinenbau
GmbH of Kiel. The suspension, tracks and powerpack
Armoured Recovery Vehicle (Bergepanzer Leopard) (including the cooling and exhaust system) are identical
(For specification see p109) with those of the Leopard I. So too are the ventilation and
The role of armoured recovery vehicles is the recovery or heating systems, NBC protection, driver's seat,
repair of tanks which have broken down or been disabled commander's hatch , tool kit and most of the other
on the battlefield. In World War 2 many disabled tanks equipment carried in the vehicle; the fuel system is almost
had to be abandoned because of a lack of suitable identical.
I recovery vehicles, a lesson the Germans remembered. In The crew is four - commander, driver and two
II consequence, studies on the design of an armoured recovery mechanics - and the ARV can cruise at speeds
I, recovery vehicle started while the Leopard was at the up to 65km1h , with a range of 800krn. It can cross water
prototype stage. The Bundeswehr' s experience with the obstacles with a depth of about 2m without any auxiliary
American armoured recovery vehicle then in service with equipment , and with the Leopard snorkel kit it can
the German Army - the M74 and M88 - was put to good undertake submerged operations to a depth of 4m.
use by Porsche ' s design team, and the chassis of the new The most striking feature of the vehicle is its
Bergepanzer was created from proven components of the traversable jib-boom which can be used to lift

-
-­- -- -
-
-­
--­
- ~:-

-
 Left: Leopard ARV recovering a
waterlogged Leopard I. Note use of
dozer blade by ARV as a brace.
Kl11ppMaK

BelolY left: Another view of a

Leopard I recovery by an ARV.
Krauss Maffei

Right: Rear view of the product

improved Leopard 1 ARV, 100 of
which have been delivered to the
German Army . This version of the
ARV has a hydraulic jack mounted
at right rear and a more powerful
crane. Krupp MaK

components up to 20tonne (19. 7ton) in weight; this can vehicle consisting of two sets of three projectors which
~. _ :o::ypes were include a complete turret or a powerpack . A hydraulically are fired electrically. The radio which has a range of25km
:n September operated dozer blade at the front of the vehicle is used and communication equipment are similar to that in the
either for clearance work or as an earth anchor for heavy Leopard .
pulls or lifts. Used as a dozer the vehicle van move up to The German Army has already taken delivery of 444 of
200cu mlh, and with additional side attachments the the original Bergepanzers and a further 100 of the
width of the blade can be extended to 3. 75m . If required it improved version, which has an increased lifting capacity
can be fitted with four scarifiers to rip up the surface of and is fitted with a stabilising jack at the rear of the hull.
roads . Six of the original model have been supplied to Australia,
The ARV has two winches. The main one, a tow winch 36 to Belgium, eight to Canada, 69 to Italy, 52 to the
with a horizontal cable drum, is mounted in the centre of Netherlands and six to Norway.
the operating compartment; the cable itself has a diameter
::-.''- er and two of 33mm and a length of 90m. In a straight pull it can Armoured Engineer Vehicle (Pionierpanzer Leopard)
~J i se at speeds move 35tonne (34.5ton) and up to 70tonne (69ton) if a (For specifications see p109)
- :-2..., cross water guide pulley is used . A hydraulically driven cable The armoured engineer vehicle, first produced in 1968
. __: :my auxiliary tensioning device automatically extends or rewinds the and manufactured by MaK Maschinenbau of Kie l, was
- '-=: ki t it can cable . The second winch, a hoisting winch with a vertical designed to meet the requirements of NATO armoured
_ :...::. of 4m. cable drum , is mounted on the right hand side of the crew engineer units and it can carry out a wide range of
its compartment. To ensure that the cable is properly wound engineer tasks. It was developed from the armoured
:c 'J.sed to lift when it is retracted there are guiding grooves on the drum recovery vehicle, which externally it closely resembles.
and, when the cable is wound off, three turns remain on However, in place of the spare powerpack on the rear
the drum to maintain friction when the cable is under deck of the recovery vehicle, the Pionierpanzer carries a
tension. large earth-auger; it also has a ladder mounted on the
Finally, over and above the standard tools for motor jib-boom. The auger can be used to excavate foxholes,
vehicle servicing and maintenance - such as lifting jacks, and 30 such holes - O. 7m diameter and 1.9m deep - can
tools to mount and tension trac ks and pumps, to fill and be drilled in an hour.
drain fuel tanks - the vehicle carries a very wide range of One other important difference between the Bergepan­
special tools to enable the crew of four to carry out a zer and the Pionierpanzer is that the latter has been fitted
multiplicity of repairs in the field. This special equipment with a modified dozer blade so that the vehicle can
includes electric welding and cutting equipment which undertake intensive and continuous bulldozing activities .
will work from the ARV ' s power supply; a mechanical A heat exchanger has been installed in the hydraulic
chain saw , together with a bracket and lifting tackle to system to enable this to be used at high ambient
enable a complete Leopard powerpack to be carried on the temperatures. As with the Bergepanzer the dozer blade is
deck of the vehicle. mounted on the nose of the vehicle and is actuated by two
Armaments comprise one machine gun mounted in the hydraulic cylinders through two lever arms. When the
forward section of the hull and a second on an anti-aircraft vehicle moves back four scarifiers mounted on the blade
mounting above the commander's hatch. There is also a tear up the soil which is then bulldozed away when the
smoke grenade launcher mounted on the left of the vehicle moves forward.
47

,
.... ~ - -...,;;;;­ ..
-;;:

-
~
• "':::--_"""t
.....:
Left: AEV showing clearly the
stowage of the auger in place of the
spare powerpack which can be
carried by the ARV. Krauss Maffei

Below: Leopard Pioneerpanzer

(AEV ) using its auger.
Krauss Maffei

Righi: Leopard AEV crossing an

AVLB (armoured vehicle launched
bridge.) Note that the ladder on the
jib-boom has been removed. BdV

Below righl : Leopard

Pioneerpanzer using its dozer
blade. Krupp MaK

One currer.: ~
new combat t -:
purpose will ~:
 Large storage compartments permit the transport of a firms - Maschinenbau GmbH of Kiel (MaK) and
considerable quantity of explosives for demolition Eisenwerke Kaiserslautem (EWK) Goppner - are
purposes. Engineer tools and equipment are also carried involved, and prototype vehicles of what will be known
as well as the specialist equipment which is a feature of as the 'GPM' (Gepanzerte Pioniermaschine) have been
the recovery vehicle. Like the Bergepanzer the built based on the chassis of the Leopard I tank. The
Pionierpanzer has a deep fording capability and using a prototypes of both firms have a dozer blade at the front,
snorkel it can cross water obstacles to a depth of 4m. but the MaK model has a single hydraulically operated
There have been 36 Pionierpanzer Leopards built for excavator while the EWK prototype has two such
the German Army . 14 for the Netherlands. 12 for Italy excavators. Following comparative trials the EWK
and six for Belgium . prototype has been selected for series production - with
One current development which deserves mention is a one minor change, that the production vehicles of
new combat engineer vehicle for the German Army; its the future GPM will be based on the chassis of the
purpose will be to prepare river crossing points. Two Leopard 2.
Left: Two more views oflhe
Pioneerpanzer deploying its auger .
Note equipment stowage on hull
sides. Bd V

Right: One of the two prototype

German combat engineer vehicles,
the EWK GPM, seen in action using
its hydraulically extending
excavator arms to push itself
backwards up a bank. Also clearly
visible is the in-line arrangement of
the crew positions. The second
prototype by MaK has only one
excavator arm. Based on the
Leopard I chassis, if production
commences the Leopard 2 chassis
will be used .

Below: Front view of the

Pioneerpanzer with dozer blade in
operation. Note scarifiers under the
blade and the bow machine gun at
right of hull front . Krauss Maffei

51
Armoured BridgeJayer (BruckenJegepanzer Leopard) than 4m (dramatically less than the Chieftain AVLB's
(For specification see pJ09) 12.2m). In the travelling position the two symmetrical
Bridgelaying equipment speeds up the crossing of halves rest on the chassis, the upper section (track) and
obstacles such as narrow rivers and ravines. The German the lower section being connected by web plates. Struts
Anny's armoured bridgelayer is the Biber (Beaver); it is between the track carriers are mounted in such a way that
based on the Leopard I chassis, and uses a virtually the bridge remains flexible in its longitudinal axis in order
standard Leopard hull less the turret. Both the bridge and to compensate for different cant in the two support ends of
method of laying it are unique. Previous bridgelayers the bridge. (The bridge can be established even if there is
have always used 'fold-out' types of bridges, either an a considerable difference in elevation at the two ends - as
'up-and-over' or a scissors. But both present a large much as 5m down and 2.5m up.)
target, visible for considerable distances when the bridge Before the bridge is projected the two sections are
is being launched. Biber is different, since its bridge is jointed together and the Biber pushes out a dozer blade at
carried in two symmetrical halves and extended the front end of the vehicle to brace its front end. The front
horizontally. Thus it is less likely to reveal the site of the section of the bridge then slides forward under the rear
bridgelaying operation and the element of surprise may be section until the latter falls into place, locking
retained. automatically to form one continuous structure. The
Two prototypes using different methods of horizontal whole assembly is then pushed forward on a cantilever
bridgelaying were built and compared. The first was a boom which is lowered when the bridge is clear of the
telescopic projection system relying on an extendable chassis - depositing it at the far end first and then at the
telescope on which the bridge was rolled forward; once vehicle end. The Biber can then pull back and withdraw;
the bridge was across the obstacle the telescope was alternatively after crossing the obstacle it can take up the
retracted. The second system developed by the firm of bridge on the far side.
Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz extended the bridge as a The bridge can span a gap of up to 20m (65ft) and can
cantilever, with the tank chassis counterbalancing its take vehicles up to 50tonne or, in an emergency, up to
weight. It was this cantilever system which was selected 60tonne. In sum, like the other members of the Leopard
and put into production by MaK Maschinenbau GmbH. family, the Biber is efficient and tactically very effective.
The bridge itself is made of a light metal alloy, and in 105 are in service with the German Army, 14 have been
the retracted position it is 11.65m long. Even when the supplied to the Netherlands, six to Canada and five each
bridge is being projected the overall height is never more to Norway and Australia.
Above left and left: Biber extending
bridge. Both Krauss Maffei

Above: Biber bridgelayer in

travelling order. Krauss Maffei

Righ t: Biber about to launch its

bridge with the dozer blade being
used as a brace.

53
 Lefe: Prototype of the Matador twin
30mm anti-aircraft gun system on
the Leopard 1 chassis; this was
dropped in favour of the twin 3Smm
system. Rheinmeeall

Borrom: Oertikon 3Smm KDA

cannon as installed in Gepard.
Oerlikon-Biihrle

Righe and below right: Views of the

Gepard AA gun system.
Krauss M affei; 8dV

Armoured Anti-Aircraft Vehicle (Flakpanzer tactical considerations militated against this. Another
Gepard) (For specification see pJ JO) consideration was that the larger chassis of the Leopard I
The most striking member of the Leopard ' family' is seemed more promising than that of the APC. Thus it was
undoubtedly the anti-aircraft tank, the Gepard (Hunting that a number of firms teamed up to create the new AA
Leopard). AA tanks are a relatively new post- World War tank on the Leopard chassis. In the event they produced
2 development, arising from German wartime experience two contending experimental prototypes. The first,
with their panzer formations. Towards the end of the war offered by Rheinmetall GmbH and designated the
in Europe Allied air superiority was such that it was Matador 30 ZFLA, was equipped with two 30mm
almost impossible for the German columns to operate Rheinmetall cannons, a Siemens surveillance radar and
without protection against low-flying fighter-bombers. an AEG-Telefunken fire control radar. In June 1970 after
Development in the fields of electronics and aviation extensive troop trials the Matador was rejected in favour
since J 945 have worsened the situation, as was seen in the of the second prototype which had been built as a
1973 Arab-Israeli war. So, towards the end of the 19505 collaborative venture by Oerlikon-Buhrle of Zurich,
the Bundeswehr decided that a new mobile AA weapon Contraves AG of Zurich and Siemens AG of Munich.
system should be developed capable of operating day and This vehicle , equipped with two 35mm Oerlikon guns ,
night in any kind of weather. This new AA tank , it was with a range of 3,500m, was designated 5 PFZ-A; it was
hoped, would replace between 1975 and 1977 the followed by the 5 PFZ-B which was redesignated the
obsolete M42 AA tank then in service with the German Gepard.
Army. The military specification that was drawn up The Gepard ' s complete weapon system, comprising a
called for a weapon system with guns of between 20 and search radar, a tracking radar, a computerised fire control
44mm calibre which would be able to engage for at least system and the two 35mm guns, is housed either in or on
two seconds a target suddenly appearing at a range of the turret. Thus the vehicle is a completely self-contained
3,000m. unit capable of functioning independently. (It should be
Attempts to combine a 30mm twin gun with a fire noted, however, that the tactical concept governing the
control system on the chassis of an armoured personnel employment of Gepard does not envisage a duel between
carrier (initially the HS30 APC and later one AA tank and a single aircraft. What is expected is that
on the Marder) were unsuccessful - .~~~Ii!~~"" AA tanks will have to cope with a
primarily because the APC chassis was large number of
too small to take the complex fire control system
needed. Some of the designers argued that it was not
feasible to install both the AA guns with surveillance and
fire control radars on the same vehicle, and suggested that aircraft
it might be better to separate the functions completely and attacking in
mount them on two armoured vehicles - one taking the rapid succession.
radar and fire control and the other the AA guns; but In such circumstances
54
 Another
;:--:.:-_ = Leopard I
__::lI=_Th us it was
-~ ~h e new AA
- :':-_ =Y produced
_ ~ . The first,
- -=-_:ignated the
 Views of the Gepard with radars
deployed and (right) firing . Note
spent 3Smm cases in snow around
vehicle. These are ejected from the
top of the gun assembly - see
photograph on pS8.'
Oerlikon-Biihr/e (3); Con/ra ves

11

56
--: wi tb ra da rs
"'rin g. Note

-
Four views of the Dutch version of Gepard , the CAl Caesar, with
tracking radars by Hollandse Signaalapparaten. (Right) Test·firing
the 3Smm cannon - note ejecting shell cases at right of photograph.
(Above and far right) Two views of the CAl showing the two sets of
six smoke dischargers on either side of the turret (the German
version has four). (Top right) Dutch CAl prototype.
HoJlandse 5ignaalapparaten B V(2): Krauss Maffei: Oerlikon·Buhrle

Gepards will be more effective if they are linked by radio

data channels into an area anti-aircraft defence system.)
In action the search radar carries out a continual
surveillance , automatically interrogating all contacts with
its built-in IFF facility. A hostile target is then displayed
on the Gepard commander's screen and he designates it
by means of an indicator which assigns a marker to the
aircraft on the screen. A tracking radar at the front of the
turret then takes over and a computer calculates the lead
angle, taking into account the metereological conditions,
the tilt-angle of the guns and speed of target, as well as
calculating the optimum time and duration of the
engagement in order to conserve the expenditure of
ammunition. The target is then engaged by the two 35mm
automatic Oerlikons which have a cyclic rate of fire of
550roundlmin.
The guns are mounted in armoured housings on the left
and right side of the turret, and, as they are mounted
extemall y, there are none of the usual problems of spent
cartridge cases and noxious fumes. The guns are also
58
easily accessible for maintenance and repair. HE appropriate electronic counter-countermeasure equip­
ammunition is used to engage hostile aircraft because of ment . Finally the driver steers the tank according to
its fragmentation, blast and incendiary effects. However orders issued by the commander, but it is largely up to
the guns can also be used in a ground role and kinetic him to position the tank with a good field of view and fire
energy rounds are carried for used against armoured when the vehicle halts.
targets. The Dutch Army bought 95 Gepards, and the Belgian
The Gepard has a crew of three, commander, gunner Army has also purchased 55; their version of the vehicle,
and driver. The commander has overall responsibility in the CA I is known as the Cheetah and is fitted with fire
action while the gunner is primarily responsible for the control equipment by Hollandse Signaalapparaten NY of
operation of the fire control system (FCS) and guns. But Holland. The Germans have 420.
the control console is so arranged as to make it possible
for the commander and the gunner to exchange roles Other Projects
without actually changing position . To enable the The foregoing derivatives of the Leopard are all in
commander to keep a check on the working of the FCS, service , but the possibilities of using the Leopard chassis
fault indicator lamps are provided on the control; if an for other variants are by no means exhausted . Mention
assembly or sub-system fails, or if the search radar is has been made of the suspended project for a 155mm SP
jammed by electronic countermeasures the commander gun using a turret developed in France. Other studies have
decides which back-up facility is to be employed. The considered the feasibility of armoured vehicles equipped
gunner's job is to engage the target indicated by the tank with ground-to-ground and ground-to-air rockets . From a
commander. And if the enemy tries to jam his fire control logistic as well as a training viewpoint such developments
radar with electronic countermeasures he switches in the proffer considerable advantages. Other Leopard-based
vehicles include the training tanks seen in a later chapter.
Below: Early model of the Gepard with both tracking and Belgium and the Netherlands have taken 12 each, while
surveillance radars retracted. Oerlikon-Biihrle the Germans have 60.
6. Leopard 2

While Leopard was coming into service the 1970. Before this, however, the Germans had realised the
Bundeswehr was considering not only the replacement of way things were going and had in fact already started
the 1,000 or so M48 tanks still in service with the German work on an independent project, designated initially
Anny, but also the generation of tanks that would succeed Kampfpanzer 2, then Keiler (Wild Boar) and finally
Leopard 1. Clearly it would be to NATO 's advantage if Leopard 2. In conjunction with Porsche , Wegmann and
the design of the new tank could be standardised with AEG-Telefunken, Krauss-Maffei built a couple of
Germany's allies.
So, in partnership with the United States, the Germans
embarked on a joint programme to develop a new tank. Below and bottom: The MDT -70, a joint German-American project,
This vehicle, known as the MBT -70/KPz70, actually which reached prototype stage and taught the Germans valuable
reached the prototype stage. However the project ran into lessons put into practice in Leopard 2. For a specification or the
difficulties very early on and was abandoned in limuary MDT-70 see pill. General MOlors; Krauss Maffei
I'

Top: Kampfpanzer-70 - a line

drawing of the German MBT-70
design. Krauss Maffei

Above and belolV: Prototype

Leopard 2s with 120mm main gun
and Leopard 1 style configuration.
Krauss Maffei

I,.

62
pre-prototypes and when the American/West German the result of tank engagements in the Arab-Israeli October
project was cancelled the Germans switched the funds to 1973 War , and recent developments in armour
the Kampfpanzer 2 Keiler project , and experience gained technology.) Accordingly the Leopard 2 was redesigned
in the ill-fated MBT-70 development work was embodied and a new version, the Leopard 2A V (Austere Version,
in the subsequent development . sometimes known as the Amerikanische Version)
The primary aim of the design team working on the appeared in 1976. The designation 'A ustere ' is in fact
Kampfpanzer 2 was to increase the firepower of the new misleading as the word implies the elimination of frills
MBT over that of Leopard 1, by mounting a better gun and unnecessary extras , and the performance of this
and developing an integrated fire control system ; in version of the Leopard 2 has not been affected.
developing the new fire control system all the components The most significant difference between the' Austere'
were designed so that they could eventuall y be fitted into prototypes and the other German Leopard 2 prototypes
the Leopard I. was in the turret which in the case of the Leopard 2A V
In 1972 the Bundeswehr authorised the production of presents a box-like appearance.
17 prototypes mounting a smoothbore gun. These were Two versions of the 'Austere' prototypes were
ready in 1973, and in the spring of 1974 they underwent displayed, one mounting the Rheinmetall 120mm
extensive trials at Meppen, Munster and Trier. Four smoothbore gun, the second armed with the 105mm
prototypes also underwent a series of cold weather trials L7A3 gun for comparative trials with the XMI. It was
at Camp Shilo in Canada, and then went on to the US because of these trials in September to December 1976
Yuma Research Centre in Arizona for hot weather trials. that the Austere prototypes were produced in a hUrry. The
All the vehicles completed the tests satisfactorily and evaluation of the results was never disclosed but it may
were reported to have performed in an outstanding well be that the Americans had already decided that they
fashion. preferred their own Chrysler-made XMl. Both the US
These trials stimulated American interest again, and in and Germany agreed that ' harmonisation ' was still
December 1974 a Memorandum of Understanding desirable however, and that - so far as possible - items
(MoU) was concluded between the US and Germany in an such as the main armament, ammunition, the powerpack,
attempt to ' harmonise ' German and US tank develop­ fire control system and so on ought to be standardised. *
ment . The idea was to create a standard NATO MBT for
the 1980s. Following more trials by the US Army at the * Those who have had any ex perience of attempts to standardise
Aberdeen Proving Ground the Americans declared that in other equipment in NATO will be sceptical about this pious
wish.
their opinion the German fire control system was too
complicated, that the armour protection was insufficient,
and that the tank was too expensive. To be an acceptable
Below and {allowing pages: The Leopard 2A V armed with lOSmm
contender to the American XM I, currently being
and 120mm (p66 bottom left) main guns. While the 2A V never got
developed by the Chrysler Company and General Motors, further than the prototype stage, it was the direct link between the
the Leopard 2 would have to incorporate certain Leopard 1 and 2 production types and superseded the other Leopard
alterations, simplifications and a few extras. (The 2 prototype configuration shown in photos on p62. Note different
American view was supposedly based on an analysis of MG mountings on the vehicles. Krauss Maffei: BdV (I)
 =,~

/
/
I
I
I

I,
"

66
Description of the Leopard 2 The main armament is the Rheinmetall 120mm,
(For specifications see pIll) smoothbore gun, which has a drop block breach and a
Like its forerunner , Leopard I, the Leopard 2 is hydraulically assisted loading mechanism. The 120mm
conventional in layout and design; all its components and smoothbore is the first such gun to be mounted on a
the techniques used in its production are based on NATO tank. A hydraulic loading system is necessary
well-tried technology. The overall result is a reliable and because the rounds - which are in one piece combining
efficient annoured fighting vehicle with an outstanding cartridge and projectile - are very heavy. It fires two types
perfonnance which, if the occasion ever arises, should of ammunition - Annour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Dis­
acquit itself well in battle. carding Sabot (APFSDS) and a general purpose HE round
Both the hull and turret of the Leopard 2 are of (known as MZ); in essence the latter is a shaped charge
all-welded construction and the front of the hull and the HEAT round that can be used against both lightly
turret are said to ' combine steels of various hardness and armoured targets or to support infantry . The cartridges are
elastic materials' in novel multi-layer annour (a partly combustible. The bore of the gun is chromium
combination of spaced and Chobham annours). For plated and the life of the barrel sleeve is said to be about
protection against mines the hull floor has been reinforced 1,000 rounds although, during t.ests, accuracy started to
and external edges sloped at an angle of 45°. Ammunition fall off after about 400 rounds had been fired. Secondary
stowed in the turret is in an ejectable basket in the turret annament consists of a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun,
bulge; the hydraulic gun and turret control system is also another 7. 62mm machine gun for AA use, eight grenade
contained in the turret bulge. launchers and eight smoke pots.
68
 - necessary
-: _-~ ~ o mbining
_ ::: ..o _~s two types
- - - -' :'ilised Dis-

Above left: Schematic of Leopard 2 showing: weapons and

ammunition ; sighting and fire control systems; engine ; wheels and
transmission. Krauss Maffei

Top: Roll-out of the first production Leopard 2 for the Germa n

Army, October 1979. Christopher F. Foss The gun-laying and stabilisation systems are improved
versions of those developed for the Leopard I , ie the
Right: Detail of Leopard 2's Rheinmetall120mm smoothbore main Cadillac Gage electro-hydraulic turret traverse system.
gun and coaxial machine gun assembly. Rheinmelall The electronically controlled fire control system has been
69

I .

70

refined, and while the first 17 prototypes carried Zeiss

EMES-12 combined laser-stereoscopic rangefinders, the
Leopard 2A V vehicles were fitted with a Hughes
stabilised rangefinder. (This change led to the redesign of
the turret and the provision of multiple space armour.)
This is manufactured under licence by Krupp Atlas­
Elektronic. The gunner also has a x8 monocular auxiliary
telescope; the commander a panoramic periscope for
sighting . Eight periscopes are available to the commander
while the driver has three.
For night operations the Leopard 2 is fitted with passive
night vision devices and a white light/infra-red
searchlight. The Leopard 2 is powered by a 12-cylinder
MTU KaSOI multi-fuel engine which develops an output
of I ,SOOhp. For the size of the engine this is a very high
output and although the tank weighs more than SO,OOOkg
it has an extremely favourable power/weight ratio of
27.3hp/ton. Two exhaust gas turbochargers - one for
each bank of cylinders - are the main contributory factor
to the high power output. The cooling system is assisted
by two large circular coolers with concentric radial fans
located over the gearbox; this permits full load operation
at temperatures up to +30°C. The fuel capacity is
1,3201itre (348gal) which gives the vehicle a cruising
range of 400km on roads and 250km over medium-heavy
terrain. With pre-heating the engine can be started at
temperatures down to -30°C, and a complete engine
change can be effected in about 12-ISmin.
The transmission is a Renk HSWL-354/S type
incorporating the steering unit. This is described as
'combined stepless hydrostatic regenerative ' , having a
four-speed planetary gearbox fitted with a bypass clutch.
The suspension is the classic torsion bar type, with
seve n road wheels and four support idlers on each side.
The principal idler is in front and the drive sprocket at the
rear. There are five shock absorbers on each side - fitted
to all the road wheel stations except the fourth and fifth.
New low-vibration tracks fitted with detachable rubber
track pads have been developed for Leopard 2 and it is
claimed that these improve the performance of the
stabilised optical systems.
For NBC protection the Leopard 2 is fitted with a
pressurised system supplemented by air filters which can
be changed from the outside .
As mentioned earlier the Americans backed away from
a decision to adopt Leopard 2 in favour of their own XM I;
this effectively ended the attempt to create a standard
NATO MBT as a whole. Development continued on
national lines, and the objective now was to standardise
components and make them interchangeable. A US
decision to adopt a l20mm calibre gun appeared to be a
sensible contribution to this ideal although it did not

Lefl: Early Leopard 2 prototype armed with 120mm main gun and

Rh202 20mm cannon at commander's station. Krauss Maflei

71
necessarily ensure that the Americans would use the
German gun in the XM I. They were supposed to have
decided this in January 1977 , after comparative trials of
the Rheinmetall weapon and the British 120mm gun
mounted in the Chieftain. When the time came however
the Americans postponed their decision until the end of
December 1977, and as soon as the news reached Bonn
the German Ministry of Defence approved the installation
of the Rheinmetall smoothbore in the Leopard 2. A few
months later, in mid-1977, the Defence Minister, Herr
Georg Leber, asked for and obtained parliamentary
approval to procure 1,800 Leopard 2s to replace the 1,054
M48A2 tanks currently in the Bundeswehr inventory.
The price tag was said to be roughly DM6.5billion
(£I,625million) suggesting that the cost of a single
Leopard 2 is approximately £1 million. This is a very high
cost indeed and is probably an overestimate. (In this
connection it is interesting to note that in 1976 a
consortium of American firms interested in producing the
Leopard 2 in the CSA under licence undertook a study of

Right: One of the first three MaK advanced series Leopard 2s

deli"ered to the Bundeswehr. Note the three small lifting side plates
which distinguish the Leopard 2 from the protot)'pes and 2A V
. . . t'rsion. Krauss A1aJ(ei

Be/o"': Pre-production Leopard 2 hull on Elefant transporter sent to

the German Arm)' for training. Krauss Maf{ei
the cost. After calculating the manufacture of all
components under production conditions the study group
concluded that a Leopard 2 would cost $811 ,226 (1976
prices). $27 ,900 of this sum was for licensing fees. )
Technical performance apart , the cost of new equipment
inevitably plays an important role , and some of the other
NATO countries which have expressed interest in
Leopard 2 as a successor to Leopard I may well be
deterred by the price. The first three pre-production
Leopard 2s were delivered to the German Army late in
1978 without turrets for training purposes. In October
1979 they took possession of the first of their projected
1,800 Leopard 2s, and anticipate that the order will be
filled by 1986. MaK, Kiel will build 810 and
Krauss-Maffei 990. In March 1979 the Dutch placed an
order for 445 , to be deli vered 1982-86, to replace their
ageing Centurions and AMX-13s . Other countries,
including Belgium and Switzerland have already
expressed an interest in Leopard 2.

Leopard 2 Derivatives
Plans and feasibility studies exist only for Leopard 2
variants - and the only concrete plan is for an AEV. It is
likely that an ARV will be built and possible that the
Gepard turret could be mounted on the Leopard 2 chassis.
73
Above: Rear view showing
dilTerences between the Leopard Z
(left) and Leopard lA3.
Krauss Maffei

Righr: Leopard Z with turret to rear

and front skirt plates raised.
Krauss Maffei

74
7. Servicing and

Maintenance

In battle the time and effort needed to service and grouped together to constitute units which could be easily
maintain combat equipment is of decisive significance. replaced on the battlefield. For example in the event of an
When a vehicle breaks down or is damaged it must be engine or a transmission failure in the Leopard three men
made operational again as quickly as possible. This in a matter of only about 20min can replace the complete
means repairing or replacing defective components and
the easier this is to do , the sooner the vehicle will be back
in service. In view of the complexity of modem
equipment it is generally quicker to replace defective
components or groups of components and leave their Two views of the Leopard ARV during maintenance operations;
repair to skilled personnel in workshops outside the (below) Lifting an early production Leopard 1 and (overleaf) with
combat area. In consequence when the Leopard and its Leopard 1 powerpack. Note deployment of ARV dozer blade.
derivatives were designed a number of components were BdV; Krauss Maffei

75
I
'I
I
I

powerpack with a spare powerpack carried on the engine carried out by the army workshops and special tools have
compartment deck plate of the armoured recovery been developed to facilitate the maintenance programme
vehicle. Similarly it takes only about 15min to fit new which has been worked out for the Leopard . In the event
brake linings and a turret can be replaced in 2hr. every effort has been made to reduce the time spent on
Most of the normal servicing and maintenance of the maintenance and Krauss-Maffei claim that no major
Leopard can be carried out by the crew with tools carried overhaul is needed under 1O,0OOkm of operation. On this
on the tank. A few spare parts also are carried on the basis and the assumption that a Leopard has a lifespan of
individual tank and these enable the crew to cope with 20 years and covers an average of I ,OOOkm per year, only
minor defects. Retensioning the tracks, for instance , or two major overhauls will be needed in the vehicle's entire
replacing the individual track links, road wheels or lifespan. (This assessment has been based on the wear
sprockets takes them only a few minutes. rate estimated by the German Army following experience
Major servicing, maintenance and repair tasks are with the early Leopards.)
76
8. Training Aids

A considerable amount of instructional equipment has instrument panel in front of him . This enables him to
been developed to facilitate the training of Leopard crews grasp the rudiments of his task, and effects a great saving
and maintenance personnel. Apart from the customary in terms of time and money compared with instructions on
run of films, photographs and charts, full scale wooden a real tanle
mock-ups with dummy components identical with those Having graduated from the stationary mock-Up, the
on a real Leopard have been devised. For example to embryo driver continues his instruction on a 'driving
introduce and familiarise those designated as drivers of school tank'. In effect this is a modified Leopard , with a
the Leopard with their role, wooden mock-ups of the special cab mounted on the chassis in place of the turret.
forward part hull section have been constructed. These A balance ring compensates for turret weight and in all
are open in the middle so that a small class of learner other respects this driving school vehicle has exactly the
drivers can watch while one of their number takes his tum same characteristics as the real tank. Indeed it is even
on this stationary 'driver's station'. Using a special capable of crossing water obstacles , so that student
control panel the instructor can simulate various drivers get used to fording operations . The cab is roomy
conditions which the student can identify on the enough for one driver under instruction, the instructor,

A bove righe: Leopard driving school

vehicle as used by Belgian and
Dutch armies. Krauss Maffei

Right: Leopard d river training

vehicle with dummy gun barrel
altachment as used by German
Army. Krupp MaK
Right: Gepard maintenance training equipment. Three rigs have
been developed by Krauss Maffei to facilitate training in electronics,
weapons and power supply equipment. Instructors can simulate
fault conditions on the modules and students are taught to deal with
them. Krauss Maffei

and two other trainees who are there merely to observe.

The cab has glass windows which permit the instructor a
clear all-round view. Two instrument panels are provided
- one for the learner-driver, the second for the instructor;
this enables the latter to monitor the trainee 's
performance . If the trainee does something wrong the
instructor can override him from his own seat in the cab
and take over complete control of the vehicle - steering,
braking, gear-shifting and accelerating. The instructor
and the learner driver are able to communicate by means
of the intercom system and the two observer trainees can
listen in to their conversation.
During his training on the driving school tank the on weather or other external factors such as the
trainee learns what to expect when he moves on to a availability of training grounds.
Leopard proper. However a further training aid, a driving A simulator to train a tank driver consists of a scale
simulator, is also available to supplement his 'on-vehicle' model (the scale is normally I :300) of 'driving terrain'
training and simulators have proved to be extremely and a driver's cab, the interior equipment of which is an
successful in expanding the scope of a driver's training . exact replica of that which confronts the driver in the
They have also cut the cost of training a driver since less Leopard. From the driver's cab the trainee driver steers a
vehicles are needed and consequently the wear and tear on scale model tank across the surface of the ' terrain ', on
combat equipment is reduced . But , apart from the which roads, trees and houses provide a realistic picture
economic benefit deriving from the use of simulators , of the countryside on which the Leopard is supposed to be
there are other advantages, since training is not dependent operating. The model is free to move according to the

I I
 driver's directions or along predetermined paths in the tank; recoil and return movements of the gun tube
determined by information supplied by a linked are simulated by means of a hydraulic retraction
computer. Various road and terrain conditions, operating mechanism.
noises etc are stored in the computer and transmitted to After the loader has mastered the lessons of loading the
the driver in accordance with a particular 'driving' gun at different elevations on the 'gun mounting', he
situation. Sitting in his cab, with the hatch open or closed, moves on to what can best be described as a training
the driver operates his vehicle using a television camera. turret. This is a mobile structure consisting of a complete
His reactions are fed into the computer which compares Leopard turret on a tubular steel rig. Connected to the
them with the terrain, steers the model tank across the mains power supply through a transformer, the turret can
terrain and refers the pitch and roll that would be be used for gun laying . The main gun itself cannot be fired
experienced by the model back to the cab. Simulated but it is possible to conduct practice shoots with the
driving noises are also fed back to the cab and together coaxial and AA machine guns. Furthermore a 20mm gun
with its movement give the trainee a realistic impression can be mounted coaxially on the main tube, and this
of what he would experience of the environmental allows practice firings at ranges of up to I ,300m. (As the
conditions associated with his particular exercise . ballistic characteristics of the 20mm rounds are very
The instructor is provided with a television monitor on similar to the 105mm HESH ammunition at medium
which he can observe the terrain in front of the vehicle, ranges the optical sight can be used without any
and he can vary the operating conditions to simulate wet modification.) Normally however gunnery training on the
or icy roads and changes in the rolling condition. He can main armament is done with small calibre weapons; this
also introduce simulated mechanical problems such as enables shoots to be conducted on miniature ranges. The
-: 5'_.:-h as the steering and braking malfunctions and a shortage of fuel. coaxial machine gun is dismounted and replaced by either
All events occurring during the simulated driving a 14.5mm gun, which can fire tracer ammunition with an
exercises are recorded , to facilitate the discussion of impact fuse up to 150mm or the smaller calibre KK22 unit
mistakes made by the trainee driver and to compare the which allows a target range of between 20 and 50m. With
performance of individual drivers. 14.5mm unit the sighting devices on the main gun have to
For gunnery training other aids have been developed . be modified to compensate for ballistic deviations; this is
To familiarise Leopard crews and maintenance personnel done with prisms. For the KK22 unit , however, no
with the 105mm gun a 'gun mounting' is available. This parallax correction is needed .
consists simply of a gun and its associated equipment on a For more advanced gunnery training an electronic
mobile platform. The gun cannot actually be fired but it firing simulator - similar to the driving simulator - has
can be elevated and traversed in exactly the same way as been developed. Known as the TALISSI (Tactical Light

Left: Wegmann gun turret trainer.

Equipped with turret hydraulics,
electrical system and optical
components, it basically trains
personnel in electronic
maintenance. A movement
simulator simulates hull movement.
Wegmann

Right: Talissi - tactical light shot

simulator - showing main
components. With a 'flash, bang,
smoke' pyrotechnic charge
indicating firing, the main system is
based on a laser emitter and optical
receiver. Kurt Eichweber AG

79
Shot Simulator) and produced by Kurt Eighweben , of conditions. The computer calculates the penetration point
Hamburg, a firm which specialises in laser communica­
tions, 720 have been ordered for the German Army. Of it ,
the Commander in Chief, Lt-Gen Horst Hildebrandt, has
on the model and hits are identified by a light spot on the
model; to evaluate the accuracy of the round the spot can
be ' frozen'.
9.
written, 'it forces the crew to behave as in combat. Thus, The model is so designed as to make it feasible for
the troops are able to a great extent, realistically to practice shoots at simulated ranges of between 500 and
reproduce tank combat during manoeuvres, in every type 300m. And the fact that this can be done in barracks under
of terrain and outside the training grounds.' Basically the classroom conditions obviously has considerable advan­
T ALISSI consists of a cab mounted on a movable tages. Apart from the training not being restricted by
platform, which can simulate the motions of a Leopard on weather and the availability of an adequate range , 105mm
the move. The cab is fitted out like the turret of a Leopard (and 120mm) ammunition is very expensive so there is a
and - as with the driving simulator - a model serves to considerable saving in cost. Indeed as the simulation of
depict a typical stretch of operational terrain. On the movement, illumination and noise is so realistic it is
model there are fixed and moving targets which can be possible to train a Leopard crew to 'feel' exactly what it is
fired at from the cab. Four commanders and gunners can like to fire the main armament without actually having to
be trained on the simulator at the same time. participate in a live firing shoot in a tank .
The actual 'firing' of a round is simulated in a computer Finally there is the question of the training of those who
into which is fed the gun laying data and information maintain the vehicles. For this a variety of equipment has
concerning the gun, ammunition and environmental been developed to simulate almost every conceivable
malfunction - mechanical failures, and faults in the
electrical system, electronics, optics and hydraulics. The
fault-finding equipment has been designed for use by men
Below: A Leopard I fitted with Simfire showing laser projector fitted
to the gun barrel, the flash generator which controls the 'hang, who do not have any specialised scientific knowledge,
flash, smoke' effects, the radio transmitter/receiver which responds and its prime purpose is to facilitate the detection and
to the Simfire attack signal and two of the four detectors which pick identification of the malfunction which can then be dealt
up the laser signal (on turret sides). For a full description of Simfire with in accordance with a 'drill ' laid down in a technical
and Simfics see Modem Combat Vehicles I - Chieftain . Solartron manual.

80
 ~:::-:lli on point

-
_ ~:_ :
- :
spot on the
:'1 ': spot can 9. The Leopard compared
with other MBTs

In comparing the Leopard with other battle tanks the man them. The West's tanks on the other hand are, by and
development criteria which were discussed earlier need to large, of better qu ality and have a better performance;
be borne in mind. Soviet tank designers, for example, they are more sophisticated and more complex . But the
::--­ ~ Of th ose who place equal emphasis on firepower, armour protection differing concepts that have influenced their design have
"': :; ':'- _ ipment has and cross-country mobility, the British and the militated against standardisation and created for NATO a
~ __: .:oncei vable Americans put firepower , armour protection and mobility host of logistic problems.
-.::;..: ;-,:lUl ts in the in that order of priority, while tank designers in Europe The technical data relating to the tanks in this
.-: - ~j :au lics. The (except the UK, but including West Germany) regard comparison are listed in the table at the end of this
~.: ;:() ~ use by men mobility as being more important than armour. In brief chapter. The most important ones are the US M60 , the
":: kn owledge , the outcome of these different concepts has been that the British Chieftain, the French AMX-30, the Swedish
.::s: "erection and Warsaw Pact armies, equipped mainly by the Soviet Strvl03B , the Swiss Pz61!58 and the Soviet T62 and
- _ - :hen be dealt Union, have a huge inventory of a very few types of tank Tn.
a technical which are simply designed, rugged, relatively cheap and On the basis of armament alone the TI2 , with its
- by Western standards - uncomfortable for the crews that 125mm smoothbore gun firing fin-stabilised ammunition

M60A I - the current American

MBT - evolved from a 1944 design,
the M26 Pershing, via the M46,
M47 and M48 _ While it has all the
conventional modern 'add-on' aids
-laser rangefinder, stabilisation,
electronic fire control system - it is
nevertheless an improvement of an
old design, sound rather than
spectacular. 11 is armed with the
British I05mm main gun. The
photograph shows an M60A1 in
Germany. US Army
81
 is probably superior to all the West's tanks including the With the exception of the US M60A 1, the French
Leopard 1. But the performance of the Leopard 2's gun AMX-30, the Swedish StrvJ03B and the Swiss Pz61 all
may well match the Soviet weapon , as may that of the the battle tanks in this comparison have a weapon
Chieftain ' s 120mm. However , the Tn is only just stabilisation system . (A stabilisation system has been
coming into service and the majority of tanks of the tested for the AMX-30 but has not yet been introduced.
Warsaw Pact armies are T54/55s orT62s. While the older The Americans are retro fitting the M60A I with the
T54/55s still have a 100mm gun the T62 mounts a 115mm system used in the M60A2.) The Swedish tank has no
smoothbore weapon. Whether thisl15mm gun can match turret and its gun is rigidly installed; elevation and
the British I05mm high-performance gun* - with which traverse are accomplished by means of hydropneumatic
the Leopard, the M60A 1 and the Centurion are equipped suspension or infinitely variable cross-drive. The vehicle
- is questionable. Like the Soviet IOOmm the British has a very low silhouette and automatic loading allows a
105mm can fire three standard types of ammunition ­ high rate of fire. The turretless tank is a novel concept
APDS, HEAT and HESH. The French AMX-30 is also whilst the Leopard, which is based firmly on existing
equipped with a 105mm gun, but this is a weapon technology, is by no means a revolutionary fighting
developed in France, designed primarily to fire vehicle. But the Swedish tank has encountered many
fin-stabilised HEAT rounds. The greater firepower of the teething problems while the Leopard has had a relatively
British Chieftain may be marginally superior to that of clear passage from the design stage.
Leopard I but it will equate to that of the Leopard 2. The
Chieftain was in fact designed and developed as an MBT Below: Chieftain . While there are doubts about its automotive
with a gun accurate over long ranges but with sufficient reliability , which certainly reduces its effectiveness, the Chieftain'S
armour protection for short range engagements. These weaponry and fire control system is amongst the best in the world.
requirements resulted in increased vehicle weight, greater Martin Horseman
vehicle width, reduced mobility and a smaller supply of
ammunition. The current Swiss MBT is the Pz68 (below right), an improved
version of the earlier Pz61 (right). Armed with the British lOSmm
main gun, lighter than most other European MBTs, the Pz68 has
* The Swiss 61168 tank, the Swedish StrvI03B, the Vickers been designed for use in Switzerland's mountainous terrain. Note
MK3 , and the Japanese St-B tank are also equipped with a the Pz61's 20mm cannon coaxial with main armament and the
modified version of the British gun. Pz68's 7.Smm machine gun mounted coaxially. Both Swiss Army

,
.

'.
.,
' .
 --

en existing
_ ": - fig hting
:c ~ed many
~ z ~datively
 • {:y.I ~ .-'

~
I .­ ---' .',<1'
J ' {I
I
• /~ I
4. T-;' II
~~ (,
J"
 -

Left: T54Bs of the Soviet Army on manoeuvres. Developed from the In tenns of mobility the Leopard is superior to all other
earlier T44, the T54 is armed with a 100mm main gun. Outdated tanks, of which all but one are equipped with
now, it has been superseded by both the T62 and Tn (above). The liquid-cooled diesel or multi-fuel engines. (The exception
latter has a different chassis - a departure from the T34 /44/54/62
is the American M60 which has an air-cooled diesel.) The
series - and is armed with a 125mm main gun which is fed from an
automatic loader thus allowing a reduction orthe crew to three.
Leopard 2 with a top speed of nkmlh can outrun the rest
and, although the Russians claim a maximum speed of
"
Tass; US Army
lOOkmih for the Tn, even with a new engine and
'
In the Leopard the gunner has an extremely powerful improved suspension to that of the T62, 60kmlh would be
optical rangefinder with a I, nOmm base and x 16 more believable. Even the Leopard I with a top speed of
magnification, which pennits satisfactory ranging, 65km1h- the same as that of the AMX-30- has a 10kmih
aiming and firing - even in poor visibility. Most of the or more advantage over the T62 and the M60 and 5kmlh
comparable tanks have optical rangefinders controlled by over the new Chieftain. The radius of action is another
the tank commander whereas that with which the Leopard mobility factor , and here again the Leopard scores. The
is equipped is also the gunner's primary sight, and the fact cruising range of the Leopard - and the AMX-30 - is
that the gunner can do the ranging and sighting gives the 600km , while that of the 172 is 500 and of the old T62 a
commander more latitude to concentrate on the tactical mere 350km, although this can be increased to 630km by
aspects of an engagement. A spotting machine gun is used fitting expendable auxiliary fuel tanks.
on the British Chieftain; this is a simpler and cheaper Besides a very creditable engine perfonnance the
method of ranging and the system was tested in the early mobility of the Leopard can be attributed to the
stages of the development of the Leopard. The technique transmission of the power the engine develops. The
was rejected by the Gennan experts, however, on the electro-hydraulic steerlshift transmission permits effort­
grounds that it was too slow and not sufficiently accurate less clutch-free shifting without interrupting the flow of
at long combat ranges. power. From the driver' s viewpoint also this is important
In nearly all tanks under review the gunners have x8 as a driver controlling a tank with automatic transmission
monocular telescopes. But the Leopard has a rotatable suffers none of the fatigue to which tank drivers operating
panoramic x6-x20 power telescope through which the transmissions with clutch pedals were subjected in the
tank commander can aim and range targets as well as past. The driver with the automatic transmission will thus
observe the terrain even in poor light. In this respect the be able to concentrate more of his attention on the battle.
Leopard is unique. In its night capability also the Gennan A high power-to-weight ratio is another consideration
tank is superior. Except for the Swiss and Japanese in the Leopard's favour. That of the Leopard 2 is
vehicles all the tanks are equipped with infra-red devices 27 .7hp/ton; only the American XMl which is expected to
to enable them to aim, shoot and drive at night. In the be taken into service in late 1980/early 1981 has a higher
Leopard however the commander's panoramic telescope ratio - 28.8hp/ton. (The Chieftain Mk 5 has a particularly
can be replaced by an infra-red sight which operates in low power/weight ratio, 13 .6hp/ton; owing to the priority
conjunction with an infra-red searchlight. given to armour protection when it was designed. Taking
85
 into account the fact that its maximum speed is only armour skirts) and the Tn (3.39m), but broaderthan the
44km1h it has been suggested that the British tank is AMX-30, which is only 3.lOm wide. (Narrowest of all
'sluggish'. That may be an exaggeration but it is certainly the modem battle tanks is the Swiss Pz61 (3.0Sm) which
distinctly less mobile than the Leopard and AMX-30.) was built for service in mountainous regions where there
The 27. 7hp/ton power-to-weight ratio gives the Leopard is a predominance of narrow winding roads. Its
considerable acceleration and in conjunction with the successor, the pz68, was made broader (3.1Sm) because
vehicle's suspension system this results in outstanding the fighting compartment of the Pz61 proved to be too
cross-country mobility.) narrow and cramped.)
In terms of mobility the Leopard is superior to all other As might be expected the tank with the lowest
tanks, of which all but one are equipped with silhouette is the turret less Swedish vehicle, the Strv I 03B,
liquid-cooled diesel or multi-fuel engines. (The exception with an overall height of only 2. 1Om. The T62 (2AOm) is
is the American M60 which has an air-cooled diesel). The next; its successor the Tn is 2.80m tall while the
Leopard 2 with a top speed of nkmJh can outrun the rest Chieftain and AMX-30 both have an overall height of
and, although the Russians claim a maximum speed of 2.86m . With a height of 2.62m the Leopard takes an in
100kmJh for the Tn, even with a new engine and between position.
improved suspension to that of the T62 60kmlh would be Comparing the armour protection of different tanks is
more believable. Even the Leopard I with a top speed of
6Skmlh- the same as that ofthe AMX-30- has a IOkmih
or more advantage over the T62 and the M60 and SkmJh
over the new Chieftain. The radius of action is another
mobility factor , and here again the Leopard scores . The
cruising range of the Leopard - and the AMX-30 - is
600km, while that of the Tn is SOO and of the old T62 a
mere 3S0km , although this can be increased to 630km by
fitting expendable auxiliary fuel tanks .
Besides a very creditable engine performance the
mobility of the Leopard can be attributed to the
transmission of the power the engine develops. The
electro-hydraulic steer/shift transmission permits effOlt­
less clutch-free shifting without interrupting the flow of
power. From the driver's viewpoint also this is important
as a driver controlling a tank with automatic transmission
suffers none of the fatigue to which tank drivers operating
manual transmissions with clutch pedals were subjected
I in the past. The driver with the automatic transmission
I I will thus be able to concentrate more of his attention on
I the battle.
I The weight and width of a tank are important when
considering traffic limitations - the strength of bridges
I and the problems of road and rail transport. As far as
vehicle weight is concerned Leopard I was nearer the
ideal than Leopard 2 (at S4.1 ton) which is about the same
weight of the Mk S Chieftain and only marginally less
heavy than the new Chieftain. As a comparison the
combat weight of the Tn is only 40ton - a figure which
has been specified as the development goal for tanks of
the West. With a width of 3.2Sm the Leopard is narrower
than the M60 (3.63m), the Chieftain (3.S0m including

Righr: The American Army's next MBT is the XMI Abrams still
under development. Their first MBT not based on the M26
evolutionary chain, the XMI is armed with a IOSmm main gun, has
Chobham armour and should prove equal to any MBT of the next
generation. Chry sler

86
 T

difficult for two reasons. First because the actual Leopard's crew compartment are good. The controls are
thickness and composition of the armour plate is often easily accessible and easy to operate, while the automatic
classified information, but secondly and more important­ transmission and suspension systems alleviate the
- =~e [here ly because the effectiveness of modem high explosive problem of driver fatigue. In the Soviet tanks , in
- -: _, d s. Its anti-tank projectiles is such that they will defeat particular, human engineering considerations have been
. ~ ;:;:. J.eca use practically any thickness of armour. Furthermore the given less attention, and it is true to say that the T54/55
:::.:: ;0 be [00 latest anti-tank guided missiles increase the probability of fires and moves under conditions that Western tank crews
a hit. It is of course possible to increase ballistic would regard as intolerable.
protection by making the armour thicker but this entails If there are any criticisms of the German MBT they will
increased vehicle weight with a consequent reduction in inevitably be focused on the complexity and cost of the
mobility. And the German designers are among those vehicle. One notable feature of modem Soviet tank
who believe that speed of movement provides good designs is their relative simplicity compared with the
~' ''ig ht of protection for a tank . Thus with Leopard they have tanks of the West. The Tn, for example, has unpadded
concentrated on armour shape, the avoidance of ballistic tracks and an uncomplicated transmission system; such
traps, and sandwich and spaced armour. features may have some tactical disadvantages but
Compared with other tanks conditions inside the logistically they are beneficial.

87
 Left: Shir 2 with Chobham armour
and 120mm main gun. The Shir will
not see service with the British
Army although it is the direct link
between Chieftain and Challenger,
the British next generation MBT.

Be/ow: The current French MDT,

the AMX-30, was produced after
French/German attempts to build a
common vehicle fell through .
Armed with a 10Smm main gun, the
AMX-30 has a top speed of 6Skmlh
and a range of 600km - in many
ways it compares favourably to
Leopard 1. Christopher F. Foss

11 Turning now to costs: The following list shows in The obvious deduction is that the less sophisticated
round figures the approximate cost of some of the tanks:* Eastern bloc tanks cost far less than those of the West.
What may not be appreciated is that a Soviet tank costs far
£ US$ less than its Western counterpart because of the low
T62 165,000 365,000 production quantities in the West. Which brings us to the
M60AI 205,000 450,000 final point in this comparison: some 6,000 or so Leopards
Chieftain 255,000 560,000 will be in service with seven NATO armies over the next
M60A2 285,000 625,000 decade, and these tanks have been referred to as a
AMX-30 320,000 700,000 'comer-stone' of land defence in Western Europe. The
Leopard lA4 395,000 870,000 Leopard is unquestionably an excellent and versatile
Leopard 2 575 ,000 fighting vehicle . But the Warsaw Pact armies can field
1,265,000 close on 60,000 tanks while those of NATO and France
XMI 575,000
togethar have a total inventory of23 ,000; 10,000 of these
* These figures were compiled from an estimate undertaken by are American, many of which are located in the United
the German Society for Military Technology and published by States. To equalise the odds therefore the Leopard needs
Wehr und Wissen, Koblenz/Bonn in the journal Military to be at least three times as good as the Tn. As the
Technology and Economics, Issue I. Leopard has not so far fired a single shot in anger, it is not
possible to make such an assertion .

'lr t
 10. In foreign service

-- ~--=:!g sus to the

_ ::-~ so Leopards
c:-s :" ·cf the next
.,.::-:-:-cd to as a
~ Europe. The
- ::nd versatile
-es can field
_ -.-:-0 and France
_=_000 of these

Above: Australian Leopard lA3

with dozer blade _Paul Handel

Left: Leopard 1 of the Belgian Army

being unloaded from an
Ameriean-made, Belgian-manned,
mobile assault bridge_

89
".

Above left: Leopard I of the Belgian Army. Note the commander's Above: Leopard Is of the Norwegian Army. Norwegian Army
FN machine gun in place of the German MG3. The Belgians took
334 Leopard MBTs, a number of which were fitted with the SABCA Below: Leopard I of the Dutch Army, who took 468 MBTs. Note the
fire control system. Belgian Anny lack of a thermal sleeve on the IOSmm main gun, different exhaust
louvres at rear, stowage boxes (a Dutch modification) on hull side
Le ft: Leopard ARV of the Dutch Army showing clearly nose and hull and Dutch smoke dischargers on the turret. The Dutch use their own
side details - note the brackets for various tools and the access dischargers on their version of Leopard - a framework with six
hatch. If compared with a similar view of the AEV one dischargers in three sets of two whereas the Germans have four
can see the difference between the two vehicles in that an attachment single pots. Dutch Army
has been bolted over the access cover. This is part of the heat
exchanger which enables the AEV to usc its hydraulic system at high
ambient temperatures for extended periods of time. The Dutch took
52 ARVs. Dutch Army
In 1978 there was a major exercise
in Norway, 'Arctic Express '78'
which brought together Norwegian
forces assigned to NATO's Allied
Forces North Europe (AFNORTH)
and elements of the ACE Mobile
Force - multi-national conventional
land and air forces capable of
short-notice deployment to any part
of the NATO area at times of crisis.
The Norwegian forces included
Leopard Is of the medium tank
squadron (Stridsvogneskadron)
assigned to the Troms Land Defence
District. This series of photographs
from the exercise by Martin
Horseman shows: (above left) a
Bergepanzer (Leopard ARV) with
camouflage netting and crewman
completing his toilet! He is sitting on
the jib-boom while two others of the
crew of four are in their hatches.
Note MG3 at commander's hatch
and dozer blade in folded position at
front. The squadron's tanks are
named after racehorses and (centre
left) a detail of the name Batzeba is
seen on the turret side. Below:
Leopards heading towards Vollan.
Right and below right: Leopards
deploying alongside a road awaiting
the next move in the exercise. Note
the Hoffman-Werke AG gunfire
simulator on the IOSmm gun barrel.
This simulates visibly and audibly
AFVs' gunfire by igniting
electrically (by the operation of the
IOSmm's release mechanism) a
pyrotechnic charge.
\.
I
\, I'
Two more views from the exercise:
Leopard under camouflage (above).
The netting is removed from the
AFV in a fixed position to allow easy
turret Iraverse; (right) another
Leopard called Ulan.

94
11. InGerman service

Left: Gepard - 420 are in German

Army service. Note surveillance
radar erected - when retracted it
swings back and down to lie
horizontally over the engine decks.
BdV

Below: Leopard lA2 - note the

thermal sleeve on 10Smm main gun
and side skirts. RAC Centre

95
Above: Leopard IAIA! on exercise
showing clearly the spaced armour
on turret and mantlet, early exhaust
louvres and rubber side skirts.

Left and below left : Two views of a

heavily camouflaged Leopard IA4.

Right: Views of German Army

Leopard IA4s at speed. Right hand
vehicle (centre) has searchlight in
position .
Lefc: Leopard 1A4 with searchlight
attached. Note commander's
panoramic tetescope, part of the
integrated fire control system on
this version of Leopard.

Be/ow: Leopard lA2 in muddy

terrain. MTU

Righe: l.eopard lMs. MTU

Be/ow righe: Side view of German

Army Leopard lA4. Krauss Maffei
Above: Leopard I (third production
batch) at gunnery practice.
Krauss Maffei

Left: Early production Leopard I.

BdV

Right: Pioneerpanzer (AEV) using

its bulldozer. Note driver's position
and hull side detail differences from
the Bergepanzer (ARV) - the ladder
on thejib·boom (although this is
occasionally removed), auger just
visible behind the boom on the rear
decks and the modified cover on the
middle of the hull. Krupp MaK

101

I dlll~I I I ~I I!
I [II
Righi: Biber bridgelayer in
travelling order. Krall.' " Malfei

Be/oil': End of Exercise •Fore Front'

in 1971. Nearest to the camera are
early production Leopard Is (note
verticals on exhaust louvres) with
later versions in middle distance.
Also on parade are SPZ 12-3 APCs,
Leopard ARYs, Mll3s, M 109s, ... =~
M48 AYLBs, while in the far
distance arC Chieftains.
Appendices
1. Comparison of MBTs

A Western Powers
Country : USA USA USA UK UK UK FRG FRG France Sweden Switzer- Japan
land
T ype: M60Al M60A2 XMI Vickers Chieftain Chieftain Leopard Leopard AMX-30 Sirv Pz61 /68 STB74
Mk3 MkS new 1M 2 103B
Combat

weight: (tons) 48 51 .9 52.1 38.7 54 55 .5 42,4 54,1 36 39 38/39 38

Power-to

weight 11.4 10.6 22.2 14.0 10.0 15.9 14.5 20.4 14.7 13. 8 12.5 14.5

ratio: ( 15 .5) (14.4) (28.8) ( 19) (13.6) (2 1.6) (19.7) (277) ( 19.5 ) ( 18.7) ( 17) ( 19 .7)

(kW/ton (hp/ton»

Maxi mum

speed: (kmlh) 48 48 70 50 44 60 65 72 65 50 SO/55 53

Radius:

(km) 500 450 360 480 450 450 600 450 600 390 300/350

Main gun

calibre: (mm) lOS 152 lOS lOS 120 120 105 120 lOS lOS 105 lOS

No or rounds: 63 13 40 65 53 53 55 40 50 50 52
guided (AS I
missiles and
33 con- CI 59)
ventional
rounds
Weapon no yes+ yes yes yes yes yes yes no no. com- Pz61 no yes
stabilis- commander's mander's Pz68 yes
alion : cupola cupola
Rangefinder: yes Laser Laser Laser Mk 1-4 Laser Stereo- Lase r yes yes yes Laser
spotting MG scopk
Mk 5 Laser (ASI and
CI Lase r)
Night IR IR Themal IR IR As Mk 5 Themal Passive IR IR No No
sigh t: driving ftring night firing ftring ni ght firing ftring
s ight and passive sight passi ve passive
and passive dri ving and dri ving dri vi ng
passive driving passive
driving driving

B Numbers of Vehicles

USA 10,000 USSR 41 ,500

NATO (and France) 13,000 Warsaw Pact 16,000
Total 23,000 Countries outside
Warsaw Pact 23,000
Total 80 ,500
103
 C Warsaw Pact States
Type: T54/55 T62 T72
Country: USSR USSR USSR
Combat weight: (tons) 36.S 38 40
Power to weight
rati on (kW/ton (hp/ton»
10.5 (14.3) 13.7 (186) 18.4 (25)
Maximum speed: (km/h)
48 SO 70
Radius: (km)
630 with expendable 350 without expendable 500
fuel tanks fuel tanks
Main gun calibre: (mm)
100 115 (smoothbore)
125 (smoothbore)
No of rounds:
34 (T54) 40
32, including 28 in the loader
43 (T55) (12 APDS-FS, m/v 1,640m/sec

40 (T59) sub-calibre KE projectile)

7 HEAT-FS . m/v I ,DOOm/sec

2 1 HE-FS, m /v 800m/sec)

Weapon stabilisation:
yes; elevation only yes; elevation and azimuth
yes; elevation and azimuth
Rangefi nder:
Scale; Reticle Scale; Reticle
Laser
Night sight:
IR-firing, -driving IR-firing, -driving
Passive

2. Contractors involved in

the production of Leopard

Approximately 2,700 firms are involved in the production Waggonfabrik und Fahrzeugbau Wegmann & Co, of
of components for the Leopard MBT; some 450 of them Kassel
are direct sub-contractors to the General Contractor , Like Rheinmetall, Wegmann is an old established firm.
Krauss-Maffei AG of Munich. Only the more important (In World War 1 Wegmann built tanks, and in World War
of these subcontractors are listed in the following 2, the firm supplied turrets for Panzers I, II, III and the
paragraphs. Tiger.) Together with Rheinmetall Wegmann produces
turrets for the Leopard J and Leopard 2, and for the AA
"
RheinmetaU Gmbh of Diisseldorf tank Gepard. Additionally Wegmann produces a whole
Rheinmetall is a familiar name in the armament field. series of components such as electrical equipment and
This firm produces the weapon system - other than the smoke launching systems . Wegmann is also participating
tube - for Leopard I and assembles part of the turrets. It in studies for the turret of the next generation of tanks to
also manufactures the commander's hatches , loader's follow Leopard 2.
hatches and AA machine gun mountings. Its most recent Moreover Wegmann is more than a mere manufacturer
development has been the 120mm smoothbore gun for of components. Systems for the Gepard turret are put
Leopard 2. together and tested at a facility specially equipped for this
Together with the Kassel firm of Wegmann, purpose. A Gepard turret is composed of roughly 50
Rheinmetall is undertaking the production and final components with more than 10,000 individual parts. A
assembly of the turret for Leopard 2. computer controlled test system checks out the turret
system in only a few hours, a task which would require
Blohm & Voss AG of Hamburg three men to work approximately seven weeks using
Well-known in the German ship-building industry and a conventional test methods .
member of the Thyssen group, Blohm & Voss have
extensive experience and are experts in the welding and Maschinenbau GmbH of Kiel (MaK)
mechanical treatment of armour steel. Apart from hulls MaK, a member of the Krupp Group, together with
and welded turrets for the Leopard , this firm also Porsche and lung developed the Leopard 1. After the
produces turrets for the Marder APC , and the turret main contract was awarded to Krauss-Maffei MaK was
casings and hulls for the AA tank Gepard. subsequently made general contractor for the armoured
104
 recovery, annoured engineer and annoured birdgelayer Feinmechanische Werke Mainz GmbH

vehicles. This finn also handles 50% of the machining Their partner companies are Cadillac Gauge Company

work on the Leopard hulls and produces the electrical Detroit , Luther-Werke Braunschweig and AEG­

stowage boxes and cabling for the chassis. Currently Telefunken . They are supplying the turret control and

MaK is developing a prototype for the new Combat weapon stabilisation system.

Engineer Vehicle (GPM).

Hermann Hemscheid, Maschinenfabrik, Wuppertal

Moteren- und Turbinen Union Friedrichshafen Manufactures shock absorbers for the Leopard suspen­

GmbH sion system.

MTU manufactures the MB838 CaM-500 diesel engine

for the Leopard which was designed and developed by Luther-Werke of Braunschweig

Daimler Benz AG. (Daimler-Benz has no contractual This finn participated in the development of the Leopard

commitments to the series production of armoured chassis and supplies components for the chassis of the

vehicles - and apparently does not want any.) series production.

Friedrich Boysen GmbH, Altensteig, Black Forest Standard Elektrik Lorenz AG Stuttgart (SEL)

This firm which specialises in the muffling of internal SEL, a subsidiary of International Telephone and

combustion engines developed and supplies the Telegraph Corporation of New York , produces the

Leopard ' s exhaust system. Leopard's intercom system.

Clouth Gummiwerke of Cologne Steinheil - Lear Siegler AG, Ismaning

This firm vulcanises the rubber tyres on the roadwheel Supplies the commander's panoramic telescope and

and support roller rims. Clouth was also involved in the associated electrical equipment.

development of the steel-reinforced armour skirts.

Siiddeutsche Kiihlerfabrik Julius Fr. Behr, Stuttgart

Deugra GmbH of Ratingen Supplies the Leopard ' s cooling system, coolant , coolers

Deugra, a subsidiary of the UK finn of Graviner, supplies for the transmission oil cooling and the preheating

the automatic fire extinguishing system of the Leopard. element installed in the engine ' s oil reservoir.

&Co,of DIEHL KG of Remscheid Alfred Teves GmbH, FrankfurtlMain

Diehl is the leading track manufacturer in the Federal Supplies the Leopard's hydraulic brake system .

Republic. The company is now producing the tracks for

the production vehicles. YAW Leichtmetal-Werke Bonn

Supplies road wheel and turret race ring components, fuel

Dragerwerk of Liibeck and Naton Piller KG of tanks and ammunition brackets.

Osterode
These two firms are together producing the ventilation Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG

and NBC protection system jointly developed by them. Manufactures the combined hydraulic planetary steer­

shift transmission and the final drives for the Leopard.

J. Eberspacher KG Esslingen, Neckar

This finn supplies the water preheating and air heating Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen

_= =:::lanufacturer equipment. Produces the range finder and telescope for the Leopard's

_~ _ _~.rre[ are put optical fire control system.

_ ~_ : _ped for thi s Elektro Spezial GmbH of Bremen

~- ;}:- ro ughly 50 A company of the Philips corporation, which supplies the

Hoesch Rote Erde - Schmiededag AG Dortmund

_;:ua! parts. A image intensified driver's periscope for night driving.

Supplies the Leopard turret race ring and drive sprockets

-- _ - ..lU I Ihe turret Eltro GmbH & Company, Gesellschaft fUr Strahlung­
for the tracks.

o uld require stechnik of Heidelberg

'';''eeks using Produces the infra-red sight which can be substituted for
Arnold Jung, Lokomotivfabrik GmbH, JungenthaU
the day panoramic telescope when the vehicle is to be
Kirchen/Sieg
operated at night.
lung-Jungenthal in conjunction with Luther. MaK and
Porsche helped in the development of the prototype of the
OUo Fuchs, Metallwerke, Meinerzhagen (Bergisches
Leopard, and subsequently the prototypes of the
Land)
armoured recovery vehicle . For the Leopard series
-,---=:-::i :-"faK was Produce various aluminium extruded and forged parts for
production the finn supplies suspension units. track parts.
:2= armoured the Leopard.
and hulls recovery equipment and steering units.
105
 3

Leopard lAIAI with spaced

armour on mantlet and turret.

I'
Side views of: original configuration
I! of Leopard MBT (upper); Leopard
IA2 with cast steel turret (centre);
Leopard IA3 (lower),

106
3. Specifications

BATTLE TANK INDIA PROJECT '714' Suspension: Springs

Brakes: Daimler-BenziPorsche mechanica: .:::,-,
Country of manufacture: India Wheels: Support rollers (road wheels )
Manufacturer: Porsche System Engineering Ltd and Max speed: 50kmlh (30mph)
Daimler-Benz AG (design) Range: 450km
Year of manufacture: Planned 1954/55. None built. Width: 3. 2m overall
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, loader/operator, Length: 6.2m overall
driver) 10.2m with gun
Armament: Main One 90mm main gun , 61 rounds 4 .38m track on ground
carried Height: 2.8m
Secondary Two MGs, 4,000 rounds carried Weight: 39 ,500kg (max)
Armour: Hu1190mm front, 60-90mm sides, 45mm back 28 ,650kg chassis
Turret 90-130mm front, 45-90mm sides, 45mm back 1O,850kg turret
Engine: Daimler-Benz 29. 9litre MB837 A water-cooled I ,680kg payload
diesel; eight-cylinder 90° (I 65mm bore, 175 stroke) Ground pressure: O. 74kg,'sq cm
compression ration 18.2: I Turning circle: On own axi s
Fuel: Pump system; 160litre/ I OOkm consumption; Max gradient: 60%
120litre (26.37gal) Fording depth: l.4m (max)
Transmission: Three-disc clutch; five forward and five Ditch crossing: 2. 7m (max)
reverse gears; rear drive

STANDARD PANZER PROTOTYPE A-I '723' Brakes: A. Teves automatic disc I A . T=-.-::5 .::. c.-:; _:,, _
­
(italic figures in brackets show Prototype A-2 differences) servo disc)
Wheels: Support (road wheel s I and i -[j ::~ ~c' ::~ ~;
Country of manufacture: Germany Max speed: 61.3km1 h (65km h i
Manufacturer: Am lung Lokomotivenfabrik GmbH Range: 550km (470km)
Year of manufacture: Two built 1960-61 (62) Width: 3 .15m (3. 25m) overall
Crew: Four Length: 8.01 m (8.07m)
Ar,mament: Main One 105mm L7Al (L7A3), 58 (60) 9.38m (9. 12m) with gun
rounds carried 4.11m (4. 16m) track on ground
Secondary One MG42 (MG3), 3,000 rounds carried Height: 2.2m (2. 29mJ
Armour: Hull 50mm (70mm) front, 30rnm (30-35rnm) GroundcJearance: O.4m (D..+5m l
sides, 20rnm (25mm) back Weight: 33 ,300kg (38,5DOkg I ma.\
Turret60mm all round 25 ,OOOkg (30,000kg) chassis
Engine: As for Project '714' (Daimler-Benz 37. 33lilre c8,OOOkg (c9,00Dkg) rurret
MB838 Ca-500 JO-cy/inder) 2,840kg (2, 780kg) payload
Fuel: As for Project '714'; capacity I, 120litre Ground pressure: 0.8kg/s q cm (D. 8-+ .l:f _- ~ ,-~
(1 ,0JOlitre) in three containers TurningcircJe: On own axis (ID. 2m as I'e:"­
Transmission: As for Project '714' (ZF4HP-250 Max gradient: 60%
Hydromedia, hydraulic torque can verter clulch; four Max vertical object: I. 1m
forward and two reverse gears) Fording depth. 1.23m (J. 19m)
Suspension: Torsion bars , transverse Ditch crossing: 3. Om
STANDARDPANZER PROTOTYPE B-1 Type T -I Suspension: B I Hydrop (Frieste and Hapfner) ARMOCRE .
(italic figures in brackets indicate 8-2 Type T-II (conventional spring, one with torsion bar) (italic fig ure-;: ­
differences) Brakes: B I Hydraulic (servo-hydrauJic) disc producti on :::.-.
Wheels: Road and idling (support and idling roJ/ers)
Country of manufacture: Gennany Max speed: 63krrVh(65knVh) Country of _'
Manufacturer: Rheinstahl Hanomag AG, Hannover Range: 200km (300km) Manufac
Works (Herschel WerkeAG, Kassel) Width: 3. 15m (3. 25m) overall (Am Jung L
Year of manufacture: Two build 1960-61 (1962; six Length: 7.84m (8. 27m) Year of m ar:
vehicles ordered but only two produced; one by 9.4m (9.44m) with gun Number b - ­
Hanomag) ­ 3.8m (4. 02m) track on ground Crew: Foe
Crew: Four Height: 2.12m (2.3lm) Armament : -=­
Armament: Main One 105mm semi-automatic (BK Ground clearance: O.4m Armour: :': ­
L7A2), 63 rounds carried Weight: 35 ,800kg (38, 980kg) max Engine: .-\.;:c
Secondary Two MG3s, 2,400 (5,000) rounds carried 26 ,660kg (29, 170kg) chassis Ca-500. ce~
Armour: Hu/J 50mrn (70mm) front , 25mrn (30mm) 8,735kg (9,370kg) turret Fuel: Pu r:c ,_
sides, 15mrn (25mm) back 2,320kg (2, 670kg) payload (200-4 00l: ~
Turret60mm all round Ground pressure: O. 957kglsq cm (0. 84kglsq cm) containe r~
Engine: As for Project '714' (Daimler-Benz 37. 33/itre Turning circle: 9 .7m (2.6m)
MB838 Ca-500 lO-cylinder) Max gradient: 60%
Fuel: As for Project '714'; capacity 420litre (820Iitre) Climbing ability: O. 8m (0. 95m)
Transmission: Pub PP45 (PP45 II) lamellae clutch; five Fording depth: 1.2-2. 1m
ARMOl

(eight) forward and five (eight) reverse gears ; rear drive Ditch crossing: 2.8m
Manufac

Year of Uli'-_ _

Number b

LEOPARD PRODUCTION VARIANTS Road range: 600km (550km Leopard I I st/2nd batches)
Crew: Fot..:

Width: 3.25m (without skirts)

Armamem ; ­

Manufacturer: Krauss-Maffei AG 3 .37m (lA4 with skirts)

Armour: : : ­

Number produced: Length: 6.94m

Engine: _-\.;:.

1,845 (Leopard I first, second, third and fourth batches 9. 54m with gun forwards
Fuel: Pu n::; ::

redesignated 1AI) 4 :24 track on ground

intwoco .,­

232 (lA2) Height: 2.62m

Transrnis,:

IIO(lA3) 2.76m(1M)
gears

250 (lA4) Ground clearance: 0.44m (9.45m Leopard lIst/2nd

SuspensioL_

Crew: Four batches)

Max speed : ~

Armament: Main One 105mm BK L7A3 (LIS I), 60 Max weight: 39 ,600kg (Leopard lIst/2nd batches)

rounds carried 40,000kg (Leopard I 3rd batch)

Secondary Two MG3s , 5,500 rounds carried (3,000 41 ,500kg (lAI)

Leopard lIst/2nd batches) 42,500kg(lA2, IA3 , 1M)

ARr.l0 l "RE.::

Armour: HuJ/70mrn front, 25-35mm sides, 25mm back Chassis weight: 32,000kg (31 ,000kg Leopard I all

Turret60mm batches)
Manufa

Engine: Motoren- und Turbinen Union (MTU) 37 .33litre Max payload: 2,000kg
Year of LU<:.~_I
M8838 Ca-M500 water-cooled diesel ; 10-cylinder Ground pressure: 0. 84kg/sq cm (Leopard list/2nd

(I 65mm stroke, 175mm bore) compression ratio 19.5: 1 batches)

developing 830hp at 2,200 rpm 0. 86kg/sq cm (Leopard I 3rd batch)

Fuel: Pump system; I 65litrel 100km (185litre Leopard 0.88kg/sqcmIlAI,IA4)

Is); capacity 985litre in two containers (I ,010litre 0.90kg/sqcmIlA2,IA3)

Leopard lIst/2nd batches) Turning circle: 9.6m (10.2m and own axis for Leopard I

Transmission: ZF 4HP-250, four forward a;ld two I st/2nd batches)

reverse gears, rear drive Max gradient: 60%

Suspension: Torsion bars, transverse Climbing ability: 1.1 m

Leoparc ~·S­
Brakes: A. Teves hydraulic-servo disc Fording depth: 2.2/4 .0m
~la" speee; :
Wheels: Support and idling rollers Ditch crossing: 2. 9m
Range: ~ :.: ­
Max road speed: 65krrVh 164krnlh Leopard lIst/2nd Width :: :..: ~
batches) -+ Om " ;::. ::--­
108
 ARMOURED RECOVERY VEHICLE Transmission, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels: As for
(italic figures in brackets show prototype differences from Leopard MBT
production model) Max speed: 62knVh (65km1h)
Range: 500km (840km)
Country of Manufacture: Gennany Width: 3.25m

Manufacturer: Atlas-MAK Maschinenbau GmbH Kiel Length: 7.45m (7. 16m)

(Am lung Lokomotivenfabrik GmbH) 4.24m (4. 22m) track on ground

Yearofmanufacture: 1966-71 (1964) Height: 2.7m (2.2m)
Number built: 444 (2) Ground clearance: 0.44m (0. 45m)
Crew: Four Max weight: 39, 800kg (40, OOOkg)
Armament: Two MG3s, 3,000 rounds carried 600kg payload
Armour: 35mm front, 25-30mm sides, 25mm back Ground pressure: 0.85kg/s q em (0. 86kglsq cm)
Engine: As for Leopard MBT (Daimler-Benz MB838 Turning circle: 3.65m (l0.2m and on own axis)

Ca-500, compression ratio 18.2: 1) Max gradient: 60%

Fuel: Pump system; 245litre/l OOkm Vertical obstacle: I .15m (1.1 m)

(200-400litre/JOOkm); capacity I ,550litre in two Fording depth: 2. !14m (J . 214m)

containers Ditch crossing: 2. 9m

ARMOURED ENGINEER VEHICLE Range: 800km

Width: 3.25m
Manufacturer: Atlas-MAK Maschinenbau GmbH , Kiel Length:7.88m
Year of manufacture: 1968-71 4. 24m track on ground
Number built: 105 Height: 2.7m
_ __ ': 1d batches) Crew: Four Ground clearance: 0.44m
Armament: Two MG3s, 3,000 rounds carried Max weight: 40,800kg
Armour: 35mm front, 25-30mm sides, 25mm back 600kg payload
Engine: As for Leopard MBT Ground pressure: 0.87kg/sq em
Fuel: Pump system; 245litrell OOkm; capacity 1,5501itre Turning circle: 10.2m or on own axis
in two containers Max gradient: 60%
Transmission: As for Leopard MBT but four reverse Verticle obstacle: I. Om
gears Fording depth: 2.1/4.0m
- _=..: ~ I st!2nd Suspension, Brakes, Wheels: As for Leopard MBT Ditch crossing: 2. 9m
Max speed: 62krnlh

ARMOURED BRIDGELAYER BIBER 4m bridge

Lengtb: 10.2m
Manufacturer: Atlas-MAK Maschinenbau GmbH, Kiel 11.4 with bridge
Yearofmanufacture: 1973-75 4.24m track on ground
.c.: : : st 2nd Number built: 105 22m bridge
Crew: Four Height: 2.56m
Armament: None 3.5m with bridge
Armour: 70mm front, 35mm sides, 25mm back Ground clearance: 0.44m
Engine: As for Leopard MBT Weight: 35 ,OOOkg max
--= ~ ~ Leopard I Fuel: Pump system; 1801itrell OOkm ; capacity 1,01 OIitre 45 .000kg with bridge
in two containers Ground pressure: O. 96kg sq em
Transmission, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels: As for T urning circle: 10.2m
LeopardMBT Max gr adient: 60 g{
Max speed: 62krn1h Verticle obstacle: 1.Om
Range: 800km Fordingdepth: 1. 2 1.7m
Width: 3.25mm Ditch c~ossing: 3.0m
4.0m with bridge
ANTI-AIRCRAFT TANK GEPARD Operating frequency : Ku-Band MBT-80PRG=
Range : l5km
Manufacturer: Krauss-Maffei AG Fixed echo suppression: Pulse doppler principle at 23dB
Year of manufacture: 1974-6
magnitude
Number built: Production figure not yet known.
Augsburg
Fire control computer
Crew: Three
Yearofm
Contractor: Contraves AG, Zurich
Armament: two 35mm MK Oerlikon cannon
Crew:T h:~
Operating principle: Miniaturised analog computer
Armour: 70mm front, 35mm sides, 25mm back
Armamen t: ~
Target speed range: 0 - approx Mach 1.5
Engine: As for Leopard MBT
One 120m::;:. _
Corrections: automatic Muzzle Velocity Vo, Cant
Fuel: Pump system; 180litre/ I OOkm; capacity 1,01 Olitre
Armour: '... c ­
manual (variables) - Wind direction, Ballistic air
in two containers
Engine: ~ r_
pressure, Ballistic temperature
Transmission, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels and Max
bore , 155 ~ ­
speed: As for Leopard MBT
Periscopic sight Fuel: Pu m ? ~
Range: 550km
Contractor: Contraves AG, Zuich ; Fisba AG , St Gallen

Width: 3.25m
Type: monocular
reverse gc~ . _
Length:7.28m
Magnification: x 1.5/6
Suspension: :- _
4 .24m track on ground
Field of view: 50°112.5"
Brakes: A -=-_
Height: 3.01m
Training limits: In azimuth - 360°
Wheels: St::_
Ground clearance: 0.44m
In elevation - I 0° to + 85°

Weight: 45 ,600kg max

30,600kg chassis
Guns
14 ,OOOkg turret
Contractor: Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon-Buhrle LEOPARD:
1,300kg payload (1, 100kg ammunition)
AG,Zunch
Ground pressure: O. 95kg/sq cm
Type: Automatic gun with gas operated breech Manufac
Turning circle: 10. 2m
Calibre: 35mm Crew: F .:
Max gradient: 60%
Barrel length : L90 = 3.15m
Vertical obstacle: 1. 12m
Rate of fire/gun: 550rounds/min
Muzzle velocity Vo: I , 175m/sec Armour : . . :
Fording depth: 1.2/4. Om

Ditch crossing: 3.0m

Elevation limits: _5° to +85° Engine: . ~_
(l65mm : _- ­
Gepard Fire Control System
Ammunition feed develop· .; __-
Search radar Type: Hydraulic operated belt feed Fuel: F il !.::. ~
Contractor: Siemens AG, Munich Ammunition carried; AA - 640 rounds capacity : .. ­
Operating frequency : S-Band Surface target - 40 rounds Trans . .
Range : 15km
Fixed echo suppression: Pulse doppler principle at approx Ammunition
60dB magnitude Type: AA-HE
Antenna rotation speed : 60rpm Surface target - APDS , anti-tank
Weight of round: 1,560g

Bib

Integrated IFF: Yes

Weight of projectile: 550g
Tracking radar Flight time: Over I,OOOm-0.95sec
Contractor: Siemens-Albis AG , Zurich Over3,OOOm - 3.7Ssec

PANZERHAUBITZE GCT155 PROTOTYPE clearance, Max gradient: As for Leopard MBT

Length: 7 .09m Books

Manufacturer: Krauss-Maffei AG and GIAT 10.6m with gun forward For furthe: .

Year of manufacture: 1973 Height: 3.12m recomme:-: ':=-~

Crew: Four Weight: 4S,SOOkg Raim uo.c :. _.

Armament: Main One 155mm GCT L140 howitzer, 42 4,OOOkg payload Th e Leo.::-,--~ ~
rounds carried with automatic loader Ground pressure: 0.95kg/sq cm
Secondary One 7 . 62mm MG, 2,000 rounds carried Thrningcircle: LO.2m
Armour: Hull 35mm front, 30mm sides , 25mm back Vertical obstacle: 1.2m
Superstructure Thick enough to resist APDS rounds Fording depth: 2.2Sm
Engine, Fuel, Transmission, Suspension, Brakes, Ditch crossing: 2. 9m
Wheels, Max speed, Range, Width, Ground
110
 MBT-80PROTOTYPE Range: 650km
Width: 3.51m
= : _: ..~a t 23dB Country of Manufacture: Gennany/USA Length: 6.99m
Manufacturer: Deutsche Entwicklungs GmbH , 9.1 m with gun
Augsburg 4.65m track on ground
Year of manufacture: 1964-7 Height: 2.29m normal (I. 99m lowered , 2.59 lifted)
Crew: Three Ground clearance: 0.44m nonnal (0. 14m lowered ,
Armament: One 152mm multi-purpose gun (USA) 0.74m lifted)
One 120mm, one 20mm and one 7 .62mm MG3 (Gennan) Weight: 46-50,OOOkg
Armour: No details available 29 ,OOOkg chassis
Engine: MTU MB873 Ka 39 .8litre to-cylinder (165mm 17 ,000kg turret
bore , 155mm stroke) compression ratio 20.5: I 2,000kg payload
Fuel: Pump system; 215litre/lOOkm; capacity 1,320litre Ground pressure: O. 78kg/sq cm
~ -.0 . S Gallen Transmission: Renk HSWL 354, four forward and two Turning circle: 14m
reverse gear, rear dri ve Max gradient: 60%
Suspension: Hydropneumatic, height adjustable Vertical obstacle: 1. 1m
Brakes: A. Teves hydraulic servo disc Fording depth: 2 .25m
Wheels: Support and idling rollers Ditch crossing: 2.8m
Maxspeed:70krnlh

:: _::';;on-Biihrle LEOPARD 2 Wheels: Support and idling rollers

Max road speed: 68krn1h
Manufacturer: Krau ss-Maffei AG Road range: 500km
Crew: Four Width: 3. 73m (with skirts)
Armament: Main One 120/1 05mm BK smoothbore Length: 7.4m (hull )
Secondary Two MGs 9 .61 m (gun forward s)
Armour: No details available 4. 95m track on ground
Engine: MTU MB873 Ka-500 39 . 8 litre 12-cylinder Height: 2.48m
(165mm bore , 175mm stroke) compression ratio 20.5 : 1 Ground clearance : 0 .55 at front. 0 .5m at ba k
developing I ,500hp at 2,600rpm Weight: 55,000kg max
Fuel: Filling and drawing circle; 215litre/l OOkm; Ground pressure: O. 85kg/sq em
capacity 1,0OOJitre Turning circle: High axis
Transmission: Renk HSWL 354/3, four forward and two Max gradiant: 60%
reverse gears, rear drive Vertical obstacle: I . 12m
Suspension: Torsion bars, transverse Fording depth: 2.2/5. 5m
Brakes: A. Teves hydraulic servo di sc Ditch crossing: 3.2m

Bibliography

Books
Articles
For further reading the following books are
A&W Annies & Weapons
recommended:
IWR Intemationale Wehr-Revue
Raimund Knecht (Ed); J. F. Lehmans Verlag Munich ;
JWT Jahrbuch der Wehrtechnik
The Leopard Combat Tank; (originally published in 1972
KT Kampftruppen
in Gennan as Kampfpanzer Leopard)
MILTECH Military Technology
Walter J. Spielberger; Der Mittlere Kampfpanzer
SuT So/dat und Technik.
Leopard Und Seine Abarten; Motorbuch Verlag ,

Stuttgart.
On Leopard:
Walter J. Spielberger; Von der Zugmaschine 7.um
Der Leopard, Deutsche Version des europaischen
Leopard 2; Bernard & Graefe Verlag , Munich .
Standardpanzers; SuT8/63
III
 Leopard 2 MBT.

Chieftain und Leopard im Vergleich; SuT4/66 On the lBridgelayer Biber

Dererste Leopard rollte yom Fliessband; SuTI 0/65 Briickenpanzer Leopard. Leopard-FahrgesteJJ mit zwei

Dr. F. M. von Sengerund Etterlin; DerKampfpanzer Briicken version en fur Truppen versuch; SuT 4171

Leopard, Entwicklungsgeschichte und BruckenJegepanzer Biber an die Truppe ubergeben.

Leistungsvergleich . SuT4/67 Technische Entwicklung und gegenwiirtiger Stand;

Dererste Leopard fiir Belgien; SuT/68 SuT2174 S .64 SuT7174

Leopard auch fur Italien; SuT170 Hans Leue; Pionier-Briickengerat 1980, ein

KPz Leopard fur Australien und Kanada; Ideenwettbewerb; JWT 6

Sonderausriistungen; SuT3/77­ Engineer Vehicles; A&W33177

Giinther Miiller; Stabilisierung der Waffenanlage des

Kampfpanzers; JWT 2
On the AA Tank Gepard

Theodor Icken, Heinrich Wiist; Panzerentwicklungen in

Der Rakpanzer Leopard; SuT2/69

Ost und West; JWT 9

Norbert Roy; Der neue Rakpanzer der Bundeswehr;

Leopard I System Maintenance; MilTech. 1177

SuT8172

R . M . Ogorkiewicz; Panzersimulatoren; IWR 78

Walter J . Spielberger; Weapon System Monograph:

David Miller; Leopard Main Battle Tank; War Monthly

Gepard Anti-Aircraft Tank; MILTECH 4178

52177
Gepard; A&W27176

Christopher F. Foss; Krauss-Maffei. A study ofehe

Enrico Po; Oerlikon 35-mm; A& W 15175

Military Programmes; Defence 12177

Christopher F. Foss; Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft AFVs;

The Leopard with its mane; A& W 26176

BattJe4175

Leopard to the antipodes; A&W 43178

H . D. von Bernuth, J. H . Reuter; Leopard - The German

On the Leopard 2

Battle Tank; Armor 1170

Leopard 2 Program; MILTECH 1177

Dr F. M. von Senger und Etterlin; Operational Mobility­

The 120mm-Smooth Bore Gun System for the Main

A Function ofDesign . Leopard as a Noteworthy

Battle Tank; MILTECH 1177

Example; Armor 1170

Leopard 2 in the USA. A German Point of View;

Oswald Filla; Waffenstabilisierungen in Kampfpanzem;

MILTECH 2177

KT =/67
Leopard 2 A V - Der zukunftige Standardpanzer der

R. M . Ogorkiewicz; Production of the German Leopard NATO ?; IWR76

Tank; Automotive Industries 12/69 Robert Heck; Leopard 2 - Deutschlands Kampfpanzer fur

die 80er Jahre; Armada 2178

On the Recovery Vehicle and Armoured Engineer Enrico Po; Leopard 2; A&W23176

Vehicle G. M. Bailly-Cowell ; MBTLeopard 2A V forNATO ?;

Theodor Icken; Prototyp des neuen deutschen NATO's Fifteen Nations 3176

Bergepanzers. Enter Abkommling der Panzerfamilie Main Battle Tank Leopard 2 for the German Army;

Leopard; SuT8/64 NATO's Fifteen Nations 5177

Bergepanzer Leopard; KT5/66 R. M. Ogorkiewicz; Leopard 2A V; ArnlOr 1178

Pionierpanzer Leopard; KT2/69 W . John Farquharson; Leopard 2-NATO's Next Tank;

Bergepanzer Standard; Wehrkunde 15/66 Armed Forces Journal 12175

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