Online Encyclopedia
Leopard MBT
The Leopard is the primary post-WWII German tank design, a design that has been in use as the primary main battle tank for most European countries in various versions since the early 1960s.
The original Leopard was a fairly conventional design armed with a German-built version of the famous British L7 105 mm gun. This design started to become outdated almost immediately with the introduction of the T-64, and an up-gunned version with the new Rheinmetall 120 mm gun was cancelled in favor of a joint "supertank" design with the US that led to the MBT-70.
With the failure of that project in the late 1960s the Leopard 2 design was dusted off (the original retroactively becoming the Leopard 1), upgraded with perforated steel armor, and became the main tank design for most of western Europe from the 1970s until today, so that the manufacturer, has started calling it the Euro Leopard.
Some tank league tables have called the Leopard 2 '"the best tank in the world"; such comparisons should be taken with a grain of salt, since all modern Western Main Battle Tanks are very close in their capabilities and often use similar technology: in fact the 120mm main gun calibre of the Leopard 2 has become the near-universal standard in the West. It is notable, however, that the Leopard 2 has tended to come first in competitive evaluations, such as the one run by the Swedish, Spanish and Greek armies.
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Leopard 1
The Leopard project started in the November 1956 in order to develop a modern tank to replace the West German Army's US-built M-47 & M48 tanks, which were rapidly growing outdated. In 1957 the detailed designs were released; the new design needed to able to withstand hits from 20 mm anti-tank guns, operate in a battlefield contaminated with chemical weapons or radioactive fallout, the then-standard baseline for combat with the Warsaw Pact. In addition the main armament was to be upgraded to the new L7A3 105 mm gun, carrying at least as much ammunition as current US designs.
In June 1957 Germany and France signed an agreement to develop a common tank, designated Standard-Panzer. Two German and one French design teams would be included in a competition, with each team producing two prototypes each. In September 1958 Italy joined the development program. Several prototypes were entered for testing in 1960. Porsche's Model 734 sported an odd looking turret but otherwise bore a strong resemblance to the famous Panther tank of WWII, whereas Rheinmetall's version was somewhat "flatter" and used a more normal looking welded turret.
The Porsche version was eventually selected as the winner of the contest in 1963, but was modified with a new cast turret and several hull changes to raise the rear deck to provide more room in the engine compartment, and move some of the radiators to the upper sides of the hull. Before production started it was also decided to add an optical range-finding system for better long-range gunnery, which required the turret to be somewhat taller, and added "bumps" on either side of the turret to mount the optics. The tank now looked somewhat more like the British Centurion with a US turret on top.
Production was set up at Krauss-Maffei of Munich, with deliveries of the first batch between September 1965 and July 1966. The Leopard was soon being purchased by a number of NATO members including Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey, as well as by Australia.
Leopard 1A1
After the first batch was delivered the next three batches were the Leopard 1A1 model, which included a new gun stabilization system from Cadillac-Gage, allowing the tank to fire effectively on the move. The 1A1 also added the now-famous "skirts" along the sides to protect the upper tracks, and a new thermal jacket on the gun barrel to control heating. A less important change was to use rectangular rubber blocks fastened to the treads with a single pin instead of the earlier two-pin "shaped" versions, which could be easily replaced in the winter with metal X-shaped crampons for movement on ice and snow.
Between 1974 and 1977 all of the machines in the first four batches were brought to the same Leopard 1A1A1 standard, and given additional turret armor developed by Blohm + Voss. A further upgrade in the 1980s added leftover image-intensifier night sights which were being handed down from the Leopard 2 as they were themselves upgraded. The PZB 200 was mounted in a large box on the upper right of the gun, creating the Leopard 1A1A2. A further upgrade with SEM80/90 all-digital radios created the Leopard 1A1A3.
Leopard 1A2
The first 232 tanks of the fifth production batch was delivered as the Leopard 1A2 between 1972 and 1974. The A2 included a heavier and better armored turret, and therefore did not receive the B&V armor add-ons as did the earlier machines. They did receive the other upgrades however--the Leopard 1A2A1 received the PZB 200, the Leopard 1A2A2 the digital radios, and the Leopard 1A2A3 got both.
Leopard 1A3
The next 110 vehicles in the fifth batch were fitted with a new welded turret incorporating spaced armor and a wedge-shaped gun mantlet, creating the Leopard 1A3. Although the armor protection was the same as the A2's new welded version, the internal volume was increased by 1.2 m3. The improved TRP 2A independent sight was installed for the commander. Upgrades were identical to the 1A2 models, the Leopard 1A3A1 with the night sights, Leopard 1A3A2 with the new radios, and the Leopard 1A3A3 with both.
Leopard 1A4
The Leopard 1A4 formed the sixth batch of 250 vehicles, delivered starting in 1974. The 1A4 was externally similar to the 1A3, but included a new computerized fire control system and the new EMES 12A1 sighting system to aim it. In addition the commander was provided with his own independent night sighting system, the PERI R12. The new equipment used up space and the ammunition load was reduced to 55 rounds, of which 42 were stored in the magazine to the left of the driver.
The 1A4 was initially to have followed an upgrade program similar to the earlier models, but instead this model was phased out of service in favor of more dramatic upgrades to the earlier 1A1A1 models.
Leopard 1A5
In 1980 a research program was undertaken to study further improvements to the Leopard 1, providing it with a completely modern fire control system and fully effective night/bad-weather vision system. This was going to require even more room than the larger turret from the 1A3/1A4 models, so the decision was made to base the upgrades on the earlier models which were no longer competitive.
The resulting Leopard 1A5 was based on the Leopard 1A1A1 models, of which there were over a thousand still in service or storage. A complete new turret was created for the 1A5 that was much larger, both in order to store all of the new equipment, as well as to move more of the ammunition into the rear turret, as opposed to the left side of the driver where it had traditionally been stored. The storage locker extended the turret almost to the rear of the tank when the gun was facing forward. The new turret was also able to mount the newer 120 mm gun from the Leopard 2 if desired, although this option has not been used.
After trials the Krupp-Atlas Electronik EMES 18 fire control system was selected in December 1983, developed from the EMES 15 used on the Leopard 2. The EMES 18 included two new sights on to the top of the turret, and no longer required the "bumps" as did the earlier optical systems. A crucial part of the upgrade was the introduction of more effective ammunition, including new APFSDS rounds.
The first modified vehicle was delivered in early 1987. Since then almost all users of the Leopard 1 have also applied similar changes to their own vehicles, and in most ways the 1A5 can be considered the "standard" Leopard 1 today.
Leopard 1A6
A single 1A1A1 was also modified with additional armor on the turret and the 120 mm gun as the Leopard 1A6. The project was ended in 1987, as the Leopard 2 was in widespread service at this point and the 1A5 offered a reasonable upgrade path for a fraction of the cost.
Other modifications
As the Leopard 1 was replaced in service by the Leopard 2, many of the otherwise serviceable hulls were used for various second-line duties. Included were a number of engineering, bridging and recovery vehicles, as well as a number of versions used in the anti-aircraft role.
Gilded Leopard, Wild Boar
Almost as soon as the Leopard was introduced into service in 1965, Porsche was awarded a contract to study further upgrades to the existing machines, while waiting deliveries of the MBT-70 in the mid-1970s. This original Gilded Leopard program expired in 1967 with no production order.
As the MBT-70 program started to drag on a further contract was offered under the name Wild Boar, with an emphasis on using as many technologies from the MBT-70 as possible. Two prototype vehicles were constructed using a new chassis from Porsche with the road wheels from the MBT-70 and the original Leopard engine, combined with a new Wegmann turret mounting the MBT-70's Rhinemetall 120 mm smoothbore gun (although some also mounted the original 105 mm). These were considered promising enough that seven more were ordered, this time powered by the MTU engine designed for the MBT-70.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1950s and '60s generation tanks were badly beaten by wire-guided missiles, and it was realized that dramatically improved armor protection was needed. The decision was made to allow the tank to increase its weight to the next classification, Military Loading Class 60 (tonnes), and a new design effort started.
Leopard 2
The result was the dramatically better protected Leopard 2 design, which included a much larger and blockier looking turret as a result of using perforated steel block armor and a large internal ammunition storage locker in the rear. The most noticeable difference in the hull was a longer "nose" for the larger armor, and the flattening-off of the formerly angled upper edges where the sides met the top of the hull.
Several test articles were produced, and in 1976 the US indicated its interest in the design as well. In response several more test turrets were produced to US standards, one mounting the original L7A3 105 mm gun and a Hughes fire control system, a second with the same fire control system but able to "swap out" the gun for the 120 mm Rheinmetall design, and two more mounting the Hughes-Krupp Atlas Elektronik EMES 13 fire control system, one with the L7 and another with the 120 mm gun.
The prototypes arrived in the US by the end of August 1976, and comparative tests between the Leopard 2 and the XM1 (the original name for the M1 Abrams) prototypes were done at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, lasting until December. The US Army reported that the Leopard 2 and the XM1 were comparable in firepower and mobility, but the XM1 was superior in armor protection due to its use of Chobham armour (today we know that this was only true as regards HEAT attack; against KE-rounds the Leopard II had almost twice the protection level of the now-upgraded original M1). After the comparative test the Leopard 2 prototypes were returned to Germany for further evaluation tests.
In September 1977 the German Ministry of Defense decided to go ahead with plans for production of 1,800 Leopard 2's, to be delivered in five batches. Krauss-Maffei was again chosen as the main contractor, but this time Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK), of Kiel, Germany would be a major (45%) subcontractor. Deliveries started in 1979, and by 1982 the first batch of 280 Leopard 2's was completed. The first 200 of these mounted an image intensifier, the last 80 with a new thermal night-sight system, and this was later retrofitted to the earlier models.
Leopard 2A1
A number of minor modifications was worked into the second batch of 450 vehicles. Deliveries of the 2A1 models started in March 1982 and ended in November 1983. The two most notable changes were the modification of the ammunition racks to be identical to those in the M1 Abrams, and redesigned fuel filters that reduced refueling time.
A second batch of 300 2A1's of the third batch were built between November 1983 and November 1984, which included more minor changes that were later retrofitted to the earlier 2A1's.
Leopard 2A3
The next batch of 300 vehicles was delivered between December 1984 and December 1985. The main change was the addition of the SEM80/90 digital radio sets (also being fitted to the Leopard 1 at the same time), and the ammunition reloading hatches being welded shut. Even with these minor changes the new batch was known as the 2A3.
Leopard 2A4
Another 370 vehicles were delivered between December 1985 and March 1987. These 2A4 models included more substantial changes, including an automated fire and explosion suppression system, an all-digital fire control system able to handle new ammunition types, and improved armor on the turret.
Although only five batches were originally ordered, another batch of 150 was ordered in 1987. These included new batteries and tracks, and moved the warning light so it could be better observed by the driver when he was driving "head out". Yet another batch of 100 was delivered between May 1989 and April 1990, identical to the sixth. A smaller batch of 75 were delivered until 1992.
Leopard 2A5
| General Characteristics (Leopard 2A5) | |
| Length: | 9.9 m |
| Width: | 3.7 m |
| Height: | 3 m |
| Weight: | 62 t |
| Speed: | 70 km/h |
| Range: | 550 km |
| Primary armament: | 120 mm L44 smoothbore Gun |
| Secondary armament: | two 7.62 mm MG 3is |
| Power plant: | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) |
| Crew: | 4 |
Production History
The Leopard 1 was first produced in 1963 and is used by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and Australia, and recently, Chile.
The Leopard 2 was first produced in 1979 and is used by Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Spain. Finland and Poland have purchased used German Leopard 2's and Greece has recently purchased Leopard 2A6's.
Configurations
The Leopard 2 is found in different configurations:
Leopard 2A6
- 120 mm L55 smoothbore Gun by Rheinmetall GmbH
Leopard 2A5
- 120 mm L44 smoothbore Gun by Rheinmetall GmbH
Leopard 2(S) (aka Strv 122) used by the Swedish Army
- Based on the 2A5
- Has upgraded Command and Control systems and a new passive armor.
- Can be distinguished from the 2A4 / Strv 121 by its wedge-shaped turret armor.
Leopard 2A4
- aka Strv 121 used by the Swedish Army
- Has flat titanium/tungsten turret armor.
Pz87 used by Switzerland
- Indigenous machine-guns and communications.
- Improved NBC protection.
Pionierpanzer 1
- Basic combat engineering vehicle used by Germany.
Bergepanzer 2A1
- Armored recovery vehicle used by Germany (as Büffel), The Netherlands (Buffel) and Sweden, where the slightly modified version is known as the Bgbv 120.
Leguan
- Bridgelayer built upon the Leopard 1 chassis. In use in Norway.
Gepard 1
- SPAAG variant armed with a twin 35 mm turret.
External Links
- Army Technology - Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leopard/index.html