Krauss-Maffei Leopard 1
The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a main battle tank designed and produced in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armor of limited value, the Leopard focused on firepower in the form of the German-built version of the British L7 105mm/52-caliber gun, and improved cross-country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era.
The design started as a collaborative project in the 1950s between West Germany and France, and later joined by Italy, but the partnership ended and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr, with production starting in 1965. In total, 6,485 Leopard tanks have been built, of which 4,744 were battle tanks and 1,741 were utility and anti-aircraft variants, not including 80 prototypes and pre-series vehicles.
The Leopard quickly became a standard of European forces, and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen countries worldwide. Since 1990, the Leopard 1 has gradually been relegated to secondary roles in most armies. In the German Army, the Leopard 1 MBTs were phased out in 2003, while Leopard 1 derived vehicles are still widely used. The Leopard 2 MBTs have taken over the MBT role. Leopard hulls have been re-used in a wide variety of roles.
Users[edit | edit source]
- Australia
- Australian Army
- Belgium
- Belgian Land Component
- Brazil
- Brazilian Army
- Canada
- Canadian Army
- Chile
- Chilean Army
- Denmark
- Royal Danish Army
- Ecuador
- Ecuadorian Army
- Germany
- German Army
- Greece
- Hellenic Army
- Italy
- Italian Army
- Lebanon
- Lebanese Army
- Netherlands
- Royal Netherlands Army
- Norway
- Royal Norwegian Army
- Turkey
- Turkish Army
- United Kingdom
- British Army
