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During the 1950s West Germany, France and Italy were equipped with American tanks, mostly M47s. These were approaching obsolescence and so the three nations agreed to draw up a specification for a new European tank. This specification appeared in 1957 and the defence ministries in France and West Germany then authorised the construction of prototypes. In France these were produced by the state-owned Atelier de Construction d’Issy les Moulineaux (AMX). In Germany they were produced by two consortia; Group A led by Porsche KG, and Group B under the Warnecke office of Ruhrstahl. Rheinmetall and Wegmann were given the contract to develop a turret design common to the two German vehicles.
Four German prototypes of the new vehicle, known as Kampfpanzer Standard, were delivered for trials in 1961, two from Group A in January and two from Group B in September. Following trilateral trials late in that year a number of changes were made to the specification. A further twenty-six Group A vehicles were ordered, with turrets designed by Wegmann, along with six from Group B, with turrets by Rheinmetall. At this point the French decided to develop their own gun whilst, following further trials at Trier and Meppen, the Group B design was abandoned after only two more vehicles had been completed. During 1963 the Germans decided to choose a purely German design and authorised production of the Group A design from July of that year. The first examples of this tank, now known as Leopard, left the production line in September. Meanwhile France went its own way, culminating in production of the AMX30, whilst Italy first decided to build the American M60 under licence and then to buy the Leopard.
Group A Prototypes
The first two examples of the Group A vehicle to be built were designated ‘Series I’ prototypes and were distinguished by having the driver’s position on the left side of the hull. They also appear to have had vertical exhaust grills covering just half the height of the engine compartment superstructure sides. One turret had a Rheinmetall 105mm gun and rangefinder, the other the British L7 105mm gun and 0.50in ranging machine gun.
The ‘Series II’ prototype vehicles had the driver’s compartment moved to the right side of the hull to make way for ammunition stowage for the gun. This simplified the stowage since the main armament, now standardised on the British L7 series 105mm gun, was loaded from the left. The ‘12.7mm’ ranging MG was retained, and the exhaust grills now extended the full height of the engine compartment sides. Numerous improvements incorporated into these vehicles included increased armour protection, a ten cylinder diesel engine coupled to a new transmission, a modified fire control system and improved suspension. Twenty-six were produced at about the time the Group B design was abandoned. They were sent to a special trials unit, Panzerlehrbataillon 93, at the Munsterlager Panzertruppenshule 2 in the autumn of 1962. The ranging MG was abandoned after these trials.
The next prototypes were pre-production examples with many improvements. They were known as ‘Series III’ vehicles and fifty were ordered. They reverted to the use of a rangefinder instead of a ranging machine gun and had modified turret stowage racks. They also now had horizontal rather than vertical louvers in the exhaust grills and had a prominent infra-red searchlight fixed at the top centre of the gun mantlet.
| Model Id: | 680 | | Manufacture: | Porsche AG, Stuttgart (Prime contractor - multiple manufacturers)
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1) Defence College of Management and Technology, Shrivenham, Britain
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Unique ID: |
298
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Serial Number: |
L02.
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“7217” painted on front right mud flap. “AFVW” (‘AFV Wing’) insignia painted on forward turret sides. Bundeswehr crosses painted on turret sides.
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This Leopard was acquired from the Military Vehicle Engineering Establishment. It is a Series III vehicle. It is believed that it may have been acquired in exchange for two Chieftains in the mid 1960s along with the Leopard displayed at Bovington Tank Museum. It was sectioned by Royal Ordnance apprentices and is now displayed with the interior open to view (source: J. Harris).
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2) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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Unique ID: |
299
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This Leopard appears to have a Series III turret, without a searchlight, on a Series II chassis. It was a gift from the German Army. It is displayed in the German section of the new General Estienne Hall which was opened on 20 April 1994. It is in running order and has taken part in Carrousel dynamic displays.
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3) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
300
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This is a Series III vehicle but is not fitted with an IR searchlight. It was built in October 1963.
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4) BWB Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung, Koblenz, Germany
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Unique ID: |
301
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This is a Series I example of the Leopard built by the Group A manufacturers, distinguished by having the driver’s position on the left side of the hull. It is believed to be currently in storage at Meppen.
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5) Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany
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Unique ID: |
302
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This is a Series II prototype that appears to have a Series I turret armed with the Rheinmetall 105mm gun. It has the registration number Y 547207 and turret number “407”.
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6) Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany
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Unique ID: |
303
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This is a Series II prototype that appears to have a Series I turret armed with the British L7 105mm gun.
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7) Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany
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Unique ID: |
304
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This Series II prototype is missing its turret.
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8) Schulz Kaserne, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
305
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This is a Series II prototype of the Leopard. It has an early production turret without a bustle and appears to be fitted with an anti-aircraft MG mounting ring above the commander’s cupola. It is on display inside the main gate of Schulz Kaserne, on the outskirts of Munster.
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9) Lutz Kaserne, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
306
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This is a Series II prototype of the Leopard. It has an early production turret without a bustle. It is on display inside the main gate of Lutz Kaserne, on the outskirts of Munster.
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10) Pansarmuseet, Axvall, Sweden
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Unique ID: |
307
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This Leopard appears to have Series I turret on a Series II chassis.
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11) National Armor and Cavalry Museum, Fort Benning, USA
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Unique ID: |
308
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This Leopard appears to have Series II turret on a Series III chassis. It was used as a test vehicle at the German Proving Grounds at Meppen, Germany, before being donated by the Federal German Army to the museum in 1976. It is in running order.
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12) The Tank Museum - Public Areas, Bovington, Britain
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Unique ID: |
297
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Serial Number: |
J03.
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Registration: |
“Y-209859” (German) painted on glacis. Also “02 SP 60” (British).
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“7218” painted on front right mud flap. “L03” painted on glacis plate. Standard unit code number “91872110”. German crosses painted on hull sides.
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This Leopard has the registration numbers Y-209859 (German) and 02SP60 (British experimental), and the serial number J03. It also has the standard unit code number 91872110, and carries the number 7218. It is a Series III vehicle and was one of two vehicles acquired by the MVEE, Chobham Lane, Chertsey, Surrey, in 1965/66. This was in exchange for two Chieftains at a time when the Dutch were undertaking MBT trials. It arrived at the museum in June 1970. It is believed that it was borrowed at some point by Royal Ordnance to prove a retro-fit conversion of the 105mm gun (source: J. Harris). The other Leopard is reputed to have gone as a hard target to a firing range after testing, but it is likely to be the one on display at the RMCS, Shrivenham.
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Group B Prototypes
Group B prototypes are identified by having six roadwheels per side instead of the seven of the Group A vehicles, by the lack of exhaust grilles on the sides of the engine compartment, and by the slope of the engine compartment roof from the sides to the centre.
13) BWB Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung, Koblenz, Germany
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Unique ID: |
309
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This is prototype B2 of the Leopard and was acquired from the Bundeswehr. It was previously stored at Meppen.
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Production Vehicles
Production examples of the Leopard are distinguished by a number of changes, including having the searchlight moved to the left side of the gun mantlet. This was done to avoid back-scatter of light into the sights. During production a number of small changes were made, for example on later vehicles the exhaust grills with their horizontal louvers no longer had any vertical bars. The first production vehicle was handed over to the Federal German Army in September 1965 and since then the type has been adopted by at least nine other countries. It was a very successful design built in large numbers, more than 4000 including exports, and has formed the basis for a family of specialised vehicles. Italy not only imported 200 Leopards but also produced 720 under licence. These were manufactured by OTO Melara and differ from the original design in having a different intercom system, aiming optics and secondary armament (MG 42/59 machine-guns). OTO Melara has since produced a tank for export, the OF 40, which is a development of the Leopard design.
Further German development of the Leopard design, known as Leopard 1 since the advent of the Leopard 2, has produced many variants. Leopard 1A1 has a stabiliser for the main armament, bazooka plates (with a distinctive scalloped edge), a thermal sleeve for the gun, a bow vane for deep wading, new tracks with replacement rubber pads, and a modified deep wading kit. Leopard 1A1A1 has additional armour plates bolted on to the turret sides and mantlet while 1A1A2 also has a PZB 200 night sight. The 1A1, 1A1A1 and 1A1A2 were rebuilds of original production vehicles but a number of vehicles of new designs were produced from the early 1970’s. Leopard 1A2 has a stronger cast steel turret, improved NBC (Nuclear, Bacteriological and Chemical) protection, and night vision equipment. The 1A3 variant has a new spaced-armour turret while the 1A4 also has new fire control equipment. The 1A5 is a further rebuild of older vehicles with a new fire control system.
The Leopard 1 has been exported to many countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Turkey. Almost every country that has ordered some has specified modifications to suit its own specific needs. For example, the Netherlands acquired 468 Leopard 1s from 1968. These Leopard 1 (NL) vehicles had different radios, smoke dischargers and exhaust covers. Also, the 7.62mm MG was replaced by a 12.7mm Browning at the commander’s station. At a later date they were all fitted with an American Honeywell gun stabilisation system, modified optical sights and a new driver’s periscope. More recently, they have been rebuilt by 574 Tankwerkplaats at Leusden with appliqué armour, similar to that used on the 1A1A1 and supplied by Blohm and Voss of Germany. They also have new track skirts and a Dutch configuration fire control system, and have been redesignated Leopard 1-V for Verbeterd (Improved).
A published report of a Leopard in the Russian collection at Kubinka has not been confirmed.
14) Museé Des Blindés, Saumur, France
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Unique ID: |
310
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This 1A1A2 was acquired in 1994 and has the registration number Y-327664. It is displayed in the German section of the new General Estienne Hall (note that it has been described elsewhere as a 1A3).
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15) Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany
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Unique ID: |
312
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This 1A1A2 has the turret number “617” and appears to have the registration number Y 121003.
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16) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
313
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This is a 1A1A4. (Source: R. Besecke).
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17) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
314
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This is a 1A2A1. (Source: R. Besecke).
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18) Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany
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Unique ID: |
315
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This is a 1A4. (Source: R. Besecke).
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19) Motor Technica Museum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
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Unique ID: |
316
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This is a 1A1A4 and it is on loan from the BWB collection at Koblenz (source: R. Fleming).
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20) Panzer Battalion 84, Lüneburg, Germany
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Unique ID: |
317
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This 1A5 is on display in Lüneburg, south-east of Hamburg. (Source: W. Schneider).
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Leopard 1A1
21) Armeemuseum, Dresden, Germany
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Unique ID: |
311
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“327” stencilled in white on left turret side. Bundeswehr cross painted on left turret side. Painted overall in a green, black and brown camouflage scheme.
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This 1A1A2 carries the turret number “327”.
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Leopard 1A5
Leopard 1-V
Leopard 1V is an 1A1A4 with an EMES 12A3 AFSL-2 FCS. Used by Netherlands, identified by Dutch smoke dischargers high up towards back of turret sides.
22) Cornfield Firing Range, Vliehors, The Netherlands
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Unique ID: |
318
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Chassis number “12337”.
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KU-93-35: “KU 93-35” painted on nose.
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This Leopard 1-V is on display in the barracks of the Dutch Army’s 11th Tank Battalion (source: T. Royall).
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23) Cavaleriemuseum, Bernhardkazerne, The Netherlands
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Unique ID: |
319
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Serial Number: |
12339 (source: L. Delsing).
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KU-93-37 (Dutch): “KU-93-37” painted on nose and hull rear.
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“B 36” painted on left of glacis and right hull rear. “104 CV” and Dutch flag painted on right of glacis and left hull rear. “NL” painted on centre of glacis and on side stowage boxes.
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This Leopard 1-V is on display in the Dutch Army barracks (source: T. Royall).
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Leopard C2
Leopard Improved
At about the same time as the Kampfpanzer 70 design was undergoing testing in Germany and America this prototype of a ‘Leopard Improved’ was being built (its designation is Erprobungsträger mit 3-achs-stabilisiertem Turm). Its most significant feature was a new design of turret that was operated largely automatically and utilised many sophisticated technical features. The turret was fully stabilised and mounted a standard 105mm gun plus an automatic 30mm gun as secondary armament. The chassis was also modified, being wider and powered by a 1000hp engine.
| Model Id: | 710 | | Manufacture: | Porsche AG, Stuttgart (Unconfirmed)
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24) BWB Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung, Koblenz, Germany
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Unique ID: |
320
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This test vehicle was previously in storage at Meppen. It carries the number “1631” on the glacis plate and right-hand mud flap.
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