Leopard 1A5 MBT
Main Battle Tank - Germany
The Leopard 1A5 is an improved version of the German-made Leopard 1A1A1 Main Battle Tank (MBT) which was the first upgraded variant of the Leopard tank that entered into service with the German army in 1971. The Leopard 1 MBT was developed by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to meet the requirements of the German Army and, following trials with prototype vehicles, was accepted for service in 1963. The first production Leopard was handed over to the Federal German Army in September 1965. 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 a fully effective night/bad-weather vision system. The decision was made to base the upgrades on the earlier models, which were no longer competitive. The turret of the Leopard 1A5 has been modified in order to store all of the new equipment, as well as to move more of the ammunition into the rear of the turret, as opposed to the left side of the driver where it had previously been stored. The Leopard 1A5 tank could also be fitted with bolt-on polycarbonate (Lexan) armor panels, which have increased the effectiveness of the armor. The first modified Leopard 1A5 was delivered in early 1987. On April 25, 2022, the company Rheinmetall from Germany has requested the German Government to deliver 88 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Leopard 1A5 MBT variants:
- In the Netherlands, an improved version equivalent to the A5 called "Leopard 1 Verbeterd" (improved) was developed, the same version is used by the Chilean Army
| Weapon Systems |
| Main Armament: |
One 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A3 Rifled Gun |
Ammunition:
|
It can fire all the standard 105 mm rounds manufactured by Canada, France, Germany, Israel, UK, and USA. |
| Loading: |
Semi-automatic loading system. The tank can carry 60 rounds, 42 are in the hull and 18 in the turret. |
Second Armament:
|
one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament and one 7.62mm machine gun mounted at the commander's or loader's station for anti-aircraft defence |
Ammunition:
|
A total of 5,500 rounds of 7.62 mm machine gun ammunition is carried for the coaxial and anti-aircraft machine guns. |
| Missile: |
N/A |
| Other: |
Four electrically-operated 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on either side of the turret. |
|
| Protection |
| Crew: |
4 including commander, driver, gunner and loader. |
Standard Armor:
|
welded hull and cast turret. maximum armor of 7cm and a minimum of 0.8 cm on the top of the hull. Turret armor ranges from 5 cm on the front to 6 cm on the sides and rear. |
Add-On Armor:
|
can be fitted with bolt-on polycarbonate (Lexan) armor panels, which have increased the effectiveness of the armor. |
| Passive Armor: |
N/A |
| Active Armor: |
N/A |
| Active Protection System: |
N/A |
|
| Mobility |
| Engine: |
MTU MB 838 Ca M-500, 10-cylinder multifuel developing 830 hp at 2,200 rpm |
| Transmission: |
ZF 4 HP 250 planetary-gear shift with hydraulic torque converter, 4 forward and 2 reverse gears |
Suspension:
|
seven dual light metal rubber-tired roadwheels with the drive sprocket at the rear, idler at the front, and four track-return rollers on either side. The first, second, third, sixth, and seventh roadwheel stations are provided with hydraulic shock-absorbers. |
| Speed: |
65 km/h on road |
| Cruising Range: |
600 km on road, 450 km cross-country |
| Crossing Capacity: |
Gradient: 60% - Side Slope: 30% - Vertical step: 1.15 m - Trench: 3.0 m |
| Fording Capacity: |
1.2 m without preparation, 2.25 with preparation and 4 m with snorkel |
|
| Accessories |
| Fire Control: |
Computerized fire control system with Krupp-Atlas EMES-18 FCS |
Laser Rage Finder:
|
TEM 2A optical (Leopard 1A2) turret fully stabilized (A3, A4); retrofit of earlier AEGTelefunken FLER-H modular hybrid computer (1A4 Krupp-Atlas) |
| Night Visions Systems |
Yes, Zeiss thermal-imaging system |
| Day Vision Systems |
Day periscopes for the driver, commander, and gunner |
NBC Protection System:
|
installed at the front of the hull and produces an overpressure in the crew compartment. |
| Radio Systems: |
SEM 80/90 digital radios |
Other Equipment:
|
automatic fire detection and extinguishing system, heater, hull escape hatch, and infra-red reflection suppressing decontamination paint. |
|
| Type |
Crew |
| Main Battle Tank |
4 |
| Service Since |
Number in service |
| 1987 |
? |
| Weapons Traverse |
Weapons Elevation |
| 360° |
+20° to -9° |
| Dimensions (hull) |
Combat Weight |
| Length: 7.09 m; Width: 3.37 m; Height: 2.76 m |
40,000 kg |
| Country producer |
Countries user |
| Germany |
Brazil, Greece, |
