Notes: The German Army after World War 2 was originally equipped with surplus US tanks, particularly the M-47 and M-48A2 at the time development of the Leopard began. However, the German concepts of tank use in combat began to diverge more and more from the US concepts, and by the 1950s, they felt that the M-47 and M-48A2 were not compatible with German concepts. The German Army’s concepts were to rely on speed and agility for primary protection, together with a more powerful main gun than used by those tanks; they also wanted to be able to use the standard bridges in Europe, as well as not destroy the roads with their tracks due to weight while they were training. In 1957, they ordered the development of what would become the Leopard 1. At first, this tank was to be a Franco-German-Italian project, but by 1963, the French, Germans and Italians went their own ways due to differences in design philosophy, though the Italians would later buy the Leopard. (Also by 1963, the Germans realized that they could not stop the upward slide in weight, only keep the weight down as much as possible.) The first prototype appeared in 1961 and issue started in 1965. Though replaced in German service starting in 1979 by the Leopard 2, many countries are still using Leopard 1s as of 2009.

The Leopard 1 has a conventional crew layout, with the driver to the front left side, the commander on the right of the turret below and to the right of him, and the loader with a hatch on the left side of the turret. Alongside the driver is a large bin or ready ammunition for the main gun. The driver has three vision blocks allowing vision to the front and partially to each side. The Leopard 1 has a rare feature among tanks – the commander has auxiliary driving controls, and can drive the Leopard 1 from his cupola, if in a somewhat awkward fashion. He also has auxiliary controls for the main gun. The commander’s cupola has seven vision blocks giving him a 360-degree view, and he has a 20x periscope on the turret roof itself that can be rotated independently of the cupola and allows day/night vision. The commander’s hatch can be fully open, fully closed, or locked into a position that allows the commander to peek out at his surroundings, but is only open a little. The periscope has an aiming reticule for use when firing his machinegun from under armor or for when he is using the main gun. (In the latter case, an image of the gunner’s aiming reticule is projected onto the periscope.)

The turret of the Leopard 1 is cast except for the roof, which is a plate of armor that is welded on. (The position and design of the gunner’s sight required a flat roof, something that would not have been possible with an all-cast roof; the flat roof incidentally saved some weight.)

The Leopard 1 has a fully automatic transmission. The engine is a Daimler-Benz DB-838 830-horsepower supercharged diesel which can also run on JP4 jet fuel. The engine and transmission is combined into one powerpack that can be removed as a unit. The suspension is optimized for some of the roughest terrain around. The tracks are US-designed, but can be replaced with German-designed anti-skid tracks. In either case, the tracks have rubber track pads.

The original intention was to arm the Leopard 1 with a Rheinmetall-designed 105mm gun, but Rheinmetall had a hard time in development and fell way behind. As a result, the Germans chose a modification of the British L-7A3 105mm gun, produced under license by Rheinmetall. A variant of the MG-3 is the coaxial machinegun, and the commander has a standard pintle-mounted MG-3 as his armament. Four smoke grenade launchers are on either side of the turret, attached to the forward side of the bustle rack on both sides. A pintle mount for a further MG-3 machinegun can be mounted in front of the loader’s hatch, but in practice this is rarely done. Turret rotation is electro-hydraulic with a manual backup; the rotation system is made by Westinghouse and is the same as used on the M-48 and M-60 series of tanks. A relatively-small searchlight can be mounted above the main gun if desired.

Starting in 1974, the Leopard 1A1s were further modified into the Leopard 1A1A1 standard. This involved the addition of appliqué armor to the turret and glacis. Fuel storage was also somewhat rearranged, yielding a little more fuel capacity. In the early 1980s, these were also upgraded to the Leopard 1A1A2 standard, which added an image intensifier handed down from the Leopard 2 upgrade programs, in an armored box with armored shutters above and to the left of the main gun. The image intensifier was accessible by both the commander and gunner. All digital radios were installed a little later, creating the Leopard 1A1A3. Improvements to the image intensifier created the Leopard 1A1A4.

In a way, the first 232 vehicles of the fifth batch, the Leopard 1A2s, were Leopard 1A1A1s with the extra armor designed into the turret and glacis instead of being appliqué. However, the armor increase was a little bit better, being integrated into the design rather than being an afterthought. The Leopard 1A2 also used an NBC overpressure system with a collective NBC system as a backup and added a laser rangefinder. The Leopard 1A2 was first issued to German tankers in 1972, and production continued until 1974. Subtypes of the Leopard 1A2 included the Leopard 1A2A1, which had the same image intensifier as the Leopard 1A1A2; in addition, the driver also had an image intensification device which could be substituted for the forward vision block. The Leopard 1A2A2 had the same digital radios as the Leopard 1A1A3. The Leopard 1A2A3 had both. When the main image intensifier was improved, the Leopard 1s involved did not receive a separate designation.

The remaining 110 vehicles of the fifth batch were built to the Leopard 1A3 standard. The turret of the Leopard 1A3 was much different from earlier versions; it was made of all-welded panels instead of the cast/welded turret of earlier versions. This allowed Krauss-Maffei to include more advanced ceramic-sandwich armor into the turret. Glacis armor was also improved; though the thickness of the armor of the glacis and turret are not greatly changed, effective protection is greatly improved. A wedge-shaped gun mantlet, moving the main gun forward, as well as general changes to the main gun made the Leopard 1A3’s turret roomier than that of earlier versions. The commander received an improved sight. Subtypes were similar to the Leopard 1A1 and 1A2 – the Leopard 1A3A1 had added image intensifiers, the Leopard 1A3A2 had digital radios, and the Leopard 1A3A3 had both.

Delivery of the Leopard 1A4 began in 1974. The Leopard 1A4 is very similar to the Leopard 1A3A3, but has dramatic improvements in fire control, including a ballistic computer and the more advanced EMES-12A1 sighting system. In addition, the commander was given an independent sight to allow a hunter-killer capability. Unfortunately, all the new equipment took enough space that 5 main gun rounds had to be deleted; virtually all of the main gun rounds (42 of them) are stored in the large ammo bin beside of the driver. The rest are in the bustle. The Leopard 1A4 was the last version of the Leopard 1 used by the German Army (the German Army switched completely to the Leopard 2 series soon thereafter), but many other countries used and are still using the 1A4.

In 1980, though no longer being used by Germany, Krauss-Maffei felt the Leopard 1 design still had some life in it, and began a large set of modifications that would lead to the Leopard 1A5. As most later versions of the Leopard 1 were still in active use, Krauss-Maffei based their modifications at first on older Leopard 1s – primarily the Leopard 1A1A1-1A1A4. Eventually, some 1339 Leopard 1A5s would be built or upgraded from earlier versions; they formed a large part of the Greek and Canadian tank forces. Introduction of the Leopard 1A5 was in 1987.

Modifications started with the turret. The turret of the Leopard 1A1A1 was scrapped entirely, and a new all-welded turret with a large bustle was installed. This bustle held various pieces of equipment as well as ammunition, allowing ammunition capacity to be restored. Modifications to ammunition stowage itself allowed the Leopard 1A5 to use the modern long-rod APFSDS penetrators. Krupp-Atlas developed an improved new fire control system, the EMES-18 (based on the EMES-15 used in the Leopard 2), to grant the main gun and coaxial greater accuracy; this included a new ballistic computer and a laser rangefinder, as well as a better stabilization system. Thermal imaging was added for the gunner (also accessible by the commander, but not a part of his independent sight). The engine, transmission, and suspension all received incremental upgrades.

A single member of this group was further modified as an experiment, and unofficially called the Leopard 1A6. This version had bolt-on armored Lexan panels for the turret and hull, but the primary difference was the installation of the Rheinmetall 120mm main gun. It proved itself in trials, but had already been rendered superfluous by the Leopard 2. The project was not carried any further, but it’s an interesting enough "what-if" that I included it below.

Some other countries that use the Leopard 1 have given them some additional features and modifications that make them a bit different from standard Leopard 1s of their type. Most of these modifications are simple and inconsequential for game purposes (such as different radios, fire control equipment made by different manufacturers, parts made using local license production instead of being German in origin, etc). However, some have modifications that are notable and quantifiable for game purposes.

The Belgians used a combination of Leopard 1s, Leopard 1A1s, Leopard 1A2s, and Leopard 1A5s. These have a (BE) added to their designations. Some 202 have been sold to undisclosed countries (none of which were Leopard 1A5(BE)s). Aside from minor internal differences (mainly in stowage arrangements and radios), the primary change is that the Leopard 1A5(BE) and other Belgian versions use MAG machineguns instead of MG-3s. In addition, the turret sides and hull rear areas have large armored external stowage boxes permanently attached to them.

The Dutch used a version which is almost a standard Leopard 1A3, but the coaxial machinegun is a MAG instead of an MG-3. The MG-3 is still used as a commander’s machinegun. These versions were designated the Leopard 1-V. The fire control system is an EMES-12A3, giving the Leopard 1-V a bit better accuracy; the sights are also optimized for use with British-made ammunition. The Dutch Leopard 1A3s also have the same appliqué armor as used on the Leopard 1A1A1, in addition to the armor improvements already used in the Leopard 1A3. In addition, the rear of the tank has three large external stowage boxes mounted on it. The Dutch no longer have them in their inventory, having traded them to Greece for items I have yet to find out about.

The Italians used the Leopard 1A3; these are designated the Leopard 1A3IT. They have lugs for ERA on their Turret front and sides, glacis, and hull sides. They also use the Leopard 1A5, as the Leopard 1A5IT; these not only have lugs for ERA, but also have Lexan appliqué armor on their turret sides and front, glacis, and hull sides. Italy has retired its entire Leopard 1A3IT fleet, and all but 120 of its Leopard 1A5IT fleet, as of 2009.

The Canadians used a version of the Leopard 1 called the Leopard C1; these tanks are heavily-modified and dealt with under the Canadian Tanks section.

Twilight 2000 Story: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, there were some 30 Leopard 1A6s made by modifying Leopard 1A5 in German service.

Notes: Designed to replace the Leopard 1 and keep up with the Jonses, development of the of a new main battle tank began in the early 1970s, with first fielding with the German Army beginning in 1978. After the failure of the German-American MBT-70 program in the late 1960s, Germany began development of a new tank to be called the Leopard 2. Though it shares a name with the Leopard 1, it shares virtually nothing with that vehicle, being an almost entirely new design. The first Leopard 2’s were delivered to the German Army in 1978, and by 1992 they had replaced most of the Leopard 1’s in the German inventory. Most of the Leopard 2-2A4 versions are similar to each other and have minor differences from each other, with the 2A5 being a major change in design. The Leopard 2 is also used by Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.

The layout of the Leopard 2 is conventional, with the driver on the front left, commander’s cupola on the turret right, and loader’s hatch on the turret right, with the gunner below and to the right of the commander. The driver has three vision blocks to the front, with the center block able to be replaced with a night vision periscope. The driver also has a camera in the rear of tank to aid in backing up. Part of the main gun’s ammunition supply is to the right of the driver. The commander does not have a rotating cupola; instead, he has a 360-degree ring of vision blocks and a pintle-mounted machinegun. His hatch can be open, closed, or locked open to a point where he can take a peek outside but still has most of the turret’s armor protection. He has a stabilized day/night periscope in front of his hatch, behind the vision blocks. The gunner uses the EMES-15 fire control system, consisting of a ballistic computer, an integrated rangefinder and thermal imager (which the commander can access), and a telescopic sight, along with monitors for the gunnery information. (The commander has the same monitors, but his also report on the condition of the Leopard 2.) Once spotted and inputted, the computer automatically slews the turret and elevates or depresses the main gun onto the target (or puts in a lead if necessary). The gunner also has a roof-mounted day/night periscope. The NBC system is a collective system.

The Leopard 2 was originally to be armed with the same 105mm L-7A3 gun as on the Leopard 1, and the first 10 examples were in fact armed with this gun. However, Rheinmetall had a new 120mm main gun ready; the first 10 Leopard 2s were retrofitted with this gun, and the rest of production used this gun. A coaxial machinegun was also installed; the fire control equipment can be used with the main gun or increase coaxial machinegun accuracy. 27 main gun rounds are to the right of the driver.15 are on the left side of the turret bustle, protected from the crew by an armored door and blow-out panels similar to those of the M-1 Abrams. On each side of the turret are clusters of eight 76mm smoke grenade launchers.

The Leopard 2 has an integrated power pack using an MTU MB-873 turbocharged diesel engine developing 1500 horsepower. This is coupled to a fully automatic Renk HSWL-354 transmission, with the driver having a control yoke and conventional gas and brake pedals. The suspension uses seven steel rubber-tired roadwheels on either side, with the torsion bar system designed for difficult terrain. The Leopard 2 also has a 5kW APU, designed for a decreased IR signature and easy access for maintenance.

Armor is protection is considerable and uses Chobham on the turret front and glacis, along with ceramic sandwich armor for the turret sides and hull sides. There are track skirts of the same shape (but stronger) on either side of the hull. These track skirts are actually a rubber sandwich material.

The Leopard 2A1 to 2A4 were relatively incremental upgrades to the Leopard 2, each adding a little more capability to the Leopard 2, but not changing the general design. The Leopard 2A1 gave the gunner an improved thermal imager. Ammunition racks were installed that were identical to the M-1 Abrams’ racks; this allowed the latest long-rod APDSFS-type penetrators to be carried in those racks. The fuel filters were redesigned to allow for faster refueling. Most Leopard 2s were later modified to the Leopard 2A1 standard at the same time (1982-84). For game purposes, the Leopard 2A1 is otherwise identical to the Leopard 2.

The Leopard 2A2 further improved the gunner’s thermal imager to 2^nd generation standards. The Leopard 2A2 featured a filler cap for each fuel tank, allowing for even faster refueling. The commander’s and gunner’s periscope were retrofitted with deflectors to keep road dirt from splashing up onto the periscope and obscuring vision. The NBC system exhaust also received a similar deflector plate. The Leopard 2A2 carried a 5-meter towing cable, relieving field shortages that were all too common. The little-used crosswind sensor was removed from the turret and the opening plated over. For game purposes, the Leopard 2A1 is otherwise identical to the Leopard 2 and 2A1.

The Leopard 2A3’s primary upgrade was the change to SEM80/90 digital radios and the welding shut of the ammunition reloading hatch in the turret, which was perceived as a weak point in the armor and plated over. For game purposes, it is otherwise equivalent to the earlier Leopard 2s.

The Leopard 2A4 became the most numerous of the Leopard 2 series. For the most part, it is identical to the Leopard 2A3, but it also featured upgrades to the automatic fire detection and suppression system and a new digital fire control module able to compute fire with newer projectile types. However, the most substantial change was the replacement of part of the turret armor with a titanium/tungsten/steel sandwich. Other than the added armor, the Leopard 2A4 is identical to the Leopard 2A3 for game purposes.

With the Leopard 2A5 came the wedge-shaped turret armor that is now commonly associated with the Leopard 2. (Before the Leopard 2A5, the Leopard 2s turret armor was virtually flat-faced.) The added armor takes the form of a sandwich of steel, ceramic, tungsten, and titanium, and is designed to eliminate shot traps and deflect most shots off of the turret. The gun mantlet was also modified in shape to go with the new frontal armor. Though the Leopard 2A5 does not have the new L/55 gun, it can be retrofitted with it (though to date, it has not been done). Improvements were also made to the rest of the Leopard 2A5’s armor, particularly the glacis, and an improved anti-spalling liner was added to the interior of the crew compartment and the turret bustle. The side skirts were replaced with ones that are stronger, yet lighter (important, as with the Leopard 2A5 came a huge increase in weight). The new armor is also modular, allowing for quick armor repairs in the field of improvements to the armor suite in the future.

The gunner’s sight was moved to the roof to avoid having to make large modifications to the new armor of the turret front and having to put a large extension on the sight equipment (which would have compromised accuracy). The commander also received his own sight system, including his own laser rangefinder, in the form of a CITS. Hydraulically-assisted hatches for the crew members were added, as the hatches themselves were made much heavier and better protected. Other hydraulic or partially hydraulic controls like the turret rotation and gun elevation were made all-electric, making them more reliable and saving some weight. The rear camera for the driver has a wider angle of view and night vision capability. GPS is added.

The primary change in the Leopard 2A6 from the 2A5 is that the L/55 gun is standard, yielding more range and accuracy. This also meant that the software in the fire control computer had to be updated. The Leopard 2A6 also uses a 20 kW APU which provides much more power, and has an air conditioner. Ammunition stowage is also rearranged to reflect newer ammunition types available. The land navigation system is a combination of inertial navigation, GPS, a mapping system, and a computer to tie all the information together. The bulkhead between the engine and crew compartment has been reinforced, and the engine compartment has its own fire detection and suppression system. The standard engine is still the 1500-horsepower MTU MB-873 engine, but a version of the EuroPowerPack with 1650 horsepower has been tested in the Leopard 2A6 and found satisfactory. (No such vehicles have been placed in production, however.)

The Leopard 2A6M is a standard Leopard 2A6 that has additional floor protection and additional blast protection for the main gun ammunition, recognizing the increase in the use of IEDs and mines among Taliban and Al Qaida forces.

The standard Leopard 2 version used by Canadian forces is the 2A4. However, for the summer 2007 deployment to Afghanistan, Canada borrowed 20 Leopard 2A6Ms from Germany, and then another 20 from the Netherlands. The Leopard 2A6Ms are essentially stock versions, except that the turret drive is improved to permit faster rotation; they also have air conditioning. The 20 borrowed from the Dutch, on the other hand, were loaned to the Canadians under the condition that no major changes that are not easily reversible would be made. Since Dutch 2A6Ms do not have air conditioning, neither do the borrowed Canadian tanks (designated Leopard 2A6M CAN), and the black boxes at the rear of the hull, rumored to be an air conditioning unit, is actually extra Canadian-built communications gear (they were not permitted to remove the Dutch commo gear). The 2A6Ms borrowed from the Germans retain their MG-3 machineguns, while the ones borrowed from the Dutch retain the MAG machineguns that the Dutch use. The most obvious change, however, is that the hull and turret are surrounded literally by two cages (turret and hull) of bar/slat armor to increase protection against HEAT rounds; equipment storage baskets built into part of this structure can be used not only for storage, but to further increase protection. The cages do not interfere with sighting equipment, rotation of the turret, or use of the commander’s machinegun. Canada has recently expressed an interest in buying the loaned tanks from both Germany and the Netherlands to allow for even more modifications to be made.

The Chileans bought the Leopard 2A4 (designated Leopard 2A4CHL), but they requested several upgrades. They have the updated fire control equipment and electronics of the Leopard 2A6, the Leopard 2A6’s L/55 gun, a suspension better suited for Chile’s mountainous terrain, an CROWS-like installation for the commander’s station, and an HK GMG for the loader’s hatch on a pintle. The Leopard 2A4CHL also has appliqué armor on the turret roof and sides, and an interface system for Chile’s command and control network.

A noted above, Dutch Leopard 2s (regardless of version) use MAG machineguns instead of MG-3s.

The Greeks bought some surplus Leopard 2A4s from the Netherlands, and these retain their MAG machineguns, but use Greek commo equipment. In addition, the Greeks are having some Leopard 2A6s built for them; these also have MAG machineguns, and otherwise have some country-specific equipment like radios, fire control computer software, and GPS equipment. These are designated Leopard 2A6 Hel.

A Spanish/German cooperative effort has resulted in the increased-protection Leopard 2E, a development of the Leopard 2A6. Though manufacture will be taking place in both countries, the only user will be Spain. (The deal also included Germany giving Spain 108 Leopard 2A4s and license-building roughly 100 Leopard 2A5s.) Appliqué armor has been added to all faces except the hull deck, including the turret roof and the same sort of mine protection as the Leopard 2A6M. The Leopard 2E has some of the heaviest armor protection of any tank in the world today.

Swiss Leopard 2A4s are license-manufactured in Switzerland and designated the Pz-87 Leopard in Swiss service. Their machineguns are MG-83s instead of MG-3s (though both are derived from the World War 2 MG-42).They also use Swiss-made radios and intercoms. Swiss Pz-87s have an NBC overpressure system, with the collective system as a backup.

The Swiss have further improved their Pz-87s recently, designating them the Pz-87WE. Armor improvements include the Leopard 2A6M’s belly armor, appliqué armor on the glacis, and Swiss-developed titanium/ceramic sandwich armor. The smoke grenade clusters have been replaced with ones of Swiss-design and manufacture. Some other features have been borrowed from the Leopard 2A5, such as the new back-up camera for the driver and the all-electric turret drive and gun stabilization. The fire control system is made by Zeiss Optronics, but is equivalent to that of the Leopard 2A5 for game purposes. The commander has a new cupola with a mount which uses an M-2HB (MG-64) and having a CITS; the commander can aim and fire the M-2HB from inside armor.

The Swedish Leopard 2A5s, designated Leopard 2(S)s, are heavily modified are neither really Leopard 2A5s or Leopard 2A6s, but somewhere in between with some extra features. The Leopard 2(S) will be found under Swedish Tanks.

In the early 1990s, Rheinmetall began developing a 140mm smoothbore gun for use as main gun armament in tanks. At the time, it was believed that the next Soviet/Russian tank would have a main gun of 135 or 152mm. The idea was to upgrade Leopard 2A4 tanks to mount the 140mm main gun in the mid-1990s. The main gun would be fed by an autoloader to preserve room for the gunner in the turret. Sights and fire control equipment would also be modified to take into account the new gun’s ballistics. This modification was never carried beyond computer studies and one experimental fitting, but work reportedly continues as of 2009.

Twilight 2000 Story: Most of Western Europe went to war with versions of the Leopard 2 in the Twilight 2000 timeline, and they proved to be very effective, with Pact tankers rightly fearing them. Most Leopards 2s were Leopard 2-2A4s; the Leopard 2A5 was a limited production vehicle, largely confined to German service. As the German Army felt the automated gun system on the Leopard 3 was not as effective as a crewed turret, they saw only limited production, with production of the Leopard 2A5 being ramped up a bit more. (The Leopard 3 can be found in Best Tanks that Never Were.) The Leopard 2A6 and its subtypes do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline; the Leopard 2A5 does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline outside of German service. The Leopard 2-140 made a small appearance in the Twilight War, with 3 being lost in Poland and 2 in fighting with Italian forces. The Leopard 2-140 suffered greatly from small numbers and ammunition shortages.

Merc 2000 Story: The Leopard 2A6 and 2-140 were never developed due to budgetary concerns.

*Belly armor for the Leopard 2A6M, 2A6M CAN, Pz-87WE is 11Sp.

Turret roof armor for the Leopard 2A4CHL is 10.

The Leopard 2A6M CAN, because of the bar/slat armor cage, has additional protection against HE-type rounds. If hit by a HE-type round from any face except the deck or belly, subtract an extra 1D6 damage before applying any extra benefits (such as Spaced or Composite armor) the armor face may grant. The belly, of course, has an armor level of 11Sp.

The Leopard 2E has a turret roof armor level of 10, and a belly armor level of 11Sp.