Leopard 1 - Users
Since the late 60s, the Leopard actually became the standard NATO tank. In addition to the Bundeswehr, the Leopard-1 tank (in its various modifications) joined the army inventories of Australia, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.
The first serial “leopards” entered the battalions of the 1st Army Corps of the Bundeswehr in 1966. In total, from 1966 to 1974, 2437 combat vehicles of this type were transferred to the German army.
In December 1967, 334 tanks were ordered by the Belgian armed forces. In 1991-1996, 132 of them were upgraded to the level of Leopard 1A5. In 1968-1970, 78 tanks were delivered to Norway. Subsequently, this country received another 92 Leopards. Some of the tanks have also been upgraded to the A5 standard. In 1969-1971, 468 Leopard 1NL tanks entered service with the Dutch ground forces. Some of them were produced under a German license by the Dutch company DAF. In the mid-80s, these tanks were modernized: installed MSA Honeywell / Zeiss 12A3 AFSL-2, Zeiss EMES-12 sight with a built-in laser rangefinder and laid on turret armor. The car received the designation "Leopard 1V".
And in 1970-1985, 920 Leopard tanks entered the Italian army. Of these, 200 units were manufactured by Krauss-Maffei AG, and 720 by the Italian company OTO-Melara. In the early 90s, 120 tanks were upgraded to the A5 standard. In 1976-1978, 120 Leopard 1A3 machines were delivered to Denmark; later they were joined by 110 Leopard 1A4 tanks. Since August 1993, a program for the modernization of these tanks has been carried out. Greece ordered 108 A3 tanks in the spring of 1981. As part of the military assistance program, the Greeks received another 75 A5 variant vehicles at the end of 1988, and in the mid-90s, another 150 Leopard 1V tanks from Holland.
In 1976-1978, Australia received 103 Leopard 1AZ tanks. They were equipped with the Belgian SLA SABCA and systems that ensure the operation of the tank in the southern regions. These vehicles are armed with the 1st Tank Regiment stationed in the province of Victoria. The Canadian Army has adopted 114 Leopard 1A3 tanks (Canadian designation Leopard 1C). Canadian tanks differed from the German ones in the fire control system, lighting equipment, radio equipment and machine guns. 77 tanks were in service with the 4th mechanized brigade stationed in Germany.
Under the military assistance program, 77 "1A3 leopards" were received by Turkey in 1982-1983. In the late 80s, 250 Leopard 1A4 tanks were handed over to the Turks, and in the early 90s, up to 80 Leopard 1A5 tanks. The laws in force in Germany in the 1960s and 1980s limited the export of military equipment only to NATO countries, and without the right to resale. The only delivery outside the block was to Australia.
In the 1990s, in connection with the removal of the Leopard 1 from service with many NATO countries, its deliveries to third countries became more frequent. As of January 1, 2000, Leopard 1 tanks of various modifications were in service with Greece and the Netherlands, as well as in Australia (71 units), Belgium (155), Brazil (87), Germany (1315), Denmark (220), Italy (868), Canada (114), Norway (170), Turkey (397) and Chile (67).
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