War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Leopard 2A6

2023-02-01T19:06:38Z

U76466869: /* Usage in battles */ Just changed "ou" to "you"

{{About
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Leopard 2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_leopard_2a6
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

The succeeding variant of the [[Leopard 2A5]], the {{PAGENAME}} is distinguished by a longer gun barrel, the 120 mm Rh120 L/55, a 55 calibre (6.6 m) long gun, 11 calibres (1.32 m) longer than its predecessor.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

[[File:Leopard 2A5 armour scheme.png|thumb|The frontal KE protection of the {{PAGENAME}} against 3BM42 at 500 m.]]

The {{PAGENAME}} retains the same excellent armour than its predecessor, the hull remains well protected and the turret cheeks are just as impenetrable. Add-on hull armour boosts the ability to protect against HEAT-FS and early APFSDS rounds. The wedges on the front of the turret are able to be blown off if a round with enough energy hits it. This isn't an issue since the armour underneath has ~710 mm of KE protection. The gunner's optic is also moved into the roof to eliminate the weak spot which was easily penetrated by any tank.

[[File:Leopard 2A5 CE armour scheme.png|thumb|The frontal CE protection of the {{PAGENAME}} against MIM-146.]]
Be aware of High Explosive rounds and ATGMs though. If these land on your commander's cupola, the fragments can knock out 3/4 crew members inside the turret. A hit to the lower part of the V shaped turret cheeks with an ATGM will most likely send fragments into your hull, penetrate and either detonate your ammo or incapacitate several crew members. Don't get hit by an ATGM-

The frontal hull can be penetrated by all APFSDS rounds and ATGM warheads at its Battle Rating - if possible, hiding it by hulldowning properly is recommended.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (53-82°) ''Upper glacis'' 40 mm (50-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 10 mm (5°) ''Upper hull'' 35 mm (0°) ''Lower forward hull'' 20 mm (0°) ''Lower rear hull'' || 20 mm (12-50°) ''All rear'' || 20 mm (0-8°) ''Hull roof incl. engine deck''
|-
|Turret || 80 mm (57-59°) ''Right cheek add-on'' 80 mm (55-58°) ''Left cheek add-on'' 30 mm (63°) ''Upper mantlet add-on'' 400 mm (1°) ''Mantlet armour'' 250 mm (9°) ''Mantlet shroud'' || 80 mm (20-22°) ''Right add-on'' 80 mm (22°) ''Left add-on'' 35 mm (0°) ''Forward'' 15 mm (0°) ''Rear'' || 20 mm (10°) ''Basket'' 20 mm (70°) ''Turret underside'' || 35 - 40 mm (80-89°) ''Forehead Armour'' 14 mm (68-82°) ''Forward sides'' 20 mm (89°) ''Rear turret'' 20 mm (83°) ''Basket''
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Composite armour !! Front !! Sides
|-
| Hull || '''Upper+Lower glacis''' 440 - 480 mm ''Kinetic'' 600 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A
|-
| Turret || '''Cheeks''' 850 - 950 mm ''Kinetic'' 1200 mm ''Chemical'' '''Gun mantlet (Centre)''' 260 - 325 mm ''Kinetic'' 600 - 690 mm ''Chemical'' '''Gun mantlet (Outer)''' 425 - 460 mm ''Kinetic'' 825 - 905 ''Chemical'' || '''Side armour''' 260 mm ''Kinetic'' 230 - 285 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Upper hull and Lower rear hull overlap (10 + 20 mm thick)
* Upper mantlet add-on and Mantlet armour overlap (30 + 400 mm thick)
* Holes in the engine deck are covered by 8 mm of mesh

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,032|rbMinHp=1,327}}

The only drawback compared to the previous model would be the {{PAGENAME}}'s mobility since, despite the half ton increase in weight, the engine remains the same, so the {{PAGENAME}} retains the rather average mobility at its BR like the [[Leopard 2A5]]. Although, this difference is negligible and it is by no means a slow vehicle.
The engine is, as with all Leopard 2 variants, the MTU MB 873 Ka-501 engine which produces 1,500 hp (1,100 KW) at 2,600 RPM.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Rh120 L/55 (120 mm)}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has access to the DM53 APFSDS, a high penetrating APFSDS shell. Such shell is able to penetrate [[M1A2 Abrams]], [[Challenger 2]] and [[T-80U]] more easily than its predecessor.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh120 L/55 (120 mm)|120 mm Rh120 L/55]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 42 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DM12A1 || HEATFS || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 496 || 494 || 486 || 476 || 466 || 456
|-
| DM53 || APFSDS || 652 || 650 || 640 || 628 || 616 || 604
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12A1 || HEATFS || 1,190 || 13.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,150 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,690 || 4.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM53 || APFSDS || 1,750 || 5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''42''' || 16 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+41)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 2 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 15 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 2 - 1.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -8°/+20° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The {{PAGENAME}} retains almost the same mobility and exactly the same armour as Leopard 2A5. It does have a better gun with a better round. Yet, its playstyle remains the same.

;Hull-Down Long Distance Combat

* The Leopard 2A6's turret is one of the hardest in the game to penetrate. But, it shares the same weak spot as any other vehicle at its BR - the mantlet area. It can also be destroyed by a well-aimed shot with an ATGM.
* To eliminate the risk of getting penetrated in the gun mantlet, the use of commander's thermals which are at the roof are recommended for scouting the area without exposing the turret itself at all. Make sure to always enable Commander's fire control, so the turret itself rotates with the sight. When you spot a target, you can use the laser rangefinder whilst still being in commander's view, then switch to gunner's sight, quickly peek, eliminate the target and quickly reverse back behind cover. Your turret will be exposed for only around 2 seconds, giving your target very slim chances to retaliate.
* Stay still only when taking a shot at the target, never any longer, since the longer you stay exposed, the higher the risk that your gun, along with some crew members is going to get taken out.
* This strategy makes you more or less immortal. You can fight and win against multiple opponents at a distance. CAS and flankers can still defeat you though. Watch your flanks.

;Close-Quarters Combat

*Use 3rd person view in close quarters, always. This gives you a much better situational awareness than 10 degrees of FoV in gunner's sight. Night battles are an exception, you can use commander's thermals at medium ranges, which have a better FoV than the gunner's sight. Rotate your camera around all the time.
*Have your headphones on and watch out for engine sounds. They can give you a heads up against an enemy coming close that you don't see yet.
*In close quarters, any vehicle at your BR can penetrate you and so can you. Don't rush around mindlessly and pay attention to your surroundings.
*Sticking around your teammates can improve your lifespan.
*Since you can get penetrated easily from the front, you always have to shoot first to win. You need to be especially careful against Swedish Leopards and all Russian T-series tanks at your BR, since you have to aim for their weak spots more precisely than they need to aim at yours. If they manage to shoot you anywhere in the hull or the mantlet area, you have a problem. Meanwhile, you have to aim at the driver's hatch of T-series or the mantlet from the front and in the case of Strv 122s, only the mantlet is a reliable way of disabling them from the front.
*Never, ever peek around a corner if the enemy behind it is aiming at the corner. Your chances of shooting first are slim to none and you will most likely die.
*If uneven terrain such as a hill separates you and there is an enemy vehicle that is aware of you and aiming at you, you can peek first, provided you do it properly - don't use gunner's sight. Use 3rd person view and aim with the center of the outer crosshair circle directly at their mantlet area. Then, peek as fast as you can and as soon as you see the inner crosshair circle connect with what you are aiming at, take the shot immediately. When you learn to do this quickly enough, you will always win in this situation against any vehicle you face.
*If an enemy vehicle is rushing at you and going to peek around a corner, let them. You can easily shoot faster than they do.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Incredibly powerful gun with the DM53 high penetrating kinetic round (650 mm of penetration at 100 m)
* Impenetrable turret cheeks, the add-on wedge armour makes the turret cheeks immune from every shell in the game (average of 850 mm against APFSDS and 1,450 mm against HEAT), combined with a small mantlet weak spot, this tank has one of the toughest turrets in the game
* Commander's camera with 2nd generation thermal imager - binoculars on steroids.
* Good armour on the UFP (430 mm against APFSDS), immune to older shells; though all vehicles at its BR except some SPAAs can reliably penetrate it without an issue
* Extremely good gun handling for an MBT: 40°/s both turret rotation speed and gun elevation speed (with Ace crew) and -9°/+20° of vertical guidance
* Side turret covered by add-on armour can bounce early APFSDS shells and newer ones too if you get lucky
* Gunner optics are now mounted on top of the turret, removing the annoying weak spot present on the Leopard 2A4
* Cannon barrel and cannon breech can absorb impact rounds which may otherwise penetrate the turret and injure crew members

'''Cons:'''

* Lower glacis can still be penetrated by most shells, ~250 mm of KE protection against APFSDS, similar to most MBTs. Late Abrams variants are an exception with ~400 mm
* 16 shells in the ready-rack may be insufficient when playing in Arcade Battles, you have to aim for weak points and be prepared to fall back and wait for a minute for the rack to replenish
* Huge hull ammo-rack if more than 16 shells are carried consequently making the tank vulnerable to HE shells and presenting an annoying weak spot in the hull. You can carry 21 or 27 rounds, they will be stored only in the lower plate. More than that is not recommended for close-quarters. It is both dangerous and unnecessary (no way you can spend 27 rounds in a city engagement)
* A penetrating shot on the left side of the hull will most likely knock out the driver, gunner and commander, thus destroying the tank
* A penetrating shell on the right side of the hull will most likely hit the ammo-rack, destroying the tank (if you carry more than 16 rounds)
* The wedges can be shot off with several hits, though the turret cheeks alone provide 710 mm against KE
* Despite all the added armour, the turret ring and the mantlet are both easily penetrated, and the enemy will most likely aim at these two spots to disable or destroy the tank

== History ==

Following the rollout of the Leopard 2A5 modification with enhanced protection, German engineers, in cooperation with international partners, immediately began working on improving the MBTs firepower.

This was achieved by, among other minor modifications, lengthening the Rh 120 L44 cannon by 1,320 mm, thus creating the Rh 120 L55. As a result, the Leopard 2A6's firing range was extended in addition to other ballistic properties being improved.

Production of the vehicle began in the early 2000s by converting older Leopard 2A4 and A5 models to the new standard. Initially, around 225 Leopard 2A6s were produced for the German Bundeswehr. Apart from domestic use, the Leopard 2A6 also sees service with Dutch, Canadian, Greek and Portuguese forces, among others. In particular, the Leopard 2A6 was deployed with Canadian forces to Afghanistan in 2007, marking its first operational use.

The Leopard 2A6 is still in service today and, along with other variants, forms the spearhead of the armoured units of the German Bundeswehr.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6927-development-leopard-2a6-deadlier-than-ever-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_leopard_2a6 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Leopard 2A6 Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 007.jpg|
File:Leopard 2A6 WTWallpaper 008.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|zesNf8kYsKg|'''The Shooting Range #229''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|BkompiilVQw|'''Should You Grind The {{PAGENAME}}?''' - ''Sako Sniper''|nUJ9BpfFxNA|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6927-development-leopard-2a6-deadlier-than-ever-en|[Devblog] Leopard 2A6: Deadlier than ever]]

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Class 3 (P)

2022-05-17T17:05:26Z

U76466869: /* Survivability and armour */ Fixing a sentence to make it more understandable to the reader

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=items_Class 3 (P) (Germany)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turret spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunition due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used on certain impact angles, the Class 3 might be able to withstand the impact. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause destruction by overpressure if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°) 29 mm lower frontal plate (20°) || 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick
* There are internal spall shields inside the vehicle:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Internal armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air 38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°) || 10 mm air 30 mm upper half plate || 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate 80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm turret side first plate 120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate || N/A
|-
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,218|rbMinHp=695}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105 mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408 mm of penetration.

=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.1 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.9 || 17.5 || 21.3 || 23.5 || 25.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.1 || 4 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 48 ''(+6)'' || 32 ''(+22)'' || 16 ''(+38)'' || 5 ''(+49)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Racks 4 & 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 15 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 4 - 5 - 1 - 2 - 3.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-38 into racks 5 then 4. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Class 3 is considered like a bigger Radkampfwagen. Due to its speed, it may be used in a flanking manner, being able to go around the enemy and surprise them where they do not expect. When flanking, it is recommended to use roads if possible, as the Class 3 is a wheeled vehicle, and rough terrain will slow it down. However, even off-road, the vehicle is still capable of speeds that are much higher than many other contemporary MBTs.

It may also be used in a playstyle of a fast MBT. While the hull of the Class 3 is weak and vulnerable to overpressure, the whole front of the vehicle has multiple well angled and very bouncy plates, both interior and exterior, which allows the turret and hull to sometimes take hits without damage, or even ricochet some shells. However, it is important to note that even though enemy shells have a chance of bouncing, it is best not to rely on this, and to use the vehicle's stabilizer and situational awareness to get the first shot off.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Good hull armour for a light tank, can frontally withstand most SPAA cannons as well as the guns of M3 Bradley and the BMP-2
* Turret is immune to every IFV and SPAA autocannon
* The length of the vehicle can cause APFSDS shrapnel created at the front of the tank to dissipate before it is able to reach the rear

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Mediocre gun depression of -8°

== History ==

The Henschel Wehrtechnik TH200, TH600 and TH800 were a series of armoured vehicles developed in Germany in the early '80s as test vehicles that could undertake a wide variety of combat roles. These vehicles have a hull of welded steel armour that provides guaranteed protection to low and high calibre machinegun fire but lacks protection against anti-tank weaponry. A series of 3 versions were done: The TH200 4x4, the TH600 6x6 and TH800 8x8. Each one of the variants had their own combat roles.

'''TH200'''

The smallest version of the platform, it was meant to be used as a reconnaissance vehicle as well as a mobile support vehicle, armoured personal carrier and weapon carrier. It could utilize a 90 mm Cockerill gun and turret. The combat weight was around 9,250 kg making it capable of being transported by heavy air lifters and also give it amphibious capabilities.

'''TH400'''

It was a test bed for a mobile gun system with a 105 mm cannon in a three man turret. A Rh L/44 120 mm cannon could also be added. The combat weight of this vehicle was augmented to 24,500 kg, making it loose considerably the options for air lifters as well as losing completely the amphibious capabilities.

'''TH800'''

This version had a weight of 35,000 kg and could carry weapon systems with weight up to 13,000 kg, making it capable of carrying a heavier turret for both 105 mm and 120 mm cannons, anti-air systems for both 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons and Surface-to-Air Missiles and 155 mm howitzers.

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_th_800_bismark Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Class 3(P) Explosion (1).jpg
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|chjZ6Hra--c|'''Best wheeled tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:14 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{TankManufacturer Thyssen-Henschel}}
{{Germany light tanks}}
{{Winter Event}}

[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Type 87

2022-05-11T19:31:11Z

U76466869: /* Pros and cons */ Fixed spelling mistake from meagre to meager

{{About
| about = Japanese SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the Japanese light tank
| link = Type 87 RCV
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=jp_type_87
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. It is incredibly similar to the German [[Gepard|Flakpanzer Gepard]], using the same [[Oerlikon KDA (35 mm)|35 mm Oerlikon KDA]] autocannons with a similar turret. The key difference is that the Type 87 uses a modified chassis of the [[Type 74]], compared to the Gepard being mounted on the [[Leopard I]] chassis.

The Type 87 performs fairly well at its rank, being able to effectively engage aircraft quite well thanks to its high rate of fire, quick turret traverse and radar systems. It is also capable of fighting lightly armoured tanks such as most infantry fighting vehicles (BMP, Warrior, M3 Bradley) and effectively killing them in seconds with its rapid-fire guns. The Type 87's default belts have less penetration than its predecessor, the [[M42 (Japan)|M42 Duster SDF]], although this is not much of a difference (72 mm on M42 compared to 68 mm on Type 87), however the Type 87 gains the ability to fight other MBTs when it unlocks the Armour Piercing belts, which have 116 mm of penetration at 100 m. While this is not advised, it is an incredibly handy ability to have in an emergency.

The Type 87 is also extremely proficient at shooting down helicopters - the [[AH-1G]] is a common nuisance that the Type 87 has no difficulty in destroying. However, for more modern helicopters, most notably the Kamov [[Ka-50]], the Type 87 is harmless.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Aluminum Alloy AMS 4050A (Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (78°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (21-63°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm || 20 mm (16°) ''Top'' 20 mm (49°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 25 mm (6-37°) 20 mm (76°) ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm ''Turret side'' 10 mm ''Cannons'' || 15 mm (3°) || 15 mm 20 mm (69°) ''Turret underside''
|-
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,023|rbMinHp=637}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Oerlikon KDA (35 mm)}}

Main weapons are the 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons, which are essentially the same as [[Gepard]]'s. They are different from KDE gun variant of [[type 89]] if you used it - they use completely different ammunition and fire much faster.

Guns will overheat if fired for longer than 15 seconds. They will cool off in about 30 seconds, but you can unjam them earlier by switching between ammunition belts.

The guns are placed close to the centre of a turret, typically, if you missed one shot, you probably missed both shots. For this reason SPAA relies more on precise lengthy bursts with enemy flight path prediction, rather than "fire a 30 shot burst there and forget about it" of [[Chieftain Marksman]]. You have more ammunition for the gun than British equivalent, to compensate for this.

35 mm gun is slightly weaker than the Bofors of [[M42 (Japan)|M42]]. One thing to keep in mind is with this vehicle you are hunting jets and jets suffer much heavier stress from the speed they employ. This heavier stress equates to greater damage caused by even one or two hits of 35 mm HEI-T which will explode them or rip off their wings. For best results, you just need to hit them once or twice, which 35 mm guns are much better at doing.

For ammunition you can choose one main and one secondary belt. The secondary belt only has 40 shells, but it can be used to attack the enemy from capture points, as it rearms significantly faster. However, the secondary belt can be used in place of the main one for self-defence while the main belt rearms, so as to not leave the Type 87 defenceless.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Oerlikon KDA (35 mm)|35 mm Oerlikon KDA]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 680 (320) || rowspan="2" | 550 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 49.3 || 68.3 || 82.9 || 91.7 || 97.5 || rowspan="2" | 1.30 || rowspan="2" | 1.15 || rowspan="2" | 1.06 || rowspan="2" | 1.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 33.3 || 39.2 || 47.6 || 52.7 || 56.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - can attack planes and light tanks alike. HEI-T does fatal damage to aeroplanes, but has 3 mm penetration, being useless against tanks. API-T penetration is about 64 mm at 100 m at a flat angle. Keep in mind that it can fail to penetrate medium tanks. Against planes, API-T does kinetic damage and may rip off their wings on a good hit.
* '''DM11A1:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}} - 75% of this belt does critical damage to aircraft but does nothing to ground vehicles.
* '''DM13:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - 75% of this belt does significant damage to light tanks but does less damage to aircraft.
* '''DM23:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}} - APDS has better penetration value, easily penetrating 100 mm at 100 m at a flat angle, penetrating even decently protected tanks from the side and can threaten lightly armoured tanks even at 2km range. Cannot be chosen as the main belt.

'''Note''': HEI-T does no damage to armoured targets, but critically damages planes. Penetration numbers are displayed for strongest shell in belt.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 68 || 65 || 52 || 40 || 30 || 23
|-
| DM11A1 || 68 || 65 || 52 || 40 || 30 || 23
|-
| DM13 || 68 || 65 || 52 || 40 || 30 || 23
|-
| DM23 || 127 || 125 || 119 || 111 || 104 || 97
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Gepard.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the [[Gepard]] (identical to Type 87)]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''4''' || 0 ''(+4)'' || No
|-
|}

===Radars===
{{main|MPDR 12|Albis}}
The Type 87 is equipped with a [[MPDR 12]] search radar and an [[Albis]] tracking radar. Both radars are mounted at the rear of the turret, with the search radar mounted on top of an arm and the tracking radar mounted at the base of the arm. The radar system is capable of tracking a target while scanning, but can only track targets within a 200° arc from the front of the turret. It is not possible to fold the radars at this time.

Search radar of this tank may often fail to catch passing by planes at closer ranges, which can be still locked on by tracking radar. In such case, you can try to go to sniper mode and aim crosshairs at enemy aircraft, then press "lock on" key to trigger manual tracking radar scan (will be visible by a quick sweep on radar display). If it failed, then the enemy plane has way too low relative speed to be consistently tracked.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="5" | [[MPDR 12]] - Target Detection Radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Detection Range|The maximum possible range at which a target can be detected}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Detection Range|The range, below which, a target cannot be detected}}
! {{Annotation|Max Azimuth Scan Angle|How far to each side the radar can scan (widest search mode)}}
! {{Annotation|Max Elevation Scan Angle|How far up and down the radar can scan (widest search mode)}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum relative speed|The minimum speed a target must be moving, relative to the radar, in order to be detectable by the radar}}
|-
| 15,000 m || 500 m || 360° || ??? || 10 m/s (36 km/h)
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Albis]] - Target Tracking Radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Tracking Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Tracking Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}}
! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum target speed|The minimum speed a target must be moving, relative to the radar, in order to be tracked by the radar}}
|-
| 15,000 m || 75 m || ±100° || -20°/+85° || 15 m/s (54 km/h)
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

As an anti-aircraft vehicle, you should push with your team and defend cap points by protecting allies from aircraft with your powerful 35 mm guns. It should not be a problem to stay away from the main battle unless you are being pushed or your position is being overrun. In case if you see enemy light SPG or light tank, you can try to destroy them as well. With APDS belt you may dare to attack decently armoured medium tanks from the side, but you only have enough ammo for one or two encounters, so make it count.

Despite having radar, staying too far away from allies in arcade mode may backfire, as shells still take some time to reach enemy aircraft and hostile bombers only have to be 1.8 km away from them to drop bombs in the most efficient way possible, and it doesn't take a long time for them to reach that distance. If enemy aircraft is constantly wiggling, radar supported aim will also go all over the place, so try to guess where they are going, or press them to force them to change direction to one away from your allies.

In case if you actually got attacked by ground forces, you should then aim for cannon barrels and tracks of enemy vehicles. Your hull armour may deflect inbound shots if angled correctly, but don't expect your turret to do the same, as its armour is very thin and generally will be penetrated by everything at your battle rating and rank. Keep in mind, that your tank is a hull breakable vehicle, so avoid being hit by HEAT-FS rounds or by large kinetic shells into the engine compartment area.

Use [[Hydropneumatic suspension]] to get better search radar coverage and gun depression on your targets, or to keep yourself standing flat. Standing flat is important, as being angled too much may add horizontal targeting error.

In case if you are fighting multiple attackers or rocket helicopters, avoid being carpet-bombed, as the Type 87 is not built to survive such attacks. Be especially careful with Soviet helicopters, as they can carry both rockets and missiles. Remember - radar lock will help your gun to stay on target even when you are moving, and so, if you see a wall of rockets approaching you, sidestep it and don't just stand there and take it.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful, fast-firing 35 mm twin Oerlikon KDA cannon
* Quick with the Type 74 chassis, up to 58 km/h
* [[Hydropneumatic suspension]] with the Type 74 chassis
* Can engage tanks from their sides

'''Cons:'''

* -5 degrees of gun depression (bad compared to the Flakpanzer Gepard)
* 30 mm armour maximum
* Any main ammunition belts other than the default cost 6,600 silver lions
* You can only have one secondary belt selected with a meager ammo count
* Spinning radar dish may make you more visible in tank realistic battles

== History ==


The Type 87 anti-aircraft gun entered into service in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces as a replacement for the hopelessly outdated American Duster SPAAG. The specification and concept for the new anti-aircraft vehicle was based on the German Gepard SPAAG that our players know so well. The vehicle used a modified Type 74 tank chassis and was equipped with the Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon system as used in the Gepard. The vehicle was a success – more than 50 of these SPAAGs were put into production and several units remain in service today.

- ''From [[wt:en/news/4512-development-type-87-the-japanese-gepard-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=japan&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=spaa&vehicle=jp_type_87 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the Type 87 from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

The Type 87 is based on a modified [[Type 74 (Family)|Type 74]] hull

* [[Type 74]]
* [[Type 74G]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same guns

* [[Gepard]]
* [[Chieftain Marksman]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M247]]
* [[ZSU-23-4]]
* [[AMX-30 DCA]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4512-development-type-87-the-japanese-gepard-en/|[Devblog] Type 87: The Japanese Gepard]]

{{Japan anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Leopard I

2022-01-24T15:54:57Z

U76466869: /* Pros and cons */ Changed stabiliser to stabilizer

{{About
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Leopard 1 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_leopard_I
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.51 "Cold Steel"]].

The main strengths of the Leopard I are its high mobility and the above-average rate of fire of the main cannon. In combination with a good gun depression of -9° (meaning, you can lower the gun quite extensively), an experienced Leopard I driver can exploit uneven terrain to effectively fight his enemies without showing much of his vehicle - or being in the inconvenient situation to leave his cover to return fire.

The MG3A1 is a General Purpose Machine Gun with a low calibre, being unable to penetrate most opponents, although its high rate of fire and the manoeuvrability of the roof-mounted MG can be used to eliminate exposed crew members quickly, especially useful against vehicles such as the [[UDES 33]], or damage aircraft or the lighter utility helicopters sometimes encountered in higher-BR battles, such as the [[AH-1G]].

Considering everything, the Leopard 1 is not a bad vehicle in the right hands - unfortunately, the lack of a stabilizer and extremely sub-par armour will result in many less experienced players struggling to perform well when many of their opponents will have better, often stabilised guns and armour.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The Leopard's armour is not thick enough in the game to defend itself from most incoming fire, as many shell types at its battle rating are able to easily penetrate and destroy the tank. The Leopard 1 was originally built with a "perfect standard tank" idea, similar to the Main Battle Tank concept, as during its development, the armour has been considered an expendable quality and that superior speed and firepower is most important. Therefore the Leopard's armour design was only meant to withstand 20 mm calibres from the front. A big threat is the [[ZSU-57-2]], which gives any Leopard 1 a hard time with its high rate of fire of effective 57 mm AP rounds.

It is recommended to carry as little ammo as possible, about 20 rounds, as the majority will be stored in the rack at the front left of the vehicle, being an extreme vulnerability if overloaded when in a head-on engagement.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
*Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (51°) ''Bottom glacis'' || 35 (40-42°) mm ''Top hull side'' 30 mm ''Bottom hull side'' || 25 mm (12-47°) || 30 mm ''Front area'' 15 mm ''Rear area''
|-
| Turret || 65 mm ''Turret front'' 45 - 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 37-45 mm (28-31°) || 25-52 mm (26-72°) || 25-35 mm ''Turret roof'' 20 mm ''Cupola area''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The turret mantlet has varying thicknesses ranging from 45 - 200 mm. It is thickest near the centre in contrast to the borders where it is the thinnest.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,286|rbMinHp=734}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is powered by a MTU MB 838 CaM-500 engine, which produces a total of 830 hp (610 kW) at around 2,200-2,300 RPM.
The mobility is between the [[XM-1 (GM)]] and the [[T-55AM-1]]. Expect a speed of 40-50 km/h off-road. The reverse is about -15 km/h off-road. The neutral steering is amazing, you are able to swivel your tank easily, and can be used to boost turret rotation speeds. The suspensions are also great, very soft with great dampening effects, and give the tank a smooth drive. Overall, mobility is excellent and should be used to your advantage since the tank has limited armour.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|L7A3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L7A3 (105 mm)|105 mm L7A3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
'''DM13; APDS''' (Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot) will comfortably penetrate the armour of most foes; be aware however that some vehicles such as the IS-4 or M103 are only vulnerable in specific weak spots. APDS rounds do require some finesse with their placement, and because of the lack of explosive filler, unless you're confident you can destroy the enemy before they can respond, you should attempt to disable their weaponry first to ensure your own safety. Against targets with known ammunition storage, it's possible to try to detonate it with a well-placed shot; keep in mind, however, that ammo detonations always occur with a random chance, taking out crew members is more reliable to destroy your enemies. This, of course, requires knowledge about the vehicles you may face - so be sure to use the game's X-Ray view in the hangar and analyse your potential foes for their weak spots! Also, keep in mind that with increased armour thickness the amount of shrapnel shrinks.

'''DM502; HESH''' (High-Explosive Squash-Head) works very differently than other shell types. It ignores any angle, except for ricochet and deals damage by metal-flakes which are blown off inside the armour by the exterior explosion. To create this deadly shrapnel inside the tank, make sure to only hit armour plates which are directly adjacent to the interior crew compartment of the tank. Hitting exterior parts of a tank like spaced armour, the suspension, tracks etc. will not harm crew members/modules at all. Unfortunately, HESH is particularly ineffective against particularly high true armour values (as opposed to high 'effective' armour values sourced from highly angled but thin armour - HESH loves angles!). Like all high-explosive shells, the fuse is very sensitive and can be set-off by most objects e.g. fences, trees, shrubbery. The low muzzle velocity of this shell can make it quite hard to hit targets at larger distances, although an experienced tanker may be able to use this to their advantage by lobbing a round over a small defilade or hill. It's also worth noting that HESH can be rather unreliable at times; it's best used as a fall-back ammo, or saved for particularly lightly armoured targets.

'''DM12; HEATFS''' (High-Explosive Anti Tank Fin-Stabilised): Knowledge of potential opponents vehicle layouts can be very handy - as you now have a round at your disposal that can penetrate essentially any vehicle's armour frontally. Like the APDS shot, increased armour thickness results in a reduced amount of shrapnel after penetration. You are able to take out enemies on any distance since the HEAT round does not lose penetration effectiveness with distance - very handy on big scaled maps like Kursk. There is, however, a significant downside to HEATFS: Given that it is a chemical energy round, its fuse is highly sensitive in regards to its practical application in battle. As a result, virtually anything, such as trees or even a fence, will set it off prematurely, so you cannot fire through obstructions with this kind of round. It's often a good idea to clear bushes and fences with your machine guns quickly before taking a shot. Finally, the HEATFS round is relatively expensive in terms of SL, so keep that in mind when loading up.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DM13 || APDS || 303 || 302 || 296 || 277 || 257 || 252
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM13 || APDS || 1,478 || 4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.1 || 4 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 58 ''(+2)'' || 47 ''(+13)'' || 43 ''(+17)'' || 40 ''(+20)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 47 (+13) shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

The {{PAGENAME}} mounts one coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and one pintle-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun. These both have particularly high rates of fire, and can be used as a deterrent for close air support as well as clearing light obstacles and crew in open-top vehicles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -8°/+20° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Scan and use the terrain to your advantage. Take into consideration the moderate vehicle height, which allows you to go turret down in certain locations, allowing you to safely use your commander's binoculars to locate targets. Then, after you have located the enemy, fire a few rounds in quick succession and relocate when spotted, especially when the enemy shots come dangerously close. The Leopard is quite fast, so taking hits from a distance while on the move is a risk that you may consider worth taking.

Always remember: The Leopard is not designed to take hits from any guns, nor fight in stand-off situations against heavier enemy vehicles. Frontally, the angle of the hull can bounce shots once in a while, but you're better off not to rely on this. The turret front is also the same, it's best to attempt to only fire when you can avoid receiving a shot or relocating to a position if possible. The main goal is to make the opponent incapable of returning fire. The majority of Russian rank V tanks ([[IS-3]], [[IS-4M]], [[T-10M]], [[T-54 (1951)|T-54s]], [[SU-122-54]], [[T-62]] or [[ZSU-57-2]]) gunners are disabled by penetrating the right side of the turret or hull, if they are faced towards you. If you have the possibility to hit a Russian tank's hull, which is again faced towards you, prioritize it, because it is likely to take it out with one shot to the right side of the hull (3 out of 4 crew member are sitting in a row), this does not work with the stock APDS round due to the poor damage output. American top rank tanks like the [[M103]], [[M47]] or [[M60]] are harder to take out. It is advised to take out the gunner first, which is located in the left side of the turret and then take out the rest of the remaining crew members. Hitting the ammo rack of your opponent is often the fastest way to take out an enemy vehicle, keep in mind though there is a small chance the ammo will not blow up (Best ammo types to ammo rack: HEAT-FS > HESH > APDS).

Remember you have a gun manoeuvrability advantage over most of your enemies: your gun depression will allow you to play hull-down, protecting the large portion of ammo in your hull (especially if fully loaded), and you can turn faster than many opponents due to the neutral steering and powerful engine of this vehicle. However, bear in mind that American tanks in particular, as well as some British tanks, will be able to match, and even outperform, your gun depression angle, so it may be better to flank these enemies using your speed.
[[File:Leopard 1 vs T55AM.png|thumb|right|300px|{{PAGENAME}} engaging a T-55AM on Cargo Port]]
Sometimes moving is not an option, but remember, directly behind your hull front sits a large portion of your ammunition, at least if you're fully loaded. Always have that in mind when positioning yourself against the enemy - and don't forget that you don't have to stack all of your ammunition racks to their maximum capacity! Sometimes it can be wise to take less ammunition with you, as it will increase your survivability when taking hits - especially with the Leopard. The Leopards worst nemesis is the [[ZSU-57-2]] and the [[IT-1]]. The [[ZSU-57-2]] can be easily destroyed by hitting one of the many ammo racks in the big turret, which often leads to an explosion of the whole tank. The [[IT-1]] on the other hand can be quite hard to deal with, since they are able to operate perfectly hull down only exposing the roof mounted ATGM. Destroying (only black damage status counts, red damage does not prevent from firing ATGM) the rocket mount/cannon barrel forces the [[IT-1]] to repair for a whole 27 seconds (maxed out + expert crew).

The Leopard 1 holds a distinct advantage over almost every other tank it will face - it's almost always faster. While in a direct shoot-out, most other vehicles can take out the Leopard, using the mobility advantage of the Leopard will allow a good tanker to get into an advantageous position and take out targets before they get the opportunity to respond. However, ensure you are aware of your surroundings and have a fall-back option: getting caught off guard on the back of a hill with nowhere to back off to and with no real support is a death sentence.

Depending on the map and opponents, ammunition choices may vary however usually it's ideal to have HEATFS as primary ammunition (reasonably easy to use at range, reliable penetration values), APDS as a backup (extremely easy to use at range, particularly with the Leo's excellent optics) and a couple of HESH rounds to deal with any light targets you might encounter. Try to keep round storage to a minimum but keep in mind that with these ammunition choices often it will take a number of rounds to guarantee a destroyed target.

The Leopard 1 is also very effective at sniping, due to its relatively small profile and speed, and high-magnification optics and HEAT-FS being unaffected by range (in terms of penetration), allowing it to get to a comfortable sniping position and relocate quickly. An effective use of this is to combine all strengths of this tank by flanking the enemies holding a specific chokepoint, sniping their vulnerable sides (whilst they are under pressure from your heavier allies at the front), before advancing rapidly after the enemies are neutralised to capture a point or finish off remaining enemies which may be crippled but hiding. However, remember to be flexible and relegate this strategy to teammates using vehicles dedicated to this role (such as the [[JPz 4-5]]), as you are still a main battle tank and have other strengths, that they may not be suited to perform.

In a nutshell, use the superb mobility with the cannon's perfection to flank and spank enemies, wait and hunt for the perfect positions and pick off the enemy tanks one by one, while always maintaining a good situational awareness. Patience is the key to success.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast and very agile when fully upgraded
* High-penetration APDS and HEAT rounds
* HESH rounds extremely effective against light targets
* Reasonably fast reload time, can be reduced to 6.7 seconds
* Good gun elevation and depression
* Reasonably good turret traverse rate
* Access to smoke grenades
* Relatively small, moderately low profile
* Excellent reverse speed
* A well coordinated squad of Leopards can effectively take over a match
* Potential to be an extremely efficient vehicle in the right hands
* Some parts of the turret (mainly the mantlet) can bounce rounds from the right angles
* Reasonably low repair cost

'''Cons:'''

* Essentially non-existent armour that can't stop any more than 20 mm rounds reliably
* No main gun stabilizer
* Tankers unaccustomed to APDS may struggle with the stock vehicle
* Stock accuracy is sub-par
* Does not have the HESH round when stock
* Like all MBTs, there is ammunition stored adjacent to the driver
* 4-man crew complement, reasonably close-packed
* Easy prey for high-calibre autocannons such as those found on the ZSU-57-2
* HEATFS and APDS rounds have sub-par post-penetration effectiveness, often taking multiple rounds to destroy vehicles
* HEATFS detonates when it hits a fence or bush

== History ==

===Development===
The project for the Leopard started as far back as 1956 as an attempt to replace the American [[M41 (90 mm)|M47]] and [[M48A1|M48 Patton]] tanks in service at the time as they were becoming outdated to newer anti-tank technology. These American tanks did not fit the tactical concepts Germany had developed at great expense during the Second World War, so a new design was sought which would integrate this knowledge and also rebuild the German armaments industry.

Specifications for the new tank came in July 1957 asking for a design weighing no more than 30 tons, with a power-to-weight ratio of 30 horsepower per ton and could withstand 20 mm gunfire alongside protection against chemical weapons and radiation fallout, which was becoming extremely common protection system for the modern tank designs. The design stressed mobility as the main focus, while firepower comes next and armour was relegated to minimum priority. The lack of focus on the armour was because of the belief that no matter how much armour a tank can have, it will eventually fall obsolete to the advent of newer anti-tank weapons such as the HEAT rounds, which was becoming stronger and stronger by the years.

In the initial stages of development, France and West Germany, interested in this tank design, worked on it from 1957 to build a common tank and the project was designated the ''Europa-Panzer''. France had AMX, SLD Lorraine, and SOMUA with FCM Renault working on the project, while Germany had Porsche, Rheinmetall with Henschel, and Borgward working on the project. In 1958, Italy entered into the development as well, though it's not sure if they provided much to the program. By 1960, Porsche and Rheinmetall had prototypes submitted, as well as AMX from France, all the others failed to provide a prototype in time. In 1963, the Porsche prototype was selected as the winner in 1963, though even before this decision the vehicle already has priority in being built in greater number than the others. Though a tank is set, France and Germany split in the joint tank project in 1963 after France opted out of standardization with the NATO forces. This left Germany alone with their Leopard tank development, which they continued.

The Porsche Prototype II was well received, though changes were made to the design such as a new cast turret, hull design change, and relocating the radiators. The tank now mounted the 105mm L7 gun over the Rheinmetall design, as well as adding an optical range-finding system for increased gunnery. The design finished trials by the end of 1963 and production started in Munich in February of 1964. The first batches began arriving at the Bundeswehr (German Army) in September of 1965 and were put into units by November of that same year. The tank was finally designated the '''Leopard 1''', with the prototype stage labelled as the Leopard 1A0.

===Usage===
After the first delivery, many upgrades were made on the tank throughout its production and service life. The first few Leopards were designated Leopard 1A1 and continued all the way to Leopard 1A6 as it incorporates new technology such as sights, gun, radios, armour, or even small upgrades or redesigns on some parts. Some of these Leopards are even upgraded further in each variant form, for example, the [[Leopard A1A1|Leopard 1A1A1]] which had it fitted with new turret armour and night sights. Other than the different variants, the Leopard 1 was also extensively modified or made into derivatives in roles such as anti-aircraft guns, armour recovery vehicles, bridge layers, and such.

The versatility of the Leopard 1 design and its rather cheap cost in comparison to other tanks at the time made it a useful tank and it was sought out by many different countries in and out of the NATO force group. These countries put them into service in the conflict, such as Denmark, which is believed to be the first country to use the Leopard 1 in hostile engagement, when going against Bosnian Serb forces. Canada also used the Leopard 1C2 in the War in Afghanistan from 2006-2011. Greece also had Leopard 1s and is the largest user of it, with over 500 units of Leopard 1A5s still in service.

The Leopard 1 versatility and widespread use compared to other tanks in the NATO service made it a very useful weapon system for armies that couldn't afford the new American Pattons or Abrams tanks or the British Challengers and [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftains]]. The Leopard 1 in German service was eventually replaced by the Leopard 2 design, which entered into service in 1979 as the main battle tank with better armour and better gun compared to the Leopard 1, fully replacing it in 2003. Other countries followed suit by upgrading their tanks to either the Leopard 2, the American M1 Abrams, or their own domestic tank designs. The vehicle in its various modernized forms is still operated by third parties such as , Brazil, Turkey, and Greece. Some are kept in reserve in Chile and Ecuador due to their light frames and ease of use in soft soils like in the jungles in their countries.

In 1974, the Australian government purchased 101 Leopard 1 tanks (90 MBTs, 5 bridge-laying variants, and 6 recovery vehicles). the first leopard 1s arrived in Australia in 1976 and served with the 1st Armoured Regiment. The Leopard 1 was retired from service in July 2007.

The Belgian army received 334 Leopard 1s, equipping 8 tank regiments with 40 Leopard 1s each. The Belgian Leopards were retired from service in 2014.

Canada received 127 Leopard 1 C1 tanks in 1978-1979 to replace the Centurion tank. starting in 2000, the Canadian government upgraded the Leopard 1 C1 to Leopard 1 C2. the Leopard C2 is now obsolete and the Canadian government has opted to use the Leopard 2.

In 1976, Denmark acquired 120 Leopard 1A3 tanks. Denmark acquired another 110 Leopard 1A3 tanks in 1992, and upgraded all for a total of 230 Leopard 1A5-DKs tanks. Denmark no longer uses Leopard 1 tanks as an MBT (replaced by leopard 2), but still uses an armoured recovery vehicle variant.

Germany used a total of 2,437 Leopard 1 tanks, of various variants. The remaining Leopard 1s are in storage, replaced by the Leopard 2.

From 1971-1985, Italy obtained (Purchased from other countries or Built under license) 920 Leopard 1 tanks and 250 Special Variants. Italian Leopard 1 MBTs were retired from service by 2008, and are replaced with the native Italian C1-Ariele tank. Armoured recovery vehicles and bridge-laying variants remain in service.

The Netherlands operated 468 Leopard 1 tanks, and are replaced with Leopard 2 tanks. Armoured recovery vehicles and bridge-laying variants remain in service.

Norway operated 172 Leopard 1 tanks, the last Leopard 1 decommissioned in 2011, and are replaced with Leopard 2 tanks. Armoured recovery vehicles and bridge-laying variants remain in service.

Brazil currently operates 128 Leopard 1BE and 250 Leopard 1A5.

Chile used to operate 202 Leopard 1V, but sold some and currently have 120 in service.

Ecuador purchased all 60 of their Leopard tanks from Chile.

Greece bought 104 Leopard 1A3s in 1983. during 1992, Greece received a further 75 Leopard 1A5. Greece purchased another 192 used Leopard 1A5s. Greece is now the current operator of the most Leopard 1 tank.

Lebanon purchased 43 Belgian Leopard 1A5.

Turkey bought and upgraded 170 Leopard 1A1 tanks and upgraded all to Leopard 1T 'Volkan'. Turkey also purchased 227 A3 variants.

=== In-game description ===
Development of the tank began in 1957 in cooperation with France. However, this attempt to create a unified European tank was unsuccessful. The projects in both countries were conducted virtually in parallel, but in 1963, before the end of comparative testing of the French and German tanks, Germany declined to cooperate further with France. Each country began to build its own national tank — the Leopard in Germany, the AMX-30 in France.

During the development of the Leopard 1 among all combat characteristics preference was given to firepower and mobility. Later, due to the German engineers' changing perspective on the significance of tank defenses in modern combat, a number of steps were taken to increase it.

The first production order of 1,500 tanks was placed in 1963, and in September, 1965 the first serial Leopard 1 was delivered to the Bundeswehr.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_leopard_I Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|GgC8UNa8dok|'''{{PAGENAME}} vs STB-1''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|qksBZwDbbvo|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Really Changed After The Changes/Buffs?''' - ''Napalmratte''|SKeFUWKudoY|'''The Shooting Range #63''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 00:33 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|ktBwlyherSY|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Leopard 1 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[AMX-30 (1972)]]
* [[AMX-30]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/792|[Devblog] Leopard 1]]
* [[wt:en/news/3325--en|[Vehicle Profile] Leopard 1]]
* [[wikipedia:Leopard_1|[Wikipedia] Leopard 1]]
* [https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/West_Germany/leopard-i.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Leopard I MBT (1965)]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=58 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Leopard 1]

{{Germany medium tanks}}