Difference between revisions of "Leopard 1A5 (Italy)"
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== History == | == History == | ||
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | ||
| − | ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' | + | <!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).-->'' |
| + | |||
| + | The story of the Italian 1A5 began during the late stages of the cold war, Italy would have been equipped with several variants of the Leopard tank, firstly they'd buy a small batch of Leopard 1A1's, then upgrading them to Leopard 1A2's. They'd be extensively used and at one point there was a study conducted which aimed to equip the Leopard 1a1 with the Italian made <nowiki>''</nowiki>Thetis<nowiki>''</nowiki> thermal imager system to evaluate its implementation on the Italian army Leopard tanks. Sadly that wouldn't go ahead other than a singular completed prototype, this was likely due to the Italian army setting its eyes to the more interesting Leopard 1A5, which would also come with a thermal imaging system as standard. Thus, the final Standard version of the Leopard 1 was the A5, obtained by extensively modifying many specimens belonging to previous versions. The turret of the Leopard 1A5 is immediately distinguished by the application of the additional passive armor designed by <nowiki>''</nowiki>Blohm und Voss<nowiki>''</nowiki>, adopted for the first time in Germany in 1975 on the A1A1 sub-version; the protection extends over 360 ° from the 1st shield of the gun to the rear rack for the turret equipment consists of eleven armored panels with rubber coatings spaced about 10cm from the main armor by the use of bolts, mounted on elastic supports. Thanks to a zip opening on the additional armor it was still possible to use the crewman's circular hatch to load ammunition and eject shells that have already been fired. In order to modernize the tanks already in service, the Italian Army acquired from Germany some versions the Leopard 1A5 turrets, later installed on Leopard 1A2 hulls already in service, which would be plentiful in general. Some modifications would have to be done on the Leopard 1A2 hulls however, as it wasn't as simple as installing the turret on the hull. For this the Italian army had put the Gorizian Mechanical Workshops (COMG), the Fiore company (FIREMA) and the factories of the Army of Nola and Bologna, in charge to make the Leopard 1A2 undergo a series of improvements, such as the suspension system. In fact, in order to compensate for the weight increase of about 2 tons, some of the more important modifications were added to the hull, the most important of which concerned: replacing the deflection roller with one of smaller dimensions and its repositioning more in above, the replacement of the first two rollers on the suspensions carriers of the volute springs with end-of-stroke buffers , the strengthening of the torsion bars, the adoption of a new maintenance-free track tensioner, and lastly but not least, the predisposition of the application of bulkheads track cover with brand new fenders. These changes were made to a number of hulls (202) higher than the 120 units foreseen for the transformation in the A5 version, perhaps in anticipation of further acquisitions of new turrets, then faded; the supernumerary hulls therefore kept the original turret. (These new tanks would be delivered between 1971 and 1972 followed by two batches built by OTO Melara under licence) What made the Leopard 1A5 more potent and distinct from the previous versions, was the additions of a night image and thermal image camera, laser rangefinder, laser warning system (only present on the Italian 1A5) and a electro-hydraulic stabilization system for its armament. Due to all these new additions, such as the installation of new firing systems and stabilization systems, it would cause a reduction to 55 transportable shells for the 105mm cannon. Typically on board the Italian army would bring 27 APDS or APFSDS, 16 HEAT, 6 HESH, and 6 WP. The Leopard 1A5's service in the Italian army would mainly be during the war in the Balkans, in which Italy took part in the various peacekeeping missions, but ultimatley they never saw action. Most of the Leopard 1A5's would quickly be put out of service during the late 1990's as from 1995, the new Italian made C1 Ariete MBT would be delivered. All the Leopard 1A5's would then either be turned into static displays or sent to the Italian military graveyard at Lenta, later to be brought back to life and majority sold to Brazil. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
Revision as of 13:11, 29 May 2021
| This page is about the medium tank Leopard 1A5 (Italy). For other versions, see Leopard 1 (Family). |
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Contents
Description
The ▄Leopard 1A5 is a rank VI Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "New Power".
General info
Survivability and armour
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 70 mm (60°) Upper Glacis 50 mm (50°) Lower Glacis |
35 mm Upper 30 mm Lower |
25 mm | 15-30 mm |
| Turret | 45-120 mm Gun mantlet | 40-43 mm Right Side 37-45 mm Left Side |
33-52 mm | 21-65 mm |
| Additional Armor | 10-35 mm Gun Mantlet | 10-20 mm Turret Sides 5 mm Sideskirts |
5-10 mm Turret Rear | N/A |
The Leopard 1A5 is a further development of the A1A1 specification of the Leopard MBT. That being said, it does not differ much from its predecessor in terms of armour. The Leopard 1A5 prioritizes firepower and mobility over the survivability of the tank. As such, it has no notable modules or layout that offer advanced survivability. The frontal armour is reliable against APDS and AP rounds from many of the autocannons found on IFVs at the rank but struggles against chemical and armour-piercing rounds from dedicated tanks and tank destroyers. The side and rear armour however, is a different story. Offering only 30-60 mm of armour over most of the surface, it can be penetrated by most rounds fired from cannon calibre weapons. Any shot from the side will penetrate the tank and have the potential to destroy it in one shot. This is due to three of the four crew members in the tank being situated in the turret. This is the major drawback of the Leopard 1 series tanks. A single shot has the capability to destroy the Leopard. As such, it requires a slightly more careful and patient play style.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 73 | 28 | 42.5 | 1,286 | 1,584 | 30.26 | 37.27 |
| Realistic | 66 | 26 | 734 | 830 | 17.27 | 19.53 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
| 105 mm L7A3 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 55 | -9°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 22.8 | 31.6 | 38.4 | 42.5 | 45.2 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
| Realistic | 14.3 | 16.8 | 20.4 | 22.6 | 24.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
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 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| DM12 | HEATFS | 1,173 | 10.5 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 1,270 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
| DM502 | HESH | 732 | 14.85 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 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
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
| 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 Italian Leopard 1A5 can be a truly powerful vehicle when used in the right hands. For people who are going through the stock grind, it is recommended that you play a support role, until you get access to the APFSDS round. The Leopard 1A5 sadly is not very armoured, compared to other vehicles it will face, the main weak spots are the hull and the sides. So for people who have just picked it up, either play as a support, sniper or flank, as the stock HEAT round is not very good to deal frontally with most of the enemies.
One thing the Leopard 1A5 has that its German counterpart doesn't is a laser warning receiver, although you'll have to research it, this tool can prove to be a very useful modification for the tank as it will notify you whenever an enemy vehicle is lasing you, such as a helicopter. The LWR should give you enough time to react and either use your smoke discharges or quickly move to cover to avoid getting destroyed. Once you have gone through and researched most of its important modifications, such as the APFSDS round and the engine upgrade, you should be ready to play a more offensive role.
A good point you could take advantage of is your speed, your engine will be decent enough that you'll usually be with or ahead of your team most of the time. Use your speed at the start of matches to get to positions that enemies might not expect you to be in, which might guarantee you the first shot in most engagements. Your main gun is also very good at long ranges, so it is also not a bad idea to keep your distance, since you cannot count on your survivability. In night battles thanks to your thermal imager, you are able to easily gain an advantage compared to most of your enemies who might only have access to night vision only. This also should apply for all game modes, be aware that in Arcade battles the enemies are able to see your weak spots when they aim at you, so keep that in mind if you decide to go hull-down as an experienced player might just go for a different module, such as your cannon barrel or breech, and finish you off slowly.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has access to a thermal imager
- Potent APFSDS round, can deal with the majority of targets you'll encounter
- Decent mobility, isn't the fastest but isn't the slowest either
Cons:
- Poor survivability, most enemy fire will usually destroy you in 1 shot.
- Thermal imagining and LWS need to be researched first
- Big target, will likely stick out
History
The story of the Italian 1A5 began during the late stages of the cold war, Italy would have been equipped with several variants of the Leopard tank, firstly they'd buy a small batch of Leopard 1A1's, then upgrading them to Leopard 1A2's. They'd be extensively used and at one point there was a study conducted which aimed to equip the Leopard 1a1 with the Italian made ''Thetis'' thermal imager system to evaluate its implementation on the Italian army Leopard tanks. Sadly that wouldn't go ahead other than a singular completed prototype, this was likely due to the Italian army setting its eyes to the more interesting Leopard 1A5, which would also come with a thermal imaging system as standard. Thus, the final Standard version of the Leopard 1 was the A5, obtained by extensively modifying many specimens belonging to previous versions. The turret of the Leopard 1A5 is immediately distinguished by the application of the additional passive armor designed by ''Blohm und Voss'', adopted for the first time in Germany in 1975 on the A1A1 sub-version; the protection extends over 360 ° from the 1st shield of the gun to the rear rack for the turret equipment consists of eleven armored panels with rubber coatings spaced about 10cm from the main armor by the use of bolts, mounted on elastic supports. Thanks to a zip opening on the additional armor it was still possible to use the crewman's circular hatch to load ammunition and eject shells that have already been fired. In order to modernize the tanks already in service, the Italian Army acquired from Germany some versions the Leopard 1A5 turrets, later installed on Leopard 1A2 hulls already in service, which would be plentiful in general. Some modifications would have to be done on the Leopard 1A2 hulls however, as it wasn't as simple as installing the turret on the hull. For this the Italian army had put the Gorizian Mechanical Workshops (COMG), the Fiore company (FIREMA) and the factories of the Army of Nola and Bologna, in charge to make the Leopard 1A2 undergo a series of improvements, such as the suspension system. In fact, in order to compensate for the weight increase of about 2 tons, some of the more important modifications were added to the hull, the most important of which concerned: replacing the deflection roller with one of smaller dimensions and its repositioning more in above, the replacement of the first two rollers on the suspensions carriers of the volute springs with end-of-stroke buffers , the strengthening of the torsion bars, the adoption of a new maintenance-free track tensioner, and lastly but not least, the predisposition of the application of bulkheads track cover with brand new fenders. These changes were made to a number of hulls (202) higher than the 120 units foreseen for the transformation in the A5 version, perhaps in anticipation of further acquisitions of new turrets, then faded; the supernumerary hulls therefore kept the original turret. (These new tanks would be delivered between 1971 and 1972 followed by two batches built by OTO Melara under licence) What made the Leopard 1A5 more potent and distinct from the previous versions, was the additions of a night image and thermal image camera, laser rangefinder, laser warning system (only present on the Italian 1A5) and a electro-hydraulic stabilization system for its armament. Due to all these new additions, such as the installation of new firing systems and stabilization systems, it would cause a reduction to 55 transportable shells for the 105mm cannon. Typically on board the Italian army would bring 27 APDS or APFSDS, 16 HEAT, 6 HESH, and 6 WP. The Leopard 1A5's service in the Italian army would mainly be during the war in the Balkans, in which Italy took part in the various peacekeeping missions, but ultimatley they never saw action. Most of the Leopard 1A5's would quickly be put out of service during the late 1990's as from 1995, the new Italian made C1 Ariete MBT would be delivered. All the Leopard 1A5's would then either be turned into static displays or sent to the Italian military graveyard at Lenta, later to be brought back to life and majority sold to Brazil.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Italy medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Italy | |
| M13/40 | M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III) |
| M14/41 | M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40) |
| M15/42 | M15/42 |
| M16/43 | Celere Sahariano |
| P26/40 | P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello" |
| OF-40 | OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA) |
| Ariete | Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV |
| Germany | ▄Pz.III N · ▄Pz.IV G · ▄Leopard 1A5 |
| Allied powers | ▄Sherman I Composito · Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc · ▄Sherman V · M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1 · M47 (105/55) · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" |
| Hungary | |
| Turán | Turan I · Turan II · Turan III |
| Germany | ◔Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2A7HU |
| USSR | ◔T-72M1 |
