Leopard A1A1 (L/44)

This page is about the gift German medium tank Leopard A1A1 (L/44). For other variants, see Leopard 1 (Family).

Leopard A1A1 (L/44)

Leopard A1A1 (L/44)

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The Leopard A1A1 (L/44) is a premium gift rank VI German medium tank with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries".

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull70 / 35 / 25

Turret65 / 45 / 52

Crew4 people

Visibility95 %

Players who have purchased the Leopard A1A1 L/44 should be familiar with the armour of non-premium Leopard 1s. If not, the Leopard may not be what people expect a tank to be. It was developed before composite materials were discovered at a time where HEAT shells were so effective that in order for armour to be effective, it would be so thick that it would not be practical. Hence, the designers of Leopard 1s, knowing that there was no possible way of stopping HEAT rounds, removed the concept of armour. In essence, the Leopard A1A1 has no armour. The front hull, accounting slope, is only some 130 mm thick. The turret and gun mantlet are some 100 mm depending on the angle. The BMP-2's autocannon, for instance, loaded with APDS, will penetrate your turret and will cause major damage. Any HEAT projectile impacting the tank will likely result in instantly being destroyed. However, the engine block can at times reliably save the crew from HEAT shells. APDS and APFSDS are a different story. The armour on the Leopard A1A1 is so thin that most non-explosive-filled shells will seldom cause spalling upon penetrating the side of the tank. Frontal penetrations will cause much more damage, as the armour is just enough to cause spalling.

The ready rack ammo is stored vertically within your turret to the left side of the tank. So AP penetrations to the right side of your tank may not set off the ammo. But, 3/4 of your crew are sited in a single file on the right side. So a penetration will knock you out nonetheless. Try to take no more than 18 shells, as it will increase the likelihood of ammo cook-off. The point is not to get hit, because if anything hits you, it will go through, and it will cause damage.

In some cases, you could operate the tank backwards and use your engine block as a shield, as most HEAT shells will be absorbed by your transmission, radiator and engine, although in this position you have limited depression as the engine block forces the gun upwards. Despite these limitations, the tank can be surprisingly survivable, provided it is played carefully rather than relying on the armour. Also, it will usually take 2 hits to kill this tank, so if you are hit, pop smoke, retreat, repair, and re-appear somewhere else on the map.

Armour type:

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

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides (Slope angle)	Rear	Roof
Hull	70 mm (60°) Front glacis 50 mm (50°) Bottom glacis	35 (39-41°) mm Top hull side 30 + 5 mm Bottom hull side	25 mm (8-48°)	30 mm Front area 15-25 mm Rear area
Turret	45-200 mm (0-60°) Turret front/Gun mantlet	37-45 (21-49°)+ 10-20 (0-34°) mm	38-52 (22-54°) + 10 (9-10°) mm 25 mm (65°) Bustle belly	25-35 mm Turret roof 20-25 mm Cupola area

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• The turret mantlet has a varying thickness of 45 - 200 mm thick. It is thickest near the center.
• 10 mm of track armour added onto front hull glacis

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB73 / 28 km/h

RB and SB66 / 26 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight43.0 t

Engine power

AB1 584 hp

RB and SB830 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB36.8 hp/t

RB and SB19.3 hp/t

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	43	1,286	1,584	29.91	36.84
Realistic	66	26		734	830	17.07	19.3

The mobility of the Leopard A1A1 (L/44) is between the XM-1 and T-55AM-1. Forward speed off-road, expect some 40-50 km/h. The reverse is about -15 km/h off-road. The neutral steering is absolutely amazing, you are able to swivel your tank easily. The suspensions are also great, very soft with great dampening effects, so expect a smooth drive. Overall, manoeuvrability is excellent, and should be used to your advantage since the tank has limited armour.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB3 145

RB3 217

SB3 976

Crew training10 000

Experts1 010 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces2 020 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 150 / 200 / 240 %

2 × 226 / 226 / 226 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Adjustment of Fire Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade Artillery Support Laser rangefinder NVD

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm Rh120 L/44 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition41 rounds

First-order11 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 20°

The legendary 120 mm Rheinmetall L44 cannon does not fall short of its name. You get access to only two types of shells, DM13 APFSDS and DM12 HEATFS, with both being highly competitive and effective at its battle rating. The DM13 APFSDS round has a whopping 390 mm of penetration and is capable of defeating any armour of any tank this tank may potentially face, bar the T-64B. The round also travels extremely fast at 1,650 m/s, making long-range shooting and hitting moving targets exceptionally easy. The HEATFS, on the other hand, will overpressurize lightly-armoured targets while also being free of cost. The 120 mm HEAT with its 480 mm penetration is able to destroy Object 120 and 906 and anything that's not a main battle tank. The 1,140 m/s velocity may, however, make long-range engagements more difficult, especially when dealing with moving targets.

The L44 also features a decent reload time of 8.7 seconds stock and 6.7 seconds spaded, which is comparable to its 105 mm armed counterpart. The gun also features a stabiliser, making firing on the move a definite capability. However, it only works up to around 30 to 40 km/h. Beyond that, the gun becomes quite jittery and hard to aim.

120 mm Rh120 L/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	41	-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
DM13	APFSDS	393	390	384	376	367	359
DM12	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM13	APFSDS	1,650	4.44	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
DM12	HEATFS	1,140	13.5	0.05	0.1	2.15	65°	72°	77°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Leopard A1A1 (L/44)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
41	12 (+29)	1 (+40)	No

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 400 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

The Leopard A1A1 (L/44) 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, while these are more of deterrents to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, as the small calibre bullets will rarely cause critical damage to aircraft, they can also be useful to clear light obstacles and crew in open-top vehicles.

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

Arcade battles

The Leopard A1A1 (L/44) sports an excellent 120 mm L/44 cannon which can make short work of any vehicle that it sees without any issues. However, its armour is extremely lacking and the mobility while good is not as good as an OF-40 (MTCA) or AMX-30 Super. Playing in Arcade battles, it's best to make sure that you are always the first to fire, ensuring you get the jump on your enemies first. What's best done is to hull down and take advantage of the rather good 9 degrees of gun depression and ensuring that you are currently covering a relatively active zone of combat. With its cannon, it can be a very effective sniper or defensive vehicle as those both styles usually involves getting the jump on the enemy while remaining stationary in a concealed position. If done right, the Leopard A1A1 (L/44) can be an extremely effective weapon in Arcade Battles. It's still best to prioritize targets by targeting the most dangerous ones first in order to be of most help to your team. The tank's mobility does allow for flanking however avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

Realistic battles

The primary role of the Leopard A1A1 (L/44) should be that of a long-range sniper and flanker. Its incredible firepower with its 120 mm gun makes it easy to engage and destroy any tank from long distances while remaining concealed and thus protected from enemy fire. The good mobility on this vehicle allows you to reach good positions to snipe from and the laser rangefinder makes long-range targeting easy. The lack of armour on this tank makes direct engagements very risky and often nonviable so keeping at a distance maximizes your chances of survival and opportunity to inflict damage. Alternatively, the Leopard can be employed in flanking manoeuvres, using its good mobility to encircle the enemy and destroy them while they are unaware, again removing the danger of enemy fire destroying your tank. If you want to take a risk, you could rush a cap circle at the beginning of a match, if you tag along with other, better armed MBTs. However, this will almost always result in being destroyed, especially since the vehicle is vulnerable to artillery.

German Grind Lineup (Pay-to-win lineup)

Some will choose to uptier the Leopard A1A1 (L/44) to 10.0 alongside the premium Leopard 2A4 (PzBtl 123) when grinding the German ground tree. While this is workable in the 10.0 BR bracket, do not expect to light up the charts. Experienced players who do well with IFVs will see plenty of success, as the A1A1 platform behaves very similarly to IFVs with decent (although comparatively lacking) mobility. Many in-game IFVs also have slightly less mobility than the top-tier MBTs, so if you can avoid getting shot in the first place, this tank will serve you well. The DM13 APFSDS round is very strong at 9.0, and when up-tiered, this round will seldom get you killed, as most of the shots that non-pen or otherwise fail to cause damage wouldn't have done so with better rounds anyway.

Flanking is still very strong, especially when your enemy is caught by surprise or is otherwise occupied. Rushing can also be a viable strategy when working alongside teammates, however you would be well-advised to use this strategy sparingly, as many of the tanks in this BR range are superior to you in every way possible, so timing will be crucial to ensure the enemy is inclined to engage a more significant threat first, thus allowing you to achieve good positioning on him before he can engage you. For the most part, playing this tank in the 10.0 bracket will require you to stay near teammates and play a support role, or flank the enemy and snipe those who are engaging your teammates. Remember that your tank is worse than those of your teammates, so they are unlikely to prioritize helping you, should you be left in need of repairs or firefighting. As such, flanking to snipe will require good instincts, so the enemy doesn't engage you.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good mobility with excellent hull traverse and reverse speeds
• Effective gun with powerful ammunition able to defeat any opponent at its battle rating
• The reload speed hasn't changed despite its new 120 mm cannon
• Laser rangefinder
• Keeps the same good mobility, despite the 0.3 tons weight increase
• Thermal sight for gunner
• Excels at long-range engagements

Cons:

• Armour does not reliably protect against even autocannons
• No available heavy machine gun, often helpless against helicopter attacks
• Huge ammo rack in hull, any penetrating shot at the area will destroy the tank
• Only generation 1 thermals and no CITV

History

Leopard 1A6 Project

The Leopard A1A1 (L/44), also known as the "Leopard 1A6" was a testbed which utilized the Leopard A1A1 hull along with a modified Leopard 1 turret, featuring supplemental armor and a modified mantlet created to accept the Rhenmetall L/44 120mm smoothbore cannon. The project was cancelled in 1987 after it was determined the Leopard 1A5 upgrade package was comparable in effectiveness at a fraction of the cost, and the Leopard 2 had been in widespread service by then, so an expensive upgrade package to bring the Leopard 1 up to the same level as more modern MBTs was seen as unnecessary.

Development of a Leopard 1 fitted with the 120 mm L44 cannon began as a private venture of the Rheinmetall company, hoping that such a Leopard 1 variant would be of interest, not just to the German army due to logistical commonalities with the Leopard 2 and higher performance of the gun, but also to international customers seeking third generation MBT features on older machines.

In the early 1980s, a Leopard 1A1A1 was modified with a thicker cast steel mantlet, suitable for mounting the Rheinmetall 120 mm cannon, and additional interior changes to hold the respective ammunition. Further changes were applied in early 1985, with the installation of the EMES 18 fire control system from the Leopard 1A5.

Although there were several different prototypes based on Leopard 1 outfitted with the 120 mm Rheinmetall cannon, none of them managed to justify a costly large scale upgrade effort of existing Leopard 1s. The upgrade was largely considered redundant due to the already more advanced Leopard 2 being in service.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Leopard A1A1 (L/44) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Premium Vehicles: Leopard 1A1A1 mit L/44 - War Thunder Wiki

Downtiered and More Competitive - Leopard A1A1 L/44 - RB Gameplay - Jim Chamberlin

The Shooting Range #117 - Metal Beasts section at 00:53 discusses the Leopard A1A1 (L/44).

Leo A1A1 (L/44) - Tank Review - Napalmratte

See also

Related development

• Leopard 1A5 - Base model of the L/44 installation

Similar vehicles of the era that were up-gunned

• M60 AMBT - Upgunned M60A3 with a 120 mm

External links

• [Devblog] Leopard 1 with the Rheinmetall 120mm L44