Overview
The Leopard 1A3 was the third major variant of the Leopard 1. It introduced a new welded turret design that would become standard for all future new-build Leopards. The vehicle was used in relatively low numbers by the Bundeswehr but saw significant export success. Compared to the Leopard 1A0, it features slightly improved armour and a stabilizer.
History
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The Leopard 1A3 was developed in 1972, entering production in 1973. It featured a new welded turret that was simpler to produce than the cast turrets used on previous Leopard variants. This new turret had the same line-of-sight thickness as the turrets found on the Leopard 1A1 and 1A2, but was slightly more effective because of its well-designed angles. It was also more spacious, with a full 1.2 cubic meters of extra internal space. 110 were acquired by the Bundeswehr, being used alongside 1A4s in the 10th Panzer Division. Export customers included Turkiye (277), Denmark (230), Canada (127), Greece (104), and Australia (90). These export 1A3s were typically fitted with improved FCS after delivery. The 1A3 was developed into the 1A4 which featured improved systems and FCS. The 1A4 would form the basis of the German-Italian export-aimed Leone, which was further developed into the OF-40. The relation is clearly visible in the turret design, which hardly changed from the original 1A3. The turret was also later used for the Radkampfwagen 90 prototype.
Specifications
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Length: 9.54m
Width: 3.25m
Height: 2.64m
Mass: 42.4tonnes
Armour: 25-70mm (hull identical to A1A1, turret identical to Rad 90)
Engine: 838hp
Armament: twin-plane stabilized 105mm L7A3
Ammo in turret: 13
Ammo in hull: 42
Ammunition: DM512 HESH, DM12 HEAT-FS, DM13 APDS (yes, they began using DM23 from 1978 but a lower BR with DM13 is desirable IMO)
The 1A3 in-game
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The Leopard 1A3 would provide Germany with a competitive tank for BR 8.3, featuring a twin-plane stabilizer which otherwise Germany doesn’t get on an MBT until 9.0. The Leo 1A3 is largely similar in performance to the 1A0, with moderately improved turret armour, slightly decreased mobility due to the extra mass of the new turret, and the aforementioned stabilizer. It’d fit perfectly at 8.3.
The Leo 1 gets quite long in the tooth at higher BRs due to its thin armor, I really hope this aides with that. Would this perchance get the spaced armor of the Radkampfwagen 90 that you can see in the in-game x-ray, since you said they used the same turret?
I believe so, though I’m not entirely confident. Specifics on the armour layout are kinda difficult to find.
However, Army Guide and Leopard I MBT (1965) mention spaced armour on the turret, while Topwar describes the 1A3 turret as simply being “installed” on the Rad (not modified or upgraded) so I’d say it’s pretty likely the turrets would be identical.
Something that’s frustrated me to no end at the higher tiers (both ground and air) is Gaijin’s tendency to jump from one extreme to the next with no bridging vehicles, often leaving out notable service vehicles. It feels like they more or less skipped over the original Leopard 1 family once they decided composite was the next big thing, and then they did it again with the Leopard 2A4 being the only early Leo 2, with the next being the 2A5 at a much higher BR. I’m all for them coming back and filling out lineups with notable, historic vehicles like this Leo 1A3. The more the merrier!
Unfortunately, AFAIK the only Leopard 1 with those features would be the 1A5, which in German service was only ever retrofitted form Leopard 1A1A1s. However, most foreign 1A3 users of the Leopard 1A3 eventually upgraded theirs to 1A5 standard or equivalent. So while a 1A5/1A3 would definitely be really cool, it all comes down to whether Gaijin wants to add an export vehicle (most 1A3 operators have strong cases for future potential subtrees) and if it is added it’d likely be a premium.
That’s the 1A5DK – a Danish 1A3/1A4 (both) upgraded to be a Leopard 1A5 equivalent, firing license-produced DM33 and with 1st gen thermals + LRF. Plus has nice cosmetic additions.
