- Yes
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Leopard 1V
History:
During the 1990s, the Chilean army launched the Alcázar plan that sought to replace the already old M-50 M-51 and M41 that already had many years of service and were obsolete for the time even though they had been radically modernized in their service in Chile, it was in this way that a combat tank was sought that was optimal for the needs of the country, the Leopard 1 being chosen, which combined good firepower and mobility, at that time in the international market there were various European countries willing to sell these tanks from their inventories, including Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, the latter country being finally chosen with its Leopard 1V. Thus, in November 1997, the purchase contract for 200 Leopard 1V tanks from the Netherlands was signed for 63 million dollars, which included everything necessary to operate this tank in Chile, including simulation equipment.
This special Netherlands variant features some important improvements such as a hydraulic turret stabilization system from manufacturer Honeywell, applique-type spaced armor on the turret from German manufacturer Blohm + Voss, side skirts on the hull, electrohydraulic cannon stabilization system and the fire control system. EMES-12A3 AFSL-2 produced by Honeywell and Zeiss (today Hensoldt) which also has a laser rangefinder. Thanks to this series of improvements they received their name Leopard 1V from the word Verbeterd which means improved.
The new tanks purchased by Chile began to arrive in 1999 and were deployed throughout the country, mostly in the north and south. It should be noted that before being sent to Chile, they were equipped with the Panzer-Ziel und Beobachtungsgerät PZB 200 night image intensification system, which was not available under the service in the Netherlands and was for the exclusive use of the Chilean army. This system is easily recognizable since it is located just above the gunner’s area on the tank tower and has a special support and a protective cover. Thanks to this device, the tank could now fire on the move under any conditions, including night.
The Chilean Leopard 1V use the Israeli IMI M413 (APFSDS-T) ammunition with up to 408 mm penetration and the IMI M156 (HESH), they also have the DM23 ammunition with up to 337 mm penetration manufactured locally by Famae, so they have a good penetration capacity more than enough to face any other tank in the region.
The multispectral layers of the Israeli firm Fibrotex were also tested under the Sombra project. The kit does not protect against attack but provides electro-optic mimicry and protection against electromagnetic detection, which helps make the tank much more difficult to detect and therefore not as easily prey to anti-tank missiles or other infrared-guided devices (SWIR) or thermal systems.
There was also an occasion where the Israeli LAHAT missile was tested in the north of Chile on various Chilean vehicles including the Leopard 1V. In the following video you can see the launch of said missile.
As for camouflage schemes, the Chilean Leopard 1Vs have worn a wide variety of schemes since the Chilean climate is as varied as in the north having the driest desert in the world and in the south having glaciers and forests so the camouflage schemes camouflage have varied a lot and different variants have been used for the same climate, here are some examples.
Specifications:
- Crew:
- 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
- Armament:
- Primary: Royal Ordnance (now BAE Systems) 105mm L7A3 rifled gun
- Ammunition: 53 projectiles of 105 mm (APFSDS-T IMI M413, APFSDS-T DM23, HESH IMI M156), launch of israeli LAHAT missile was tested
- Secondary: 7.62 x 51mm FN Herstal MAG coaxial machine gun, 2x 7.62 x 51mm FN Herstal MAG anti-aircraft machine gun and 2 x 76mm sextuple smoke launchers.
- Primary: Royal Ordnance (now BAE Systems) 105mm L7A3 rifled gun
- Dimensions:
- Length: 9.5m
- Width: 3.25m
- Height: 2.6m
- Weight: combat weight 42 t
- Maneuverability:
- Engine: MTU MB 838 CaM 500 10-cylinder polyfuel, 830 hp at 2,200 rpm
- Max. Velocity: 62 km/h
- Transmission: ZF 4HP250 from ZF Friedrichshafen AG with four forward and two reverse gears
- Weight/power: 19,8 hp/t
- Suspension: torsion bars
- Autonomy: 600 km
- Slope: 60%
- Side slope: 30%
- Wading capacity: 2.25m
- Vertical obstacle: 1.15m
- Horizontal obstacle: 3m
- Accesories:
- EMES-12A3 AFSL-2 fire control system
- NBC system
- Night vision system: Panzer-Ziel und Beobachtungsgerät PZB 200 light intensifier from AEG-Telefunken
- Electrohydraulic cannon stabilization system
- Laser rangefinder
Photos:
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