RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Belgian company John Cockerill Group has presented, at Eurosatory 2022, an interesting upgrade proposal for the outdated Leopard 1 battle tanks, called Leopard Medium Tank 3105.
The firm has offered Brazil the possibility of modifying its Leopard 1A5 BR to this standard, making it possible for the Brazilian Army to evaluate the “new” tank.
And the expression “new” is not just make-up, as the upgraded version will be equipped with a new Cockerill 105mm HP main gun, caliber 53 (NATO standard), and as secondary armament a 7.62x51mm coaxial machine gun plus smoke grenade launcher, and may receive a remote arming station (SARC) if the customer’s requirements so demand.
A unique opportunity for the REMAX 4, recently launched by Ares Aerospace and Defense.
The upgrade offers Level 4 ballistic protection (Stanag 4569), and the gun, much more capable than the L7A3, features deflection and elevation values from -10° to +42°.
JOHN COCKERILL’S PROPOSAL
On a Leopard 1A5 BE chassis, obtained from Belgian Army stocks, the firm has integrated a modern Cockerill 3105 turret, the same one that equips the 8X8 LAV 700 armored car proposed to the Brazilian Army in the VBC CAV Project and several other wheeled and tracked models, such as the Turkish-Indonesian MMBT Kaplan MT and the MMBT Ascod under development by Elbit Systems.
Of the 42 tons average weight of a Leopard 1A5, the old turret, armed with an L7A3 gun and fitted with extra-space armor, accounts for 9 tons.
The new 3105 turret weighs only 5.2 tons, using a state-of-the-art weapon system and lighter and stronger materials.
The exchange of one turret for the other reduces the final weight of the vehicle by more than four tons, even with installing a new ring on the chassis equipped with interfaces to receive the new system.
In addition to the turret upgrade, John Cockerill’s proposal involves a complete overhaul of the transmission, engine, electrical system, suspension, and brakes, thus extending one of the Leopard 1’s greatest known advantages, its excellent mobility and agility in the field.
This proposal is a great encouragement to Leopard 1 operators, including Brazil.
With information from InfoDefensa