Leopard 1 C2
The Leopard 1 was introduced by West Germany in 1965 and immediately was recognized as a fearsome, and durable weapon on the battlefield. Canada, which in the early 1970s was looking to upgrade from the British-made Centurion, placed an order for 127 Leopard tanks in 1978. The versions built to Canadian specifications were designated the C1.
The Canadian Forces deployed the Leopard C1 twice into active operations, with two units going to Bosnia in 1996 and five deployed to Kosovo in 1999, the year the upgrading from the C1 to the C2 began.
The Canadian Leopard C2 was an updated version of the Leopard 1, which featured an upgraded turret, improved gunsights, and a better hydraulic system over the original. In 2006, 15 Leopard C2s were deployed to Afghanistan to support Canadian operations. The vehicles sent to Afghanistan received the upgraded MEXAS armour package to better protect crews. In addition, they received field modifications, including added bottom armour to counter the threat of mines and a crew cooling system to help give a modicum of comfort in the extreme Afghanistan heat.
In 2017, the Leopard 1 was fully retired as the new Leopard 2 was phased in as the Canadian Forces’ primary battle tank. The Government of Canada was unable to find buyers for their stock of Leopard Is and sadly many ended their days as targets.
The Canadian Tank Museum in Oshawa has three Leopard 1s in their collection of working armoured vehicles, the A5, C1, and C2.
