![]() This is still inadequate to prevent penetration by modern light anti-tank weapons, though some M60s have been fitted with explosive-reactive armor tiles to mitigate that vulnerability. The M60’s designers didn’t think heavy armor was passe, so this American tank, weighing as much as 55 tons, boasts an equivalent of 258 mm of armor. The M60 is the ultimate evolution of a family of tanks that began with the M26 Pershing late in World War II and was followed by the M46/M47/ M48 Patton. If restored to service, these could be paired with AuF1 self-propelled howitzers, which France is phasing out of service AMX-30R air defense vehicles with short-range Roland missiles and AMX-30 DCA anti-aircraft gun vehicles - all of these are based on the AMX-30’s hull. ![]() Outside NATO, Bosnia, Chile, Croatia, and Saudi Arabia have AMX-30s in storage. Some of these tanks may be fit for reactivation. Large numbers of AMX-30s were retired by France (1,100), Greece (190), and Spain (299). ![]() Perhaps some of these are recuperable, though mothballed vehicles would likely require significant refurbishing to be made combat-ready. Former Leopard 1 operators include Australia (71), Canada (66), Denmark (230), Italy (920), the Netherlands (468), and Norway (172). Two NATO members still operate numerous Leopard 1s: Greece has 520 Leopard 1A5GRs and Leopard 1A4GRs, while Turkey has 397 Leopard 1A1s and 1A3s. This light-weight aluminum turret, test-installed in 2022, weighs 3.5 tons less and combines a stabilized, autoloading 105 mm gun and 7.62 mm machine gun, with stabilized thermal sights for both gunner and commander and digital controls supporting hunter-killer engagement methods. If Brussels does buy back the Leopard 1s, it reportedly might be more expedient to swap in a new Cockerill 3105 gun turret entirely rather than upgrade the original one. OIP also holds 38 Gepard flak tanks and 112 Austrian Sk-105 light tanks, but it has been forbidden by Vienna from exporting the latter. However, Belgium’s defense minister claims that OIP wants 500,000 euros to buy back tanks that Belgium sold for less than one-tenth that price and that have not been refurbished - OIP claims the high, quoted figures include necessary refurbishment. EMES-18 incorporates an ATTICA thermal imager for night combat, and it can engage targets up to 2.5 miles away. The 1A5 model benefits from using an EMES-18 fire control system, which it shares in common with the Leopard 2A6s that Germany is giving to Ukraine. German companies Rheinmetall and FFG reported holding 88 and 99 Leopard 1A5s respectively in storage that they were hoping to sell to Ukraine. The Leopard 1 can also be refitted with its successor’s more powerful 120mm gun. ![]() When using modern kinetic sabot, it still threatens many Russian tanks, though likely not the latest T-90M and T-80BVM. But its stabilized 105 mm L7A3 gun is accurate on the move. The Leopard 1’s armor doesn’t exceed 70 mm, less than what is found on the turret of a World War II-era Sherman tank. As happened with many Franco-German arms projects, disagreements - in this case over which gun to install - terminated the cooperation, leading both to produce distinct but conceptually similar vehicles. At that time, anti-tank munitions seemed to be outpacing the viability of tank armor, so the concept relied on relatively minimal armor, focusing instead on mobility and firepower. The Leopard 1 originated from a joint French-German tank development program in the 1950s and 1960s. ![]() and Germany are donating retired HAWK missiles and Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles, some wonder why the West should not send other old warhorses - tanks like America’s M60 Pattons, France’s AMX-30s, or Romanian TR-85s? Let’s look at some potential sources of vintage tanks. That is why it might be interested in older tanks that are sitting in storage and can be bought cheaply, especially as it is unclear whether the Leopard 2 donations can account for the hundreds of tanks Kyiv says it needs. While Kyiv is obviously excited to receive advanced Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks that overmatch Russian armor, it also simply needs more tanks - any tanks - to generate mass across the frontline. A mid-Cold War predecessor to the much better-armored, 60-to-70-ton Leopard 2 tanks Germany recently authorized for donation to Ukraine, the 40-to-45-ton Leopard 1 is more agile and can hit targets with its 105-millimeter gun while on the move. 3, German media reported that Berlin has approved the transfer of retired Leopard 1A5 tanks, starting with an initial package of 29 refurbished vehicles. ![]()
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