Editing Leopard 1 (section)

==Description==
The Leopard 1 has a conventional layout shared with numerous other post-World War II tanks, with the driver's compartment located in the front (on the right side, accessed from a hatch in the hull roof which opens to the left) fighting compartment with a rotating turret in the centre (the commander and gunner are seated in the right half of the turret and access their positions from a single-piece hatch in turret roof, on the right side), while the loader takes the left half (and is provided with his own rear-opening hatch) and engine compartment in the rear of the hull, separated from the crew compartment with a fireproof bulkhead.

[[File:Een instructeur geeft aanwijzingen over de bediening van de 7,62 mm MAG boordmitrailleur aan een bemanningslid van een Leopard 1 tank (2000-554-4).jpg|thumb|right|The crew compartment layout, main weapons and sighting/observation systems can be discerned in this photo of a Dutch Leopard 1.]]

The armament consists of a 105&nbsp;mm L7A3 rifled main gun (production licensed from the UK Royal Ordnance Factory) which was not stabilized on the first production series, and two [[MG 3 machine gun|MG 1]] (later replaced with the MG3) machine guns: one is installed co-axial with the main gun (1,250 rounds are carried for it), while a second, anti-aircraft machine gun, is mounted on a skate rail above the gunner's hatch. For defensive purposes, the tank has two banks of four (4) electrically fired smoke grenade launchers on both sides of the turret, which can be fired individually or in a salvo. A reload kit with eight further smoke grenades was carried inside the turret.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Jerchel |first1=Michael |title=Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank 1965–95 |date=1995 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1855325209}}</ref>
The main gun uses NATO-standard 105&nbsp;mm ammunition, with the majority of the loadout (42 rounds) stored in an ammunition magazine inside of the hull, to the left of the driver's station, 3 rounds are kept in a ready rack in front of the hull magazine—for immediate use—and another 15 rounds are racked inside the turret, for a total of 60 rounds carried onboard.

The gunner takes position in front of and below the commander and is provided with a single, forward-facing observation periscope and the main sights; these consist of a ''Turmentfernungsmesser'' (TEM) 1A [[stereoscopic rangefinder]] (1,720&nbsp;mm basis length with a coincidence mode) which has a selectable ×8 or ×16 magnification and is linked with the main gun, as well as a co-axial TZF 1A telescopic sight (×8 magnification) which has a moving graticule for several types of ammunition. The twin, horizontally-opposed optical heads for the TEM 1A are located on both sides of the turret in armoured housings and covered by protective flaps operated by the gunner from inside the turret.<ref name=":0" />
The commander maintains all-around situational awareness via eight (8) periscopes, one of which can be substituted for an active [[Infrared|infrared (IR)]] night sight. He was provided with an independent, swivel-mounted ''Turmrundblick-Pankrat'' (TRP) 1A variable magnification periscope (×6 to ×20 magnification) installed in the turret roof, in front of the commander's cupola, that could be slaved to the main gun and allow the commander to override the gunner and slew the turret.
The searchlight for the active IR night vision system was designated XSW-30-U and was mounted above the main gun on the mantlet, offset to the left. It could be removed and stowed in the rear turret bustle when not in use. The searchlight had a range of up to 1,200 m in ideal conditions, in the IR mode (covered by a special IR filter cover), or up to 1,500 m when projecting just white light. In later variants of the Leopard, a slightly modified, XSW-30-V searchlight was used.
Finally, the loader has two (2) periscopes to monitor a designated sector around the vehicle.

[[File:Linkervoorzijde van de MTU-MB 838 10-cilinder watergekoelde meerbrandstofmotor van 830 pk (2044 061320).jpg|thumb|left|The powerplant is a 10-cylinder MTU MB838 Ca-M500 supercharged diesel engine]]

The tank is powered by an MTU MB 838 Ca-M500 supercharged diesel engine that develops approx. {{convert|610|kW}} at 2,200 rpms. This is a liquid-cooled, 37.4 litre, ten-cylinder, four-stroke engine in the V-90 configuration with multi-fuel capability but which was typically run on diesel fuel (NATO designation F-54) consuming approx. 190 litres per 100&nbsp;km. The engine, along with its cooling system is coupled into a "powerpack" with a 4HP-250 transmission system, built by [[ZF Friedrichshafen|ZF]] which has a hydraulic torque converter, locking clutch, planetary gearbox and pivot turn mechanism (for each of the gears). The entire powerpack with transmission can be replaced in the field in approx. 20 minutes as it is mated to the hull by means of quick disconnect couplings.
[[File:Royal Netherlands Army Leopard 1 Fording Water Obstacle (2155 052213).jpg|thumb|right|Leopard 1 negotiating a water obstacle]]
The tank suspension system has 14 independent torsion bars each with a control arm, and 10 hydraulic shock absorbers which are installed on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th pairs of road wheels. The running gear has seven (7) pairs of dual road wheels with rubber-tyres, a rear-mounted drive sprocket, frontal idler wheel and four return rollers on either side.

The Leopard's hull is fabricated from welded armoured plate of varying thickness and geometry, while the turret is a complex all-cast component. Crew protection was enhanced with an automatic (manual trigger also available) fire suppression system and an NBC protection system, which produces an overpressure in the crew compartment and provides filtration of supplied air.
The Leopard 1 can ford water obstacles (up to 1.20 m deep) by wading without any prior preparation; deeper obstacles (up to 2.25 m depth) can be negotiated by sealing the tank and fitting a foldable snorkel over the commander's cupola; two bilge pumps are provided to remove any water accumulated.