Sectioning a Leopard Tank By Paul Handel

Over three decades from 1976 to 2007 the Leopard 1 Tank was the work horse of the Australian Army’s 1st Armoured Regiment.

In 2015 the Australian Army History Unit (AAHU) received support for a project to section or “cut-in-half” a Leopard Tank so that students in armoured vehicle courses could see the interior of a main battle tank.

Using the expertise of the Royal Australian Navy’s Garden Island Dockyard, a sectioned Leopard Tank went on display at the Australian Army Tank Museum, Puckapunyal in September 2018. It is only one of five “cut-in-half” tanks known to be on display around the world.

The lecture will provide an overview of the project, including decisions taken on how and where to cut the tank and all stages of the project will be illustrated with photographs.

Paul Handel, RFD (Major, Retired), the AAHU Project Officer, served in the Army Reserve for 44 years, of which more than half were at the Army Tank Museum, initially as Research Officer and then as Manager.