Leopard 1An illustrated guide to the Kampfpanzer Leopard 1. The Leopard was one of several key battle tanks in the NATO arsenal during the Cold War. The Leopard 1 was West Germany's first domestically designed and produced battle tank in the aftermath of the Second World War. Work began on the type at Fa. Porsche System Engineering Ltd. in the early 1950s. The Leopard entered service with the Bundeswehr in 1965. Since then, more than 6,000 Leopards have been