Australian tank on display at British museum

An Australian Army Leopard AS1 tank has been donated by the Australian Defence Force to the British National Tank Museum in Bovington, United Kingdom.

CAPTION: Australian Army Leopard AS1 tank is presented by Colonel Michael King and Lieutenant Michael Henderson of the Australian Army to Lieutenant General Sir William Rollo and Chris Pearce of the Tank Museum, United Kingdom. Story by Captain Edward Pym. Photos supplied.

The tank was unveiled during Tankfest 2025, a sold-out event and highlight in the international military history calendar, which draws thousands of enthusiasts, historians and personnel from around the world each year.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, museum chairman Lieutenant General Sir William Rollo said the donation marked a valuable addition to the museum’s armoured vehicle collection.

“This must be amongst the smartest tanks we have received here at the museum in the best possible condition, it’s absolutely fantastic,” Sir William said.

The tank, which had been on display as a historical artefact at the Australian Army Tank Museum in Puckapunyal since 2010, will also be used as a teaching vehicle for British and visiting design teams.

Australian Army adviser in London, Colonel Michael King, reflected on the shared military heritage of Australia and the United Kingdom.

“It is a great pleasure to see this important piece of Australia’s contemporary military history donated to the museum as a reflection of how our armoured forces fought alongside each other in conflicts over the past 100 years and how that has contributed to our strong strategic bond,” Colonel King said.

The German-designed and built Leopard AS1 was brought into Australian Army service in 1976 and was officially withdrawn in 2007, replaced by the US M1A1 Abrams main battle tank.

The specific tank donated to the collection, former Army Registration Number 27735, served with the 1st Armoured Regiment and the School of Armour.

The tank museum is the regimental museum of the British Army’s Royal Tank Regiment and the corps museum of the Royal Armoured Corps, and custodian to more than 380 armoured vehicles.

CAPTION: Former Australian Army Leopard AS1 of the 1st Armoured Regiment donated by the Australian Defence Force arrives at the Tank Museum, Bovington, UK.

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