Image source: topwar.ru
Germany is starting to develop a new Leopard 3 tank. The relevant contracts for research in the field of mobility, firepower and MBT protection have been signed by the Ministry of Defense with a number of companies from Germany.
The most advanced German MBT of the Leopard family to date is the 2A8 version. However, information has recently appeared on the Hartpunkt website about a new variant known as 2AX or Leopard 3, which, as indicated, "will be adapted to the current threat level due to improved performance and will have additional features compared to Leopard 2A8."
As noted, the new modification of the tank will enter the army in 2030 and will serve for about 25 years until a completely new Franco-German MBT, developed under the MGCS program, is put into service. This is expected to happen in 2045. Thus, Leopard 3 is intended to be a temporary interim solution for the Bundeswehr.
As part of the Leopard 3 project, the German Rheinmetall concern is tasked with developing three types of 130-mm ammunition – the basic DM13, the multifunctional DM11 offset and the armor-piercing DM23, which will hit the target only with kinetic impact. The 130-mm smoothbore cannon itself, capable of firing at a distance of up to 5 km, was first shown to the public in 2016. Allegedly, it demonstrates 50% more kinetic energy compared to a 120-mm cannon. Its weight is 7700 kg instead of 6600 kg for the 120 mm caliber. Accordingly, the mass of projectiles has increased, which will require an automatic loader to fire.
Hensoldt and KNDS Deutschland have been commissioned to create a new MSA that should compensate for barrel deflections caused by temperature changes (for example, exposure to powder charges during firing), and eventually ensure high accuracy of fire.
Image source: topwar.ru
The same contractors should increase the level of protection by creating a more advanced self-defense system based on the existing MUSS 2.0 [VO recently reported on its successor Odaeon], which consists of 4 passive sensors, each of which combines an electro-optical sensor that warns of laser irradiation and an IR jammer (IR-Jammer).
Unlike MUSS, the new system will also be equipped with optical equipment, which, as indicated in the TOR, has a "cat's eye" effect. As suggested in the publication, this effect consists in analyzing the environment in search of threats and their subsequent classification, allowing you to detect even a well-disguised enemy.
- the publication says.
The fourth technical study focuses on the development of the new OLYMP power plant, which includes an internal combustion engine, transmission, cooling, filtration and exhaust systems. At the same time, the existing Leopard 2 components should be in maximum demand. The contractor is not MTU, but the Liebherr concern, which has already been developing power plants for the Marder 1 infantry fighting vehicle and its successor Lynx KF41, but has no experience in the field of tank construction.
The German Ministry of Defense expects the results of the above-mentioned studies by 2026. After their completion, not only the appearance of the Leopard 3, but also the Franco-German MGCS tank will become more understandable.
