Leopard 3
| Leopard 3 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Production history | |
| Designer | KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt[1] |
| Designed | Since 2025[2] |
| Developed from | Leopard 2A8 |
| Produced | Expected in the 2030s |
| Specifications | |
| Crew | 3 (driver, gunner, commander) |
| Shell | DM11, DM13, DM23 |
| Shell weight | 30 kg (66 lb) |
| Caliber | 130mm |
| Effective firing range | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
Main armament | 130mm Rheinmetall L/51 smoothbore gun |
The Leopard 3, also known as the Leopard 2AX,[3] is a fourth-generation German main battle tank (MBT).[4][5]
Germany plans to procure the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) as a successor to the Leopard 2 (current variants 2A5, 2A6, 2A7, and upcoming variant 2A8). Since the MGCS is not expected to be ready before the 2040s, the German Army expressed a requirement for an interim solution to address immediate operational needs. The development of the Leopard 3 was kicked off in Early 2025 and it is expected to enter production in the early 2030s.[6][7][8] It is designed with a service life of 25 years.[9] As of July 2025, the German Army has expressed a total requirement for 1,000 additional tanks, which would be composed of a mix of Leopard 2A8, Leopard 3, and MGCS units.[10]
Design
[edit]Early design information
[edit]The changes that were mentioned from the Leopard 2A8 include:[9]
- A new tank gun: Rheinmetall Rh-130 L/51 with a 50% increased kinetic energy compared to the Rh-120.
- Munitions:[9][11]
- DM11 (130 mm variant), a multifunctional combat ammunition (HE) for fire support
- DM13, standard APFSDS (Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot)
- DM23, higher energy APFSDS
- A new engine from Liebherr.[9][12] KNDS Deutschland received a contract to offer an alternative engine with the project OLYMP, with the aim to improve the mobility. The project OLYMP also includes a transmission, steering, and cooling systems.
- Hensoldt would supply the MUSS 2.0 countermeasure system against modern ATGM.[9][13]
- Remote turret with an automatic loader and a crew of three people.
Operators
[edit]Potential operators
[edit]
Germany- The German Army operates 295 tanks as of 2025:
- 19 Leopard 2A5 KWS II
- 68 Leopard 2A6
- 34 Leopard 2A6 A3
- 20 Leopard 2A6M
- 50 Leopard 2A6 MA3
- 104 Leopard 2A7V
- The German Army ordered:
- Future plans:
- As of July 2025, the German Army plans to order up to 1,000 additional MBT.[10] This would likely include a mix of Leopard 2A8 (because the production started), the intermediate solution of the Leopard 2AX / Leopard 3 and the MGCS.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Bundeswehr commissions development of 130mm ammunition as well as new protection system and engine for Leopard 2 main battle tanks" (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank". twz.com. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ Triffaux. "Germany Develops Next-Gen Leopard 2AX as Alternative to Joint MGCS Project and Existing Leopard 2A8 Tank". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank
- ^ YouTube: The Leopard 3 main battle tank is coming soon
- ^ Newdick, Thomas (2025-02-07). "Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank". The War Zone. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ The " Leopard 3" is emerging as the real German interim tank for 2030
- ^ YouTube: Leopard 3 - the future German main battle tank
- ^ a b c d e "Bundeswehr beauftrag Entwicklung von 130mm-Munition sowie neuem Schutzsystem und Triebwerk fĂŒr Leopard 2 Kampfpanzer" (in German). 2025-02-05. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ a b c Lagneau, Laurent (2025-07-05). "Berlin envisage d'acquérir 1 000 chars Leopard et 2 500 blindés Boxer supplémentaires pour 25 milliards d'euros". Zone Militaire (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ sam (2025-02-06). "Germany initiates development of Leopard 3 -". Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "Entwicklung des Leopard 2 AX beauftragt » Sicherheit & Verteidigung" (in German). 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "MUSS 2.0". HENSOLDT. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ ES&T Redaktion (2021-11-03). "Abstandsaktives Schutzsystem Trophy auf Leopard 2 A7A1 erfolgreich getestet". esut.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-25.
- ^ "Germany to buy Leopard tanks, howitzers to make up for Ukraine supplies - source". Reuters. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Bundeswehr erhÀlt 105 zusÀtzliche Leopard 2 A8 Kampfpanzer" (in German). 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
 | This military vehicle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Main battle |
|
|---|---|
| Light / medium | |
| Prototypes, experimentals | |
Background: History of the tank, Tank classification | |
