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Leopard 3
The Leopard 3, also known as the Leopard 2AX, is a fourth-generation German main battle tank (MBT). Germany plans to purchase the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) as a successor to the Leopard 2 (variants 2A5, 2A6 and 2A7). This tank won't be ready before the 2040s. The German Army expressed new needs for an interim solution. Early 2025, the development of this Leopard 3 was kicked of, and it is expected to enter production in the early 2030s. It is designed with a service life of 25 years. As of July 2025, the German Army expressed a need for 1,000 additional tanks that would be made of Leopard 2A8, Leopard 3 and MGCS. Design Early design information The changes that were mentioned from the Leopard 2A8 include: * A new tank gun: with a 50% increased kinetic energy compared to the Rh-120. * Munitions: ** DM11 (130 mm variant), a multifunctional combat ammunition ( HE) for fire support ** DM13, standard APFSDS (Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot) ** DM23, hig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Main Battle Tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter composite armour allowed for the design of a tank that had the firepower of a super-heavy tank, the armour protection of a heavy tank, and the mobility of a light tank, in a package with the weight of a medium tank. The first ''designated'' MBT was the British Chieftain (tank), Chieftain tank, which during its development in the 1950s was re-designed as an MBT. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the MBT replaced almost all other types of tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles. Main battle tanks are a key component of modern armies.Main battle tank#House1984, House (1984), ''Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Surve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High-explosive Anti-tank
High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity shaped charge jet; this is capable of penetrating armor steel to a depth of seven or more times the diameter of the charge (charge diameters, CD). The shaped charge jet armor penetration effect is purely kinetic in nature; the round has no explosive or incendiary effect on the armor. Unlike standard armor piercing shell, armor-piercing rounds, a HEAT warhead's penetration performance is unaffected by the projectile's velocity, allowing them to be fired by lower-powered weapons that generate less recoil. The performance of HEAT weapons has nothing to do with heat, thermal effects, with HEAT being simply an acronym. History HEAT warheads were developed during World War II, from extensive research and development into shaped charge warh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanks In The German Army
This article deals with the tanks () serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German German Army (1935–1945), Wehrmacht, the Cold War tanks of the Bundeswehr, West German and National People's Army, East German Armies, all the way to the present day tanks of the Bundeswehr. Overview The development of tanks in World War I began as an attempt to break the stalemate which trench warfare had brought to the Western Front (World War I), Western Front. The British and French both began experimenting in 1915, and deployed tanks in battle from 1916 and 1917 respectively. The German Empire, Germans, on the other hand, were slower to develop tanks, concentrating on anti-tank warfare, anti-tank weapons. The German response to the modest initial successes of the Allied tanks was the A7V, which, like some other tanks of the period, was based on caterpillar tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panther KF51
The Panther KF51 (KF is short for German "''Kettenfahrzeug''" ) is a German fourth-generation main battle tank (MBT) that is under development by Rheinmetall Landsysteme (part of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems division). It was unveiled publicly at the Eurosatory defence exhibition on 13 June 2022. The KF51 is based on the hull of the Leopard 2A4, but with a new turret mounting an autoloaded 130 mm main gun. On 5 December 2022, Rheinmetall announced its plans to target mostly existing Leopard 2 operators with the KF51. Development Rheinmetall began the development of major subsystems for the Panther in 2016, with system-level design commencing in 2018. The Panther was developed as a private venture by Rheinmetall to demonstrate by 2026 the potential for increasing the lethality, mobility, survivability, and networking capabilities of MBTs without incurring a significant increase in weight. To reduce the weight of the Leopard 2A4 platform on which the development vehicle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leopard 1
The Kampfpanzer Leopard, subsequently Leopard 1 following the introduction of the successive Leopard 2, is a main battle tank designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, first entering service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the Leopard design focused on effective firepower and mobility instead of heavy protection. It featured moderate armour, only effective against low caliber autocannons and heavy machine guns, giving it a high power-to-weight ratio. This, coupled with a modern suspension and drivetrain, gave the Leopard superior mobility and cross-country performance compared to most other main battle tanks of the era, only being rivaled by the French AMX-30 and Swedish Strv 103. The main armament of the Leopard consisted of a German license-built version of the United Kingdom, British Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm rifled gun, one of the most eff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ATGM
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder-launched weapons, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a squad or team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems. Earlier man-portable anti-tank weapons, like anti-tank rifles and magnetic anti-tank mines, generally had very short range, sometimes on the order of metres or tens of metres. Rocket-propelled high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) systems appeared in World War II and extended range to the order of hundreds of metres, but accuracy was low and hitting targets at these ranges was largely a matter of luck. It was the combination of rocket propulsion and remote wire guidance that made the ATGM much more effective than these earlier weapons, and gave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MUSS (countermeasure)
Multifunctional Self protection System (MUSS, ) is a soft kill active protection system developed to protect military vehicles against guided anti-tank missiles.EADS.com press releas"EADS-Technologie schützt Panzerfahrzeuge Neues System für Selbstschutz vorgestellt"(German) History MUSS was developed by EADS, Buck (a Rheinmetall subsidiary) and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). Before September 2003, it was tested on a Leopard 2 tank by the German . The German Puma infantry fighting vehicle has been equipped with MUSS, after EADS was awarded a contract in 2006.Army-technology.co"Puma"/ref> Hensoldt delivered the 300th MUSS active protection system to the German Army on 19 September 2019. A total of 342 MUSS systems were delivered by 2020. In July 2016, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory placed a £7.6 million contract with QinetiQ to evaluate the MUSS system for armoured vehicles, particularly the Challenger 2 main battle tank. MUSS MUSS consists of three main e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armour-piercing Fin-stabilized Discarding Sabot
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator, or simply dart ammunition is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, which is still used in small or medium caliber weapon systems. Improvements in powerful automotive propulsion and suspension systems following World War II allowed modern main battle tanks to incorporate progressively thicker and heavier armor, while maintaining considerable maneuverability and speed on the battlefield. As a result, achieving deep armour penetration with gun-fired ammunition required even longer anti-armour projectiles fired at even higher muzzle velocity than could be achieved with stubbier APDS projectiles. History Armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) was initially the main design of the kinetic energy (KE) penetrator. The logical progression was to make the sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Main Ground Combat System
The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is a project launched in 2017 by Germany and France, aiming to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks.Germany, France to jointly develop 'Leopard 3' tank . Deutsche Welle, 22 May 2015 Coordinated by Germany, in contrast to the other major Franco-German program launched in 2018 (the Future Combat Air System implemented under French lead), the MGCS will not be a single armoured fighting vehicle, but a series of systems conceived around said vehicle. It is to be developed and manufactured by [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KNDS Deutschland
KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co, formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW), is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces military weapons and vehicles, including tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoured vehicles. KMW was formed in 1999 when the defence division of KraussMaffei Group was spun off and merged with Wegmann & Co. In 2015, KMW became part of KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS), and in 2024 it was renamed KNDS Deutschland. History KMW's predecessor company, Krauss-Maffei, started in 1931 from a merger of the two Munich firms of Maffei (founded 1838) and Krauss & Co. (founded 1860). Both belonged to the leading German makers of locomotives of various types. Maffei also built other steam-operated vehicles and, later, manufactured vehicles with combustion engines, including locomotives, trolleybuses and buses. In the 1960s, Kraus-Maffei entered production of armoured fighting vehicles, starting with Leopard 1 tanks for the Bun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Main Battle Tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter composite armour allowed for the design of a tank that had the firepower of a super-heavy tank, the armour protection of a heavy tank, and the mobility of a light tank, in a package with the weight of a medium tank. The first ''designated'' MBT was the British Chieftain (tank), Chieftain tank, which during its development in the 1950s was re-designed as an MBT. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the MBT replaced almost all other types of tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles. Main battle tanks are a key component of modern armies.Main battle tank#House1984, House (1984), ''Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Surve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Main Battle Tanks By Generation
Main battle tanks are often classified as belonging to a particular generation, although the actual definition and membership in these generations are not defined. Soviet military planners organize tanks with the first generation of tanks up to 1950, and four generations of tanks (with the first main battle tank being the third-generation T-64), while American strategists organize main battle tanks into three generations."The Canadian Directorate of Land Strategic Concept defines three generations of Main Battle Tanks. The first generation of post World War II Main Battle Tanks includes the U.S. M48/M60, the German Leopard 1 and the British Centurion and Chieftain. The second generation includes most of the 120 mm Main Battle Tanks such as the American M1A1, the German Leopard 2 and the British Challenger. As for the third generation Main Battle Tank, they include the latest 'digital' tank such as the French Leclerc and perhaps the American M1A2 and the German Leopard 2A5." T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
