The Leopard 3, also known as the Leopard 2AX, is a fourth-generation German
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 po ...
(MBT).
Germany plans to purchase the
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.
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 (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 arm ...
(
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 a ...
)
** DM23, higher energy
APFSDS
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 arm ...
* A new engine from Liebherr. 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
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 ...
.
* Remote turret with an automatic loader and a crew of three people.
Leopard 2A8
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iteration ...
:Future plans:
:* As of July 2025, the German Army plans to order up to 1,000 additional MBT. This would likely include a mix of
Leopard 2A8
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iteration ...
(because the production started), the intermediate solution of the Leopard 2AX / Leopard 3 and the MGCS.
See also
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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 ...
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Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...
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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 ...
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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), ...
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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 ...