- Yes
- No
Introduction:
Hello and welcome to my 5th suggestion, but my first French suggestion!
Just a few hours ago, as of writing this, KNDS France published a YouTube video that revealed the CAPINT ASCALON Demonstrator Turret 140 (ADT140 for short). It is the first MBT fitted with the ADT140 and fully operational. It is able to move on its own and fire the main 140 mm cannon even on the move. This specific prototype or demonstrator seems to be on a Leopard 2A4 chassis, while the CAPINT shown off at Eurosatory 2026 is based on a modified Leopard 2A8 chassis.
History:
The CAPINT was developed to bridge the gap between the Leclerc XLR and the future Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), hence the name CAPINT (Capacité Intermédiaire, EN: Intermediate Capacity). MGCS aims to replace both the Leopard 2 for Germany and the Leclerc for France. Many other European nations are keeping a close eye on this project, as a unified MBT would be highly beneficial for Europe in the event of war. You could say that the CAPINT is actually a rival to the EMBT, as both tanks aim to do the same. Bridge the gap between the current MBTs used by France and Germany until the future MGCS is ready in the 2040s.
MGCS was launched back in 2017 and aims to have a unified MBT for France and Germany ready by the 2030s; this date has been pushed back to 2040 or even 2050, depending on the gap a replacement for Leopard 2 and Leclerc could create. The Leclerc is set to be withdrawn from service by 2037, so MGCS would probably still be in the works at that point. Something to fill the gap is needed. And as mentioned above, CAPINT is set to be that replacement until MGCS is ready, for France at least.
The ASCALON cannon was first unveiled in 2021, with firing tests beginning in 2022; later in 2023, thermal ballistic trials were carried out. At Eurosatory 2024, we got the EMBT ADT140 Demonstrator, which was a proof of concept that the current MBT chassis could be fitted with an uncrewed turret housing both 120 mm and 140 mm ASCALON cannons. By 2025, the ADT140 had been integrated onto the Leopard 2 chassis and was today (29/06-2026) revealed to the public by KNDS France on their YouTube channel. What makes the CAPINT ADT140 special is the fact that it has the 140 mm ASCALON cannon in an unmanned turret that is fully functional to the point it can move around and fire both stationary and on the move. This makes it the world’s first MBT capable of doing these things.
Specifications
Armor:
Chassis looks to be a modified Leopard 2A4 chassis. Since the turret is uncrewed, the crew needs to be in the hull. Thus, the hull has been altered so the whole crew fits inside the chassis in the front section where the driver would normally be, all the way to the right. How do we tell that this is most likely a 2A4 chassis? We look at the driver’s hatch; 2A5 and later have a sliding hatch that slides out to the right, while 2A0 to 2A4 have a hatch that swings to the right.
The turret, on the other hand, seems to be largely the same as the CAPINT ADT120 just without any add-on protection. That is probably also the reason for so many bolts all over the turret that would be unnecessary. KNDS has not revealed the level of armor of the turret. It was stated on the sign for the CAPINT at Eurosatory 2026 that the chassis is well protected, even from top-attack. This was also for the turret.
Ammunition seems to be loaded from the top of the turret, and it looks like the same hatch might act as a blowout panel as well. Empty cartridges have a separate door they come out of on the back of the turret.
Chassis
Front: 80 mm + composite
Sides: 65 mm
Rear: 25 mm
Turret
Front: Unknown
Sides: Unknown
Rear: Unknown
*An educated guess for the armor of the turret would be at least 20-30 mm of armor, but looking at what welding seams we can see, it could be closer to around 50 mm. This ensures the turret is sturdy enough for both being able to handle both the recoil and any extra weight from any add-on armor or other equipment mounted to the turret.
Crew:
Compared to the 3-manned CAPINT at Eurosatory 2026, this looks to me just a two-manned tank. There seems to be the driver and then the commander/gunner. Both sit in the front section of the hull. The driver is located as usual in a Leopard 2 chassis all the way to the right, while the commander/gunner is a bit off to the left of the centerline of the vehicle.
- Commander/gunner: LRF, Thermals, independent commander’s sight
- Driver
Armament:
The main cannon of the CAPINT ADT140 is the ASCALON 140 mm cannon; development of the ASCALON can be traced back to the 1980’s where it was a joint project between GIAT Industries, Royal Ordinance Factories, and Rheinmetall. Later, Watervliet Arsenal would join the venture as well, and the outcome of the project was a new NATO standard 2-piece 140 mm ammunition design. This would result in the T4 turret being created to house a French 140 mm tank cannon. The turret would be mounted to a Leclerc chassis and became the Leclear Terminator. The Leclerc Terminator did firing trials in 2018, and the gun was modified to use newer ammunition that is single-piece. NEXTER unveiled a new modified variant of the cannon in 2021 under the name ASCALON.
Main armament
- ASCALON 140 mm L/48
Ammuntion
At least 22 rounds of ammunition are stowed inside the tank; these are in the autoloader that is marketed as high-rate of fire.
-
APFSDS — 140 mm telescoped round, with a muzzle velocity of 1750 m/s, weighing in at around 30-35 Kg, and a length of 1.3 m. When hitting a target at 2000 meters is 10 MJ of energy, with a growth potential to 13 MJ of energy.
-
140 mm NLOS sub-caliber guided ammunition
Mobilty:
Mobility can be expected to be basically on par with the Leopard 2A4. The ADT140 is made so it can be integrated on an MBT and does not exceed the weight of 55 tons.
Engine
MB 873 Ka-501
- 1327 Hp @ 2600 rpm
- 1500 Hp maximum
Gearbox
- Gears forward: 8
- Gears backwards: 4
Speed
- Forward: 68 km/h
- Backwards: 31 km/h
Mass
We know it is a maximum of 55 tons; let’s just assume that is its weight.
Power to weight
1327 hp / 55 tons ≈ 24,13 hp/ton
1500 hp / 55 tons ≈ 27,27 hp/ton
Sources
https://www.army-technology.com/news/knds-unveils-new-capint-main-battle-tank-concept/
https://www.edrmagazine.eu/knds-unveils-a-new-main-battle-tank-generation-and-charts-the-future-of-very-long-range-artillery
KNDS unveils CAPINT main battle tank to bridge the gap between French Leclerc XLR and future MGCS
EMBT - Wikipedia
Discover EMBT new concept of future Main Battle Tank developed by France and Germany
Main Ground Combat System - Wikipedia
ASCALON (tank gun) - Wikipedia
Leopard 2A4 | War Thunder Wiki
Eurosatory 2026: KNDS Unveils Intermediate-Capability Tanks - Nordic Defence Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMPeqhybzvU
If there’s anything I missed, let me know!