- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #122
I will suggest here the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 for Germany
The Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 is a development from KNDS related to the next-generation land combat system MGCS as a bridge solution. the tank is designed to be more advanced than the current modern tanks and pack more firepower, more protection, and more communication while reducing the weight. this tank is currently offered for sale and is one of the main vehicles presented in EuroSatory 2024 near Paris.
currently most of the information are classified but I expect more legal information to appear shortly during the upcoming EuroSatory exposition.
Firepower
the gun is a RH 120 L55 tank gun paired with an auto-loader. this gun is a rather powerful anti-tank gun that is already known in the game as the best tank gun in terms of penetration for the MBTs. it is capable of firing all the most advanced ammunition for this gun. this includes the DM-73. the autoloader said to allow a fire rate of 3 rounds in 10 seconds. this might confuse some as there could be people who would believe the gun can fire 18 rounds per minute. but this depends on how we count. there is a difference between when you start the gun loader or not. as when the gun is already loaded and ready to fire when the time is counted and the count stops at the moment the 3rd shot is fired. this means the reload takes 5 sec and the fire rate is 12 rounds per minute. this is already very fast.
besides the main gun, the tank also features a 30mm M230L on the roof. this auto-cannon provides close defense capacity, notably for the urban environment, as well as anti-aircraft defense, mainly for helicopters and drones. the HEDT round are quite effective against light vehicles.
also, outside the 30mm, there is a retractable ATGM launcher on the top of the turret. this is surely the Spike LR2 is used. this Israeli ATGM is quite effective and can be used as a fire-and-forget against tanks at a distance of up to 6 km. but there is a single missile only. the tank surely carries the standard advanced equipment such as a stabilizer, thermal vision, and laser rangefinder
- Autoloader
- Thermal vision
- two-planes Stabilizer
- Night vision
- Laser rangefinder
Mobility
the tank mobility is not very well known. the engine is said to be 1500 hp which we can assume to be the standard Leopard 2’s engine. the top speed was over 65 km/h which allows us to believe it had the standard Leopard 2’s transmission as well. the weight however is stated to be less than 60 tonnes. this leaves us with a lot of unknowns but this is a brand new modern MBT which means there is a lot of classified information that will not be known before serial years. until the information is released we can go with the guesswork. I will give here the worst performance it could have with the Leopard 2A7’s transmission and engine. the performance is already good, the real tank should be better. see the following table as a placeholder
Protection
the armor can be described in one word; classified. and it will not be unclassified for a very long time, by this time, the lizardman will have taken over the earth which means we will not know before the next 50 years. but there is another feature of the protection that is known. we know that the tank features an active protection system (APS) which is very likely the Trophy system which was also featured on the EMBT in 2022. the turret is unmanaged and designed to be reduced to a maximum profile. this reduces a lot the size, weight, and armor required to protect the tank. the crew of 3 men is located in the hull and the protection is visibly stronger in this area. 2 hatch are hidden among the modular armor. visibly the armour includes composite and also ERA brick. the tank was advertised to feature a laser warning system, drone detector, and optic sensor. this means this tank has a fair bit better protection than most modern tanks. 8 smoke dischargers are placed on the auxiliary turret’s support. this allows to trow a directional smoke screen
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Defining battlefield superiority: KNDS presents groundbreaking technologies in future land warfare | KNDS Group (this one is the official publication from the builder)
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KNDS Unveils Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 Tank with Unmanned Turret - Militarnyi
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Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 Is One Powerhouse of a Tank | The National Interest
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New Leopard 2 Tank Packs A Big Cannon, Uncrewed Turret, Anti-Drone Defenses
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New Leopard 2 Tank Packs A Big Cannon, Uncrewed Turret, Anti-Drone Defenses - TechBeyondInfinity