With the Heavy Cavalry dev-server changelog, I think the problem with Germany’s top-tier ground lineup has become pretty obvious.
The US is getting the M1A2C, and also the M1A2 (Trophy-HV). Russia already got the T-72B3A with Arena-M, and now the T-90M (Arena-M) is also listed for this update. Germany, on the other hand, gets a PUMA pack vehicle and the Hummel.
That is a pretty strange comparison when Germany still has no APS-equipped top-tier MBT in the tech tree.
Germany’s last real top-tier MBT addition was the Leopard 2A7V back in Air Superiority. The 2A7V is good, but it is also basically expected to carry the entire German MBT lineup by itself. One strong Leopard does not make a complete top-tier lineup, especially when other nations keep getting newer protected MBTs and better modern support options.
The issue is not whether Germany “suffers”. The issue is whether Germany is being held to the same modern standard as the United States and USSR at top tier.
If the US can get Trophy Abrams variants, and Russia can get Arena-M tanks, then Germany should have an equivalent answer. The obvious candidates are already there: Leopard 2A7A1 with Trophy, or Leopard 2A8. These are real German vehicles and they fit exactly into the direction top-tier ground is moving.
Germany also has a support problem. The helicopter line is still weak at top tier. The Tiger UHT with PARS 3 LR sounds good on paper, but in practice it is not the same kind of reliable standoff AT platform that other nations can bring. PARS often feels slow, inconsistent, and too easy to defeat with smoke, cover, terrain, or simple target loss. Germany still does not have a truly strong modern AT helicopter option.
IRIS-T SLM should also be looked at again. In reality, this is not just a lonely launcher throwing IR missiles into the air. It is a networked air-defense system with radar, launcher vehicles, and a tactical operations center. It is meant to deal with aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones.
In game, however, it often feels much weaker than it should against AT helicopters using terrain and short exposure windows. If IRIS-T SLM is not properly using radar/TOC cueing, datalink updates, LOAL behavior, or reacquisition logic, then Germany is not getting the real capability of the system. That matters a lot when helicopters can pop up, fire, and disappear behind terrain.
So right now Germany is stuck in a bad position:
No APS MBT while the US and Russia are getting more of them;
Too much reliance on the Leopard 2A7V;
No serious modern standoff AT helicopter;
PARS 3 LR still feeling unreliable in real matches;
IRIS-T SLM not feeling properly modeled as a networked SAM system;
No reliable light modern AT support vehicle like Wiesel 1 MELLS.
This is why Germany needs an actual top-tier roadmap, not just another random support vehicle every few updates.
My suggestions would be:
- Add Leopard 2A7A1 with Trophy.
- Add Leopard 2A8 later if needed.
- Review the German top-tier lineup as a full lineup, not just by looking at the Leopard 2A7V alone.
- Recheck IRIS-T SLM modelling, especially datalink, LOAL, cueing, and anti-helicopter performance.
- Recheck Tiger UHT and PARS 3 LR in the current top-tier environment.
- Add Wiesel 1 MELLS as a light AT support vehicle.
- Use internal data to look at Germany’s win rate, spawn rate, aircraft deaths, helicopter deaths, and actual lineup performance.
Germany does not need a “special” vehicle. Germany needs the same standard that is already being applied to other major nations.
If top tier is moving into APS MBTs, modern standoff weapons, advanced helicopters, and networked air defense, then Germany should not be stuck with one good Leopard and an incomplete support lineup.
Give Germany an APS Leopard, and give Germany a real modern ground lineup instead of expecting the 2A7V to carry everything forever.