Leopard 3

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Leopard 3
TypeMain battle tank
Place of originGermany
Production history
DesignerKNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt[1]
DesignedSince 2025[2]
Developed fromLeopard 2A8
ProducedExpected in the 2030s
Specifications
Crew3 (driver, gunner, commander)
ShellDM11, DM13, DM23
Shell weight30 kg (66 lb)
Caliber130mm
Effective firing range10 km (6.2 mi)
Main
armament
130mm Rheinmetall L/51 smoothbore gun

The Leopard 3, also known as the Leopard 2AX,[3] is a fourth-generation German main battle tank (MBT).[4][5]

Germany plans to purchase the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) as a successor to the Leopard 2 (current variants 2A5, 2A6 and 2A7 and upcoming variant 2A8). 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 off, and it is expected to enter production in the early 2030s.[6][7][8]

It is designed with a service life of 25 years.[9]

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.[10]

Design

[edit]

Early design information

[edit]

The changes that were mentioned from the Leopard 2A8 include:[9]

  • A new tank gun: Rheinmetall Rh-130 L/51 [de] with a 50% increased kinetic energy compared to the Rh-120.
  • Munitions:[9][11]
  • A new engine from Liebherr.[9][12] 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.[9][13]
  • Remote turret with an automatic loader and a crew of three people.

Operators

[edit]

Potential operators

[edit]
Germany
The German Army operates 295 tanks as of 2025:
The German Army ordered:
Future plans:
  • As of July 2025, the German Army plans to order up to 1,000 additional MBT.[10] This would likely include a mix of Leopard 2A8 (because the production started), the intermediate solution of the Leopard 2AX / Leopard 3 and the MGCS.[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bundeswehr commissions development of 130mm ammunition as well as new protection system and engine for Leopard 2 main battle tanks" (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  2. ^ "Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank". twz.com. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  3. ^ Triffaux. "Germany Develops Next-Gen Leopard 2AX as Alternative to Joint MGCS Project and Existing Leopard 2A8 Tank". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  4. ^ Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank
  5. ^ YouTube: The Leopard 3 main battle tank is coming soon
  6. ^ Newdick, Thomas (2025-02-07). "Germany Kicks Off Work On Leopard 3 Main Battle Tank". The War Zone. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  7. ^ The " Leopard 3" is emerging as the real German interim tank for 2030
  8. ^ YouTube: Leopard 3 - the future German main battle tank
  9. ^ a b c d e "Bundeswehr beauftrag Entwicklung von 130mm-Munition sowie neuem Schutzsystem und Triebwerk für Leopard 2 Kampfpanzer" (in German). 2025-02-05. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  10. ^ a b c Lagneau, Laurent (2025-07-05). "Berlin envisage d'acquérir 1 000 chars Leopard et 2 500 blindés Boxer supplémentaires pour 25 milliards d'euros". Zone Militaire (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  11. ^ sam (2025-02-06). "Germany initiates development of Leopard 3 -". Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  12. ^ "Entwicklung des Leopard 2 AX beauftragt » Sicherheit & Verteidigung" (in German). 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  13. ^ "MUSS 2.0". HENSOLDT. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  14. ^ ES&T Redaktion (2021-11-03). "Abstandsaktives Schutzsystem Trophy auf Leopard 2 A7A1 erfolgreich getestet". esut.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  15. ^ "Germany to buy Leopard tanks, howitzers to make up for Ukraine supplies - source". Reuters. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  16. ^ "Bundeswehr erhält 105 zusätzliche Leopard 2 A8 Kampfpanzer" (in German). 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
Stub icon

This military vehicle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.