Camouflage is useless What Germany's new Leopard tank must be able to do
The German Bundeswehr's Leopard 2 main battle tank is already getting on in years and needs an update. Now the first details about its successor are becoming known.
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- A new generation of the Leopard main battle tank is to bridge the gap until the new standard tank from a joint Franco-German project is available.
- The possible Leopard 3 will not only have a better and larger cannon, but also a state-of-the-art protection system and a powerful new engine.
- New ammunition in various versions is also to be developed for the new 130mm smoothbore gun.
- The tank is to be equipped with optical detection capability, which is said to be able to detect enemy vehicles even when camouflaged.
The Franco-German mega-project Main Ground Combat System is set to become the Bundeswehr's standard main battle tank. The problem is that the European tank of the future is not expected until the 2040s at the earliest, so a bridge solution is needed until then.
What this will look like can at least be guessed from the tenders now published by the German Ministry of Defense. The Bundeswehr has commissioned the companies KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt with technical studies for the development of an improved engine, 130 mm ammunition in various versions, a new type of protection system and an automatic field adjustment system for the Leopard 2 main battle tank.
Larger cannon, new ammunition
While many details are still unknown, important features of the new Leopard have emerged from the tenders. For example, the new main battle tank will have a larger cannon with a caliber of 130 millimetres instead of the previous 120 millimetres.
A prototype of the smoothbore cannon was already presented in 2016. According to Rheinmetall, the increase of eight percent in caliber means 50 percent more kinetic energy compared to the 120-millimeter main gun of the Leopard 2. For the smoothbore gun, the Bundeswehr requires both multifunctional combat ammunition and kinetic ammunition.
More protection for the crew
However, the new main weapon is now around half a ton heavier than its predecessor. Because the ammunition will also be larger and heavier as a result, the combat turret will remain unmanned. An automatic reloading system would take over the job of the loader, while the turret would be remote-controlled.
With the help of this adaptation, the crew of only three is better protected because it is located in a more heavily armored capsule in the tank's hull.
In addition, the Bundeswehr requires a new field adjustment system for the gun. It is intended to make the gunner's job considerably easier by working largely automatically and increasing precision.
Sensors should recognize almost everything
As experience in Ukraine has shown, tanks are still necessary in a modern war, but at the same time they need to be better protected against drones. In the new Leopoard, the Multifunctional Self-Protection System (MUSS) will take on this task.
Four sensors are designed to ensure the protection of the vehicle and its crew. It includes a missile and laser warning system, an infrared jammer and a system for firing pyrotechnic countermeasures.
This is designed to detect and deflect wire- and laser-guided missiles. In addition, MUSS should even be able to detect approaching grenades and tracer rounds as well as muzzle flashes.
According to the specialist magazine "Hartpunkt", the system should also be able to identify laser rangefinders. So if the Leopard 3 is targeted by another main battle tank, the system sounds the alarm.
The MUSS wonder weapon is intended to render camouflage useless
MUSS should also prove to be an offensive wonder weapon. "The MUSS is an electro-optical sensor-effector system that is to be expanded to include optical detection capability," according to the Bundeswehr procurement office BAAINBw.
According to the manufacturer, the combat-value-enhanced MUSS will now be able to detect several threats simultaneously, prioritize objects according to danger and engage them semi-autonomously to fully autonomously.
The optical detection capability would make it the first system of its kind in the world. As "Hartpunkt" writes, although nothing is publicly known about this, the brief description in the tender and the reference to the so-called cat's eye effect could indicate a certain mode of operation.
According to this, the battle tank could actively "illuminate" its surroundings and "detect and classify reflections generated by the advanced MUSS optics".
Because the optics of the combat vehicles must remain unobstructed, even well-camouflaged enemy objects could be detected using the system.