![]() The 130 mm gun has a depression and elevation range from -9° to +20°, and is fed by a bustle-mounted autoloader which is supplied with ammunition from two magazines each holding 10 rounds, each magazine occupying roughly half of the turret bustle. The vehicle was based on a heavily modified LEOPARD 2 hull, and fitted with a brand new turret armed with the Rheinmetall 130 mm/L52 smoothbore gun, providing overmatch against most existing armour. The Rheinmetall PANTHER KF51 MBT similarly showcased a number of interesting features. Despite this growth in mission systems the EMBT also represented a reversal of the weight growth trend seen in modern AFVs, coming in at a combat weight of 61.5 tonnes, which is lower than many present-day MBTs. In terms of protection, the tank was equipped with the Rafael TROPHY active protection system (APS), the PILAR V acoustic gunshot detector, the E-LAWS laser warning receiver (LWR) system and 14 GALIX grenade launchers, which can be loaded with obscurant smoke grenades and various other ammunition natures. Given that the loading function can be automated away, retaining the fourth member of the crew requires finding new tasks to perform, and those tasks envisioned for the EMBT’s ‘System Operator’ would appear to be primarily aimed at a mix of protection against small aerial threats, and long-range situational awareness, thereby improving overall protection and reducing the cognitive burden on the commander. The crew concept is interesting, because while autoloaders permit getting rid of the fourth member of the crew, the armed forces of many countries have expressed an interest in retaining the fourth crew member, given their utility in various tasks such as track replacement or repairs. In addition to the commander and gunner in the turret it also has a driver and ‘system operator’ positioned in the hull, with the latter responsible for operating the ARX30 RWS, battle management system (BMS), and potentially any UAVs deployed by the vehicle. The automatic cannon is chambered in the 30 mm × 113 cartridge, and provided with 150 ready rounds. ![]() The ARX30 is armed with Nexter’s 30 M 781 electrically operated revolver cannon which has previously been used to arm the EUROCOPTER TIGER attack helicopter. The tank is also fitted with a secondary RWS in the form of the ARX30, primarily intended to provide the vehicle with an organic counter-UAV capability. In terms of secondary armament, EMBT was provided with a 12.7 mm coaxial heavy machine gun (HMG) with 680 ready rounds, as well as a combined commander’s panoramic sight and remote weapon station (RWS) armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun (MG) with 800 ready rounds. Although the main armament presented was the same as that of the LECLERC MBT, KNDS’ eventual offer for the MGCS programme is expected to feature the larger ASCALON 140 mm gun developed by Nexter, and indeed during Eurosatory 2022, KNDS stated that the EMBT’s turret was ready for integration with ASCALON. The EMBT featured a heavily modified LEOPARD 2 hull fitted with a new two-person turret armed with a Nexter F1 CN120-26 120 mm L/52 smoothbore gun fed by a bustle-mounted autoloader with 22 ready rounds of ammunition, and compatible with Nexter’s forthcoming SHARD Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) round. The second was the PANTHER KF51 MBT, developed by Rheinmetall. The first was the ENHANCED MBT (EMBT) demonstrator developed by KNDS, which consists of KMW and Nexter. However, EuroSatory 2022 offered a glimpse into the potential future European MBT design, with two noteworthy examples exhibited. ![]() In this vein, both Sweden and Switzerland opted for the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) LEOPARD 2, albeit modified variants to meet their own requirements. In the past a number of European countries had the capability to design and manufacture an MBT, for example Sweden with the Stridsvagn 103 (commonly known as the S-tank), and Switzerland with the Panzer 61 and Panzer 68 designs, however over time this has declined, with European users consolidating procurement around just a few designs. The most significant new-design MBT programme in Europe is the Franco-German MAIN GROUND COMBAT SYSTEM (MGCS) programme, due to enter service in approximately 2035 and expected to replace the currently deployed Krauss-Maffei Wegmann LEOPARD 2 and Nexter LECLERC MBT families. Whilst there have been a few new clean-sheet designs appearing, the trend in many countries is to upgrade their existing AFV platforms rather than develop or purchase new ones. Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) have been around for just over 100 years and during that period they have been continuously evolving with improved firepower, survivability, and mobility.
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