Germany initiates development of Leopard 3

The German Armed Forces have commissioned KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt to carry out technical studies that may lead to the introduction of a Leopard 3 main battle tank, according to a series of announcements placed on the European online procurement platform TED by the German Armed Forces Procurement Office BAAINBw on the 5th February 2025.

The announcements include development of a more powerful engine, various types of 130mm ammunition, a new type of protection system and an automatic fire control system for the Leopard 2. Together, the developments are intended to form the basis for a modernisation package for the Leopard 2 that is also known as the bridging solution, Leopard 2 AX or Leopard 3, Hatrpunkt sources report. The modernisation would be intended to bridge the time until the introduction of the German-French Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

According to insiders, the bridge solution is to be introduced starting in the 2030s, but would be adapted to the current threat level and will have additional capabilities compared to the Leopard 2A8. However, it is apparently planned to have a service life of around 25 years. The exact design of this type of battle tank will probably only be decided after the results of the various technical studies are available which will be completed at the end of 2026, according to the BAAINBw’s publications on TED.

Leopard 3, greater lethality

Rheinmetall has been commissioned to carry out three technical studies with the aim of developing three types of 130mm ammunition. Specifically, a 130mm DM13 ammunition is to be developed, which will serve as a qualification round for the future tank gun. This large-caliber tank gun is the main armament of the battle tank. “The aim is to keep the cost and time frame as economical as possible by designing this ammunition specifically for the qualification of the weapon,” writes the BAAINBw on TED.

The two further technical studies are intended to fully develop the ammunition types DM11, a multifunctional high explosive combat ammunition, and DM23, the kinetic energy round for the gun. (Editor’s note: The DM11 would be used for most fire support combat, typically alongside and against infantry, buildings, and light vehicles. The DM23 would only be valuable against enemy tanks. Compared to the existing 120 mm gun, it would deliver far greater energy and penetration against opposing armour.)

Rheinmetall first presented the prototype of the 130 mm 52 calibre smoothbore gun at the 2106 Eurosatory exhibition. According to the company’s information at the time, the eight percent increase in calibre leads to a 50 percent increase in kinetic energy compared to the 120 mm gun of the Leopard 2.  The presentation in Paris came at a time when Russia had unveiled a new generation of armored vehicles – including the Armata main battle tank – with improved protection and announced their introduction into the armed forces.

The 130mm weapon shown at the time weighed more than 3.5 tonnes compared to the 120mm gun’s approximately 3 tonnes and used a cartridge weighing more than 30 kg and measuring approximately 1.30 metres in length. This means the weapon can only be used with an automatic loader and a new turret design. At the time, it was said that Rheinmetall engineers would probably need around eight to ten years to complete the development of the weapon and ammunition.

The prototype presented in Paris was a shooting demonstrator that had been created after extensive simulations and studies. Rheinmetall says it is using a mathematical model with 50 parameters for further development, three of which are fixed and 47 of which are varied, to determine the optimal configuration of the weapon. Two key parameters are the energy delivered to the target and the accuracy at a certain distance. Rheinmetall estimates that the weapon should have a high level of precision at five kilometers. According to the manufacturer, more than 1,100 simulations were carried out during development.

Adjusting fire

Two further technical studies concern the development of a field adjustment system for the Leopard 2 main battle tank, which were awarded to Hensoldt on the one hand and to KNDS Germany on the other. (Editor’s note: The field adjustment system on a Leopard 2 is used to account for barrel bend, which results from changes in temperature. This affects accuracy, and in the base configuration requires the crew to manually assess the deviation and adjust for it.)

The contract description for Hensoldt simply states: “To improve the capabilities of the LEOPARD 2 MBT, an automatic field adjustment system is to be developed. The development result must be demonstrated in a LEOPARD 2 MBT. The development result must be suitable to form the basis for use in all LEOPARD 2 variants with L55 weapon system (120mm), regardless of the fire control computer variant.”

The description of the study awarded to KNDS Germany is much more detailed. According to it, KNDS is to develop an automatic field adjustment system “to increase the precision of direct impact”. “The large-caliber tank cannon is the main armament of the battle tank. The LEOPARD 2 weapon system introduced in the Bundeswehr has a manual field adjustment, which is carried out by the gunner. The aim is to correct thermal influences on the gun barrel that reduce precision, e.g. due to sunlight or shot load,” says the BAAINBw description. “As the weapon is continuously exposed to these influences, regular adjustment is necessary. In order to relieve the crew or enable them to carry out other tasks during field adjustment and at the same time minimize the process time, an automation system is to be developed,” the BAAINBw continues. 

Leopard 3: Mobility

In order to increase the mobility of the Leopard 2, KNDS Germany was also commissioned to develop an alternative power-pack called “OLYMP”. According to well-informed sources, the engine will not come from MTU – the current engine manufacturer for the Leopard 2 – but from Liebherr. This would be a first, as Liebherr has so far supplied engines for the Marder 1 (extended service life of the Marder 1A5) and Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles, but not for any main battle tanks.

The BAAINBw description states: “The engine block is the closed unit consisting of the combustion engine, steering/gearbox, cooling system, combustion air filtration and exhaust system. Interfaces to the chassis are the engine mounts, the side gears, the connections to the control and fuel supply and the engine compartment cover. As part of the study to increase the agility of the drive train, an alternative engine (combustion engine) is to be developed. As many components of the existing system (identical parts) as possible are to be used. The testing of individual components up to the demonstrator test is to take place in the vehicle provided.”

More protection

In addition to increasing lethality and mobility, the “bridge solution” should also have an improved level of protection, which is apparently to be achieved, among other things, by integrating a combat-enhanced variant of the MUSS (Multifunctional Self-Protection System) self-protection system developed by Hensoldt. Hensoldt had only presented the further development MUSS 2.0 at Eurosatory in 2024, which will also be used in newly arriving Puma infantry fighting vehicles.

Compared to the previous version, MUSS 2.0 is characterized by less weight and a smaller silhouette while simultaneously increasing its capabilities. The system consists of four passive sensor heads, each with a missile and laser warning sensor, a central unit, an advanced laser-based infrared jammer (IR jammer) and a countermeasures unit for emitting pyrotechnic decoys. With the sensor network, the system can now detect not only threats such as wire- and laser-guided missiles (anti-tank guided missiles, ATGMs), but also tracer bullets, anti-tank grenades, muzzle flashes and shots from KE rounds, the statement says. MUSS 2.0 is also able to precisely detect and classify low-power lasers, such as those found in beam riders and second-generation laser rangefinders. ATGMs in particular can be disrupted by the IR jammer and thus repelled, as Hensoldt writes. The data obtained by the system can therefore be fed into the “Battle Management System” in order to better combat the threat. According to the manufacturer, MUSS 2.0 can detect several threats simultaneously, prioritize them according to the level of danger and combat them semi- or fully autonomously. The possibility of adapting the threat database ensures a continuous increase in combat effectiveness in order to be able to counter future threats.

KNDS Germany has now been commissioned by the BAAINBw to “install the extension of the Multifunctional Self-Protection System (MUSS)” on the Leopard 2. What is important in this context is that this will be a significantly improved version of MUSS, with capabilities that even the MUSS 2.0 does not have. “The MUSS is an electro-optical sensor/effector system which is to be expanded to include the ability to detect optical signals,” says the BAAINBw announcement. “Since the optical detection is based on the physical principle of the cat’s eye effect, the functionality of the MUSS can be adopted. The service description includes the integration of the further developed system into a LEOPARD 2A7 MBT in order to realize the ability to detect optical signals,” the BAAINBw continues.

The ability to detect optics would be a unique protection element worldwide, about which nothing is known to the public to date. The brief description and the reference to the cat’s eye effect could indicate the following functionality. The battle tank could actively “illuminate” its surroundings and use the further developed MUSS to detect and classify reflections generated by optics. Theoretically, even well-camouflaged combat vehicles or reconnaissance systems could be detected in this way, since the respective observation optics must remain “free”. (Editor’s note: There are capabilities that can be used to detect the scopes on infantry rifles. It may be possible that the MUSS upgrade is intended to have a similar capability.)

This article, written by Waldemar Geiger, was originally published in German by Hartpunkt on 5th February 2025. Hartpunkt and Calibre are collaborating to bring you the best content from across Europe.