Rolls-Royce developing new Leopard 2 engine

Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, formerly MTU Friedrichshafen, is developing the 10V199 engine for use in the Leopard 2 main battle tank, a Rolls-Royce AG representative told hartpunkt in a 6th March interview. This engine is significantly lighter with the same performance as the existing MB 873 engine, requires less installation space and promises logistical advantages in relation to the armed forces’ overall combat vehicle fleet,  

Rolls-Royce is currently developing the 10V199 engine at its own expense, after unveiling the concept at Eurosatory last year, the company told hartpunkt, adding that the first engines are to be delivered to an unspecified customer in 2026. The 10V199, like the MB 873, is expected to be able to deliver up to 1,500 hp (1,100 kW).

A study has been conducted testing the integration of the 10V199 into the Leopard 2 at Rolls-Royce’s expense. The result showed that the engine could be successfully installed with some changes to the transmission and cooling. The 10V199 is smaller in terms of total volume, at around 27 liters of displacement, compared to the 47.6 litre displacement of the MB 873. This should mean that space would be freed up in the tank hull, which could be used for other purposes. The weight of the 10V199 should also be significantly lower than the 2.2 tonnes of the MB 873.

The 10V199 is based on the 199 engine series that is used in other combat vehicles. The 6-cylinder variants (6V199) are installed, for example, in the Fuchs 2 and Piranha V wheeled armored vehicles and the ACSV G5 tracked vehicle. The 8-cylinder versions (8V199) power the Boxer armored vehicles and numerous tracked vehicles including Ajax, ASCOD, M10 Booker and Borsuk. However, none of these engines are designed to power a main battle tank. 

As the 199 series uses the same repair and training concept as well as many identical parts (pistons, cylinder heads, etc.), to the rest of the 199 engine series, it may be possible for customers to realise significant logistical synergies and economies of scale across their vehicle fleets by switching to the 10V199.

Leopard 2, rising demand

The company is also investing heavily in additional production capacity for the original MB 873 engine that powers the existing Leopard 2. According to its own statements, it has doubled its production capacity and hired around 100 new employees as it works to meet growing demand. In the last two years alone, around 245 new Leopard 2 battle tanks have been ordered across Europe and abroad, with further potential for another 180 new-build tanks in the near future. In addition, there are orders and expectations for numerous other support vehicles based on the Leopard 2. “Whatever is needed, we have no difficulty producing these quantities in Germany,” Rolls-Royce told hartpunkt.

The production line for the MB 873 has, according to the manufacturer, been kept alive with continuous demand, which means that the engine’s supply chains are active and able to accommodate an increase in demand.

Rolls-Royce also sees potential to extract more power from the engine if this is desired or necessary. The power of the MB 873 can apparently be increased from the current 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) to around 1,600 hp (1,200 kW). However, this would require at least an adjustment to the transmission and the braking system would probably also have to be modified to cope with the additional power.

Hartpunkt comment

The Leopard 2 has undergone several modernisations during its service life but its powerpack has remained essentially unchanged. The main reason for this is logistics. A change to the engine requires adjustments to the transmission, the cooling system and the rest of the drivetrain and, depending on the type of change, possibly even to the hull in order to be able to adjust the required installation space. These changes have such a massive impact on logistics that a repowering option for the Leopard 2 investigated some time ago by Rolls-Royce (then still known as MTU) using an engine known as the EuroPowerPack based on the MTU MT883 Ka-500/501 engine was considered ineffective by Leopard 2 users.

However, with the recent announcement of the Bundeswehr’s development study for an alternative engine for the Leopard 2, there appears to be renewed interest in improving the tank’s powerpack. This project, known as “OLYMP”, was awarded to KNDS Germany, and it is to be based on a Liebherr engine. As the Leopard 2 fleet will remain in service for several more decades, users clearly see a need to at least examine the possibility of a repowering option in more detail.

This article, written by Waldemar Geiger, was originally published in German by hartpunkt on the 7th March. Calibre and hartpunkt are collaborating to bring you the best defence content from across Europe.