Leopard 3

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

Leopard 3
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Germany
Production history
Designer	KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt[1]
Designed	Since 2025[2]
Developed from	Leopard 2A8
Produced	Expected in the 2030s
Specifications
Crew	3 (driver, gunner, commander)
Shell	DM11, DM13, DM23
Shell weight	30 kg (66 lb)
Caliber	130mm
Effective firing range	10 km (6.2 mi)
Main armament	130mm Rheinmetall L/51 smoothbore gun

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

Early design information

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]
  • DM11 (130 mm variant), a multifunctional combat ammunition (HE) for fire support
  • DM13, standard APFSDS (Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot)
  • DM23, higher energy APFSDS
• 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

Potential operators

Germany

The German Army operates 295 tanks as of 2025:

• 19 Leopard 2A5 KWS II
• 68 Leopard 2A6
• 34 Leopard 2A6 A3
• 20 Leopard 2A6M
• 50 Leopard 2A6 MA3
• 104 Leopard 2A7V

The German Army ordered:

• 17 Leopard 2A7 A1^[14]
• 123 Leopard 2A8^[15][16]

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

• Leopard 1
• Leopard 2
• Panther KF51
• Tanks in the German Army
• List of main battle tanks by generation