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 procure the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) as a successor to the Leopard 2 (current variants 2A5, 2A6, 2A7, and upcoming variant 2A8). Since the MGCS is not expected to be ready before the 2040s, the German Army expressed a requirement for an interim solution to address immediate operational needs. The development of the Leopard 3 was kicked off in Early 2025 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 has expressed a total requirement for 1,000 additional tanks, which would be composed of a mix of Leopard 2A8, Leopard 3, and MGCS units.^[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