{"id":56288,"date":"2024-06-20T20:57:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T18:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=56288"},"modified":"2025-06-20T00:05:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T22:05:30","slug":"the-new-version-of-the-leopard-2-main-battle-tank-with-an-unmanned-turret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2024\/06\/20\/the-new-version-of-the-leopard-2-main-battle-tank-with-an-unmanned-turret\/","title":{"rendered":"The new version of the Leopard 2 main battle tank with an unmanned turret"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This week, KNDS has presented a new version of the already famous Leopard 2 battle tank, a model with many operators.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2022\/06\/13\/panther-kf51-this-is-the-latest-generation-combat-tank-that-will-replace-the-leopard-2\/\">Panther KF51: this is the latest generation combat tank that will replace the Leopard 2<\/a><\/rel><br \/>\n<rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2022\/10\/09\/abramsx-general-dynamics-presents-the-replacement-for-the-m1-abrams-mbt\/\">AbramsX: General Dynamics presents the replacement for the M1 Abrams MBT<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n<p><strong>This new variant is called Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0<\/strong> and introduces considerable new features compared to previous versions of this tank of German origin. <strong>KNDS has shown some of these new features in a video published yesterday:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LEOPARD 2 A-RC 3.0: Upgrade to unmanned turret technology\" width=\"665\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8waILZwCDGc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The most innovative feature of this new version is that it <strong>has an unmanned turret<\/strong> and that it would be directed from the chassis of the vehicle. Furthermore, instead of the four crew members of previous versions of this tank, the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 would have three crew members sitting on the chassis.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804538741_992434efb9_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Judging by the images released by KNDS, the driver would maintain his central seat in the front, while <strong>the commander and gunner would sit below the base of the turret, inside a highly protected cell<\/strong>. which would reduce the most vulnerable section of the tank by 30%, according to KNDS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.knds.com\/newsroom\/press-releases\/detail\/defining-battlefield-superiority-knds-presents-groundbreaking-technologies-in-future-land-warfare\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">noted<\/a> a week ago.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804975135_41706cff1f_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, by having an unmanned turret, <strong>the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 would introduce another novelty: a modular linear automatic loader<\/strong>, capable of loading the main cannon with a rate of three shots every 10 seconds. Although KNDS has not indicated it, it can be deduced that <strong>the main gun ammunition would be housed in the rear part of the turret<\/strong>, as in the previous Leopard 2.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804538731_22c2c22cce_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the video we can see that the loader modular rack is aligned with that ammunition magazine to load <strong>the main gun, which would be a 120 mm smoothbore Rheinmetall L-55<\/strong>, a model that equips the Leopard 2 since the A6 version (and also its Spanish variant, the Leopard 2E). In the case of the main gun, <strong>the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 could have a 130 or 140 mm main gun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804975145_b340c6d88e_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the turret we find two other new features of this version. The first is <strong>a 30x113 mm remote control machine gun (RCWS), especially designed against drones<\/strong>, which could cover a 360\u00ba angle to protect the tank from these threats. <strong>Eight smoke grenade launchers are included in the RCWS mount<\/strong>, reducing the presence of this passive defense compared to previous versions of the Leopard 2 (until the A7 it was usual to carry 8 on each side of the turret, while the A8 has 6 on each side).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804785653_7f3289ca0e_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Along with the RCWS, <strong>the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 includes a guided missile launcher<\/strong>, capable of firing while the vehicle is moving. KNDS has not indicated what type of missile this version would equip, although it does indicate its range: 6,000 meters, similar to that of the Spike-LR2 missile (5,500 meters) manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804865429_13d7f570b1_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, KNDS also points out that <strong>the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 would be equipped with an already tested active protection system (APS)<\/strong>. KNDS does not indicate what system it would be, although a few days ago The War Zone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twz.com\/land\/new-leopard-2-tank-packs-a-big-cannon-uncrewed-turret-anti-drone-defenses\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pointed out<\/a> that it could be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rafael.co.il\/system\/trophy-aps\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\" _blank\">Rafael's Trophy system<\/a>, already included in the Leopard 2A8. <strong>In the images released by KNDS we see the four APS radar antennas<\/strong> in the corners of the tower. This system detects anti-tank missile or grenade shots, firing kinetic projectiles to cancel them before they impact the tank.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804865409_aeca120cc1_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Finally, <strong>KNDS also highlights a flatter turret design<\/strong>, which would partially solve one of the drawbacks of previous versions of the Leopard 2: the height of its turret, which offers an easier target to the enemy . In addition, KNDS has indicated that <strong>the changes introduced in the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 would reduce its weight by 10%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53804865454_2e67e25ab8_b.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>---<\/p>\n<p><small>Images: KNDS.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, KNDS has presented a new version of the already famous Leopard 2 battle tank, a model with many operators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[19536,11548],"tags":[2290,22138,7976],"class_list":["post-56288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-we-said-yesterday","category-armament","tag-leopard-2","tag-leopard-2-a-rc-3-0","tag-rheinmetall-l-55"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-12 02:33:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56288\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}