Autor fotografie: KNDS, Public domain|Popisek: EMBT
The Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 can be considered a real revolution in Western tank design. Reduced crew, MBT weight, gun calibre, modularity. It is obvious that the Germans have thought through the design of the machine in detail.
If we were to talk about the positives of tanks of Russian, or Soviet, origin, we would have to mention the low weight in the first place. The maximum weight of the tank is around 50 tonnes and is parsecs away from the extremely heavy Western machines. Leopard 2A8, Abrams, Challenger 3, Merkava, all modern MBTs are currently around 70 tons, they have to have wider tracks to compensate for the weight, they are quite demanding in terms of design agility. Higher engine requirements and fuel consumption and therefore range. The Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 seems to solve everything, its weight should be under sixty tons.
Another positive of the Russian MBT is its low silhouette. The Soviet school has long concentrated on automatic loading and a crew of three men. This has always been at the expense of armor and operator comfort. Russian tanks have always been significantly smaller compared to Western tanks. All the most important types of Russian tanks such as the T-55, T-64, T-72, T-80 and T-90 combined the above characteristics. Their pinnacle was to be the Armata, which concluded everything with an unmanned turret. The project, however, is clearly on hold. And Russia is concentrating on modernizing its older MBTs.
The KNDS also opted for an unmanned turret, and the Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 has a very low silhouette as a result. The question has long been raised as to why this practice was not adopted long ago. Old tankers have very rational answers to this. The MBT at that point becomes so automated and dependent on electronic systems that if the turret controls are hit and damaged, the tank becomes completely defenseless. The crew completely loses sight of the battlefield and there is no classic hatch to the top of the tank, the operators see nothing. The KNDS undoubtedly takes this into account and one can assume a high resistance of the machine.
According to Army Recognition, the low silhouette has reduced the tank's targetability by 30%. The cannon is a major issue. KNDS states on its website that a NATO 120mm L55 barrel, 130mm cannon or even a 140mm calibre can be used. This is where the merger with the French Nexter (KNDS France), which developed this calibre in the past, comes into play. The manufacturer of the Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 claims that the barrel will be replaceable within one hour. The large calibre will undoubtedly have an impact on the range, which is expected to increase to five kilometres, with the current standard being 4,000 metres. Plus the ability to fire three shots in ten seconds. Who else has it?

The almost unrivalled Leopard 2A-RC 3.0
The Leopard 2A-RC 3.0 has an advanced sensor suite, UAV control capability, digital mission control, so an external control system can take on the role, and a 4D fire control system with X-by-Wire technology. With less weight, there is no need for such a powerful and heavy engine. If 1,500 kW is required for 70-tonne tanks, KNDS lists 1,100 kW, a speed of over 65 km/h and a range of 460 kilometres. Of course, the Trophy active protection system and the MBT laser targeting detection will already be available. Overall, the competition is clear, thanks to the tankless turret we can only talk about the Russian Armata and the AbramsX, which is in the development phase, but the Russian machine is languishing.
A blow to the competition, there is probably no other way to describe the Leopard 2A-RC 3.0. No turret, reduced to three operators. Probably the top of the line 140mm gun that will define the future of MBTs, no doubts about the Trophy system, low weight, low silhouette, UAV control. A clear answer to the Russian Armata and Rheinmetall's direkt, which will have a big competitive problem with its KF-51, and everyone is curious about the answer. But the same awaits, for example, the British Challenger 3. KNDS has obviously gone to great lengths to summarize all the experience they could gather. The competition will have to start turning around.