Hello, fellow students and staff! Today, I will discuss new military tanks within development or the prototype stages. Let us take a look into what will soon be our upcoming weapons of war.

America’s Abrams X Tank (Fourth Generation )

The successor of the M1A1 Abrams, the Abrams X, was made by General Dynamics and is currently in development to fix some of the issues its predecessor had. One of the issues involved fuel consummation, a massive issue for the original Abrams M1A1, the Abrams X would have a Hybrid Engine running on both Diesel and Electricity. It is approximately 50% times more efficient and 10 tons lighter. The new Hybrid Engine also reduces heat, making the tank less visible with thermal sights. The Abrams X is also equipped with the new XM 360 gun, a deadly 120mm main gun currently half the weight of its predecessor, the m256 120mm gun, with less recoil, and an xm914 30mm chain gun and a coaxial machine gun. It also has a wider variety of ammunition than the m256 gun. Now equipped with an autoloader, meant to keep the crew safer and no longer needing a loader, it comes with a disadvantage, as many autoloaders are extremely dangerous. Seen in Russia, T-72 was placed closer to the turret; therefore, when being hit, it would explode the entire turret the (demonstrated in Ukraine). If done correctly, it could be safer than having a traditional loader. Also, this new system includes advanced features of AI assistance and new thermal sensors. The Abrams X also has a new armor package on the hull and turret with a new active protection system, for intercepting anti-tank guided missiles like the javelin weapon system.

England’s Challenger 3 Tank (Fourth Generation)

The Challenger 3, the successor to Challenger 2, was mainly praised for its thick armor on its turret, different from Western tanks like the M1A4 Abrams. It has a 120mm smoothbore gun successor to the L30A1 120mm gun on the previous Challenger 2 tank. It has better suspension, a new AI detection, tracking, and a targeting system for better accuracy. It also has a new engine cooling system, so the tank could run longer. It will also have improved communications that the previous Challenger 2 model did not have.

Russia’s Armata T-14 tank (Fourth Generation)

The Armata, also referred to as the T-14, replaced the canceled T-95. With a three-man crew, since the entire turret is unmanned, the T-14 is equipped with an autoloader below the turret, which is often referred to as a death trap due to the T-72 similar autoloader when being hit below. The turret ends up blowing the turret off the tank usually killing the entire crew, unlike other tanks where even though the ammunition is hit and explodes- the crew has a higher chance of survival. The tank features a 2A82-1M 125mm smoothbore gun, the secondary weapon being the 12.7mm Kord machine gun and a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun. The armor comprises 44S-sv-ShSteel and contains monolith armor, which is explosive rather than electromagnetic reactive armor.

Franco-German XLR Tanks (Fourth Generation)

The Leclerc scorpion XLR is a modernized variant of the Leclerc tanks. Instead of completely replacing the previous Leclerc main battle tank, they are modernizing it to meet fourth-generation standers. The Leclerc Xlr keeps its previous armaments, the GAIT CN120–26/52 120mm main gun and a 52mm smoothbore CN-120-26, as its secondary weapon for ground targets and defense, and a 12.7mm machine gun is mounted coaxially to the main gun. The Leclerc XLR is now fitted with an autoloader that is located in the back of the turret to keep the crew safe from an ammunition explosion. The new Leclerc XLR has additional modular armor on the hull and turret, and the rear has a wire-caged type of armor to help protect its engine against many anti-tank missiles. The new Leclerc XLR will have a redesign of its computers and its programming and now be equipped with a new jammer that tries to jam the signal of gilded missiles, like the American Javelin weapons system and IEDs.

Chinas Type 99 Variant Tanks

The Type 99 A Tank, the successor to the Type 88, the Type 99 was created by the People’s Liberation Army of China. There are various variants to the Type 99 the Type 99, Type 99A, and Type 98. Their hulls are mainly based on the Russian T-72 Tank, as China loves coping with the best of the West and Russia. The Type 99A comprises a ZPT-98 125mm smoothbore equipped with a similar autoloader to the T-72. It is also equipped with a new Fire control system, new thermal sights new ballistic computer, and new sensors around the tank to detect any threats.

Germanys Panther KF51(Fourth Generation) *Considered The Best Tank In The World

The Panther KF51 one of the most technologically advanced tanks in the world currently made by the German company Rheinmetall. The Panther Kf51 consists of an unmanned turret autoloader, a crew of 3, and a deadly Future Gun System L52 smoothbore 130mm main cannon. In addition, other variants exist with a 120mm main cannon that have an extremely quick-fire rate and armed with a 12.7mm coaxial machine gun for its defense against drones and other hostile threats. Moreover, it has an RCWS to help fend itself against these threats.