New Developments in European Tank Models and Thoughts on the Altay Tank

The end of the bipolar world order following the end of the Cold War sent Europe into a state of complacency as the Soviet divisions on its borders disintegrated. With no more Russian armoured and motorised divisions, European countries dramatically reduced their defence expenditures. In this context, the number of tanks and armoured vehicles also decreased. As a result, in line with the decreasing demand, factories in countries such as France and Germany, which produce tanks and armoured vehicles, reduced their capacities.
Some parts of these factories were either closed or converted to produce something else. In the UK, they went even further and stopped production of the Challenger tank altogether. Therefore, when the British recently decided to produce a new model of the Challenger, they had to go into co-production with the Germans, as their own infrastructure was insufficient.
However, developments in recent years have brought European countries out of the inertia they had fallen into. They started to increase the production of tanks and armoured vehicles again. However, this was not such an easy thing. Because in the wars in Syria, Libya, Karabakh, Ukraine and most recently in Gaza, it became clear that tanks were no longer sufficient against new weapons and old anti-tank weapons with improved technology. In other words, it was not possible to meet their needs by increasing the production of existing tank models.
Thereupon, some innovations were started to be made in tanks. These innovations range from armour technology to tank gun and sensor systems. However, as the innovations were tested in a new war and it was seen that they did not yield the expected results, a constant search for innovation in tanks became necessary. This is evident in the new tanks produced by France and Germany, which have the largest tank and armoured vehicle production capacity in Europe.
Among the notable innovations is the general tendency to increase the diameter of the tank gun from 120 millimetres to 140 millimetres. In addition, almost every new model of tank is equipped with protective armour against conventional anti-tank weapons such as RPGs. Another important innovation is the increase in engine power in order to maintain the mobility of tanks, which have increased in weight due to additional systems.
In addition, the tanks are now equipped with electro-optical systems to provide early warning not only against anti-tank weapons, but also against drones and UCAVs. Smoke mortars are also being developed and their number is being increased. In addition to a machine gun to be used against infantry in the immediate vicinity of the tank, there are also developments towards the installation of an anti-aircraft machine gun and a small-diameter air defence cannon.
Machine guns and air defence guns are now generally automatic and can be fired from the inside so that personnel do not need to leave the turret. In terms of crews, there are two trends. While American, British and German tanks are still generally built according to the old four-man crew, French tanks, like the Russians, tend to reduce the number of crew members to three by saving on the gunner. For this reason, the new French tanks to be produced now have automatic loaders.
Some of the newly developed tanks were exhibited at recent arms fairs. These have also appeared on the internet. We give below the characteristics of some new tank prototypes of the Germans and the French from the information that has fallen on the internet.
The first prototype French tank we will talk about is the Leclerc XLR. The rear and turret of this tank are covered with iron bars in the form of bars called ‘RPG Net’ to protect against RPG ammunition. There is a Jammer on the rear and turret of the tank. Since the weight has increased, the power system of the tank has been increased. The engine has 1500 horsepower.
Maximum speed is 72 km/h. Tank cannon 120 mm/52 diameter. The tank has an automatic loader. In this way, both the rate of fire per minute has increased and the crew has been reduced to 3 people. The tank is armed with a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun fired from inside.
Another French tank is the Leclerc Ascalon 120 with an integrated turret. The gun of this tank is 120 mm in diameter. It has a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun. This tank also has a 30 mm cannon to be used against UCAVs and drones. This tank also has an automatic loader. It carries 22 artillery shells. It has smoke mortars and an active protection system. Perhaps the most important innovation in the tank is that it has three loitering ammunition that can be fired at ground targets and anti-tank missile positions.
A type of unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives used against surface targets, loitering munitions are mostly portable and resemble small and low-cost cruise missiles. The main difference between loitering munitions and guided munitions is that they do not need to be fired at a specific target. Target detection and evaluation can be carried out after firing. (1)
The last French tank to be discussed is the Leclerc Ascalon 140 with an integrated turret. The gun of this tank is 140 mm in diameter. The tank has an active protection system. In the turret of this tank, there is a 30 mm diameter cannon for use against drones and UCAVs. Unlike other tanks, this cannon works in integration with radar and electro-optical systems. The tank also has smoke mortars.
Now let's turn to the new model German tanks. The first of these is the Leopard 2A8. This tank weighs 69 tonnes. The development of the armour system has increased the weight. The length of the tank is 8 metres, which is quite long. Its height is 2.72 metres. Its engine is 1500 horsepower. The top speed is 65 kilometres. Unlike the new model French and Russian tanks, this tank does not have an automatic loader. For this reason, its crew is 4 people. The tank's gun has a diameter of 120 mm. There is a single machine gun with a diameter of 7.62 mm on the tank. It is used for land targets. However, it has a multi-purpose 76 mm grenade launcher that can be used against both air and ground targets.
Smoke mortars are also available on this tank. The most important innovation of this tank is that a laser warning system can be integrated into the tank. The laser warning system warns the crew against laser guided missiles. The tank has an active protection system. However, this system is not the Israeli Trophy active protection system, which is widely used in other Western tanks. In Gaza, the Trophy proved to be ineffective against anti-tank weapons fired at close range, so the Germans developed a new system.
Another new German tank is the Leopard 2A RC 3.0. Following the French and Russian tanks, this tank is equipped with an unmanned turret and automatic loader. Thus, the crew is reduced to three men. It is lighter than the other German tank: it weighs 60 tonnes. The length of the tank is 7.95 metres, i.e. shorter than the other tank. Its engine has 1500 horsepower. Its maximum speed is 65 kilometres/hour. Its gun is 120 mm, but 130 or 140 mm guns can also be integrated.
It has a 30 mm automatic cannon on the turret against drones and UCAVs. As an important difference, anti-tank missiles can be integrated to this tank. As a matter of fact, there is one anti-tank missile in the turret of the prototype. One of the tanks newly developed by the Germans is the Panther tank. This tank has an innovation that no other tank has. This tank has a laser gun for air defence purposes.
Looking at all these innovations, the Altay tank that we will build immediately comes to mind. According to open sources, 1000 tanks will be produced for the Turkish Armed Forces. If these tanks are produced based on the decided prototype, we will end up with 1000 tanks that are outdated and have no defence capability against new weapons.
Nowadays, time flows faster. Change is also progressing rapidly in parallel with time. For this reason, I think that the first tanks to be produced should be sufficient for only one company, or at most one battalion. While these tanks are being produced, work should continue on an upgraded model adapted to new developments. Thus, each batch of 1000 tanks will be more advanced than the previous model and will be able to meet the needs of its time.

(1) https://www.savunmasanayist.com/dunyada-ve-turkiyede-dolanan-muhimmat-calismalarina-kisa-bir-bakis/