All things considered it would probably be a good idea just to design a whole new turret. Does anyone know if this is a further development of the NATO 140mm cannon trialed late in the Cold War? Either way both of these guns use ammunition so large as to require an autoloader to maintain a good rate of fire. Both the Germans and French seem to think that the current 120mm cannon will be inadequate against future threats so the Germans have that new 130mm cannon and apparently the French have tested a 140mm on a modified Leclerc. The latest version of the M1A2 is a great vehicle but I believe there is plenty of a room for improvement. When the subject comes up they seem reluctant to even say 'MBT' or 'tank'. So until there is a tech breakthrough (which could be soon, or not), I think it makes more sense to concentrate engineering capital in sectors where they can push the envelope, and (comparative advantage coming into play) 'outsource' your AFV development to allies, and produce their stuff here.īack to the MBT question I think the problem of wanting something 'transformative' is a very real one in this area as well. That's a sign a market segment has matured. Everyone and their dog has gotten in on the act.

AFV tech seems to have plateaued at the moment, and I think products like CV90 and AMV reflect that, as it isn't necessarily the bleeding edge tech nations or traditional AFV producers developing top of the line AFVs. I like T10, and think it would be perfect for the Marines if they weren't eliminating tanks (still think it's stupid), but none of those are a massive leap in tech and capability. K2 is impressive, as is Armata if it lives up to the hype.

Trophy and the like may be a game changer, but they don't need a new tank. I'm not really sure there is anything in terms of new tech that would justify a new tank design right now.

Badass future military tanks