In Development: EMBT

Commanders!

It’s been a while since we announced a vehicle that’s not a progression one (we’ll show you the T-80BVM as soon as it is ready) or a Battle Path one so, to change the pace of things, we have prepared a brand-new MBT for you – the Enhanced Main Battle Tank (EMBT).

The Enhanced Main Battle Tank demonstrator is the latest attempt to integrate German and French technologies and to create a vehicle that could become a future MBT for the entire Western Europe (Main Ground Combat System).

The EMBT was built by KNDS (a consortium of German KMW and French Nexter) by combining a modified Leopard 2 hull with a brand-new French turret that is possibly based on the Leclerc, following an earlier 2018 demonstrator that was also referred to as EMBT (but in this case, it meant European Main Battle Tank). The 2018 EMBT was a simple combination of a Leopard 2 hull and an unmodified Leclerc turret, while the 2022 EMBT already features new developments.

The concept of the EMBT tank is similar to AbramsX and KF51, focusing on advanced technologies and active protection in order to reduce the vehicle’s weight. The tank features plenty of cutting edge tech, including the Trophy hard-kill APS, Galix soft-kill APS and an advanced fire control system that’s perhaps the most advanced piece of equipment of its kind in the world.

The main armament of the demonstrator was the French 120mm gun of the Leclerc, although the idea was to arm it with the fearsome automatically loaded 140mm ASCALON gun.

A single prototype was unveiled at the Eurosatory 2022 expo in Paris and, much like the KF51, immediately caught a lot of attention. It is not related to the KF51 MBT – rather, it’s a direct competitor. Another version was unveiled in 2024, featuring a different turret. However, our in-game model is based on the 2022 one.

In Armored Warfare, the EMBT will be a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank.

Gameplay-wise, you’re looking at another member of the Leopard family, much like the KF51 Panther. Unlike the Panther the EMBT doesn’t have a separate missile launcher. What it does have, however, is a bigger gun – the French 140mm ASCALON cannon with a rather special ability.

But let’s start, as usual, with the protection. The vehicle is relatively well-armored frontally (about as well as the Panther) although the sides are less protected as the tank does not have any ERA covering its flanks – it’s all just composites and steel. What the tank does have, however, is both a soft-kill APS (Galix) and hard-kill APS (Trophy). The smoke cover is frontal only.

Speaking of protection – we have replaced the remote-controlled weapons station on top with a jammer module. Upon the introduction of the UAVs, this vehicle will receive the Drone Jammer active ability.

Next, the mobility. Nothing unusual here – 61 tons and the 1500hp MTU 883 EPP engine. In other words, it’s basically a Leopard 2A6. It won’t win any races but it’ll be mobile enough to do this job.

And, finally, the thing the Leopard series of vehicles are all about in Armored Warfare – long-range firepower. You’ll have a new French 140mm ASCALON gun at your disposal firing two types of shells.

• 140mm APFSDS (875mm penetration, 855 damage)
• 140mm NLOS HEAT-TA (650mm penetration, 675 damage, 190 partial damage and 48 non-penetrating damage)

The latter shell type you may already be familiar with from our Altay and K2 buffs. Top-attack HEAT rounds fly over the target, exploding and dealing damage to the roof of the turret that is typically very poorly armored. The 140mm version the EMBT can fire is the most powerful round of its kind and can be used to wreak havoc even amongst well-hidden enemies. The vehicle will also offer reasonable gun depression (-6 or -7 degrees depending on the area) and the Improved Propellant module, making firing APFSDS at long distances more effective.

As for the gun, you’ll have a three-round clip at your disposal. This is to accommodate a new system called Machine Learning.

The EMBT has an advanced computer on board that learns from its mistakes and also scans the target for weakspots. In game terms, when firing APFSDS rounds, each subsequent shot increases penetrates more than the previous one. This is an upscaled version of the ability the Griffin 50mm has with one major difference. You don’t need to hit with all three – the second and third one will always feature improved penetration (by how much is still being tested). That way, you can “pre-load” the high-penetration shot by firing the first two. How you use that ability is up to you. Other than that, the vehicle will offer 10% camouflage value and 360m viewrange.

In summation, what you have here is a an effective mid-range fighter that should generally stay away from close combat to guard its weak sides, but is capable of effectively engaging the enemy at long distances. In short, it’s a sniper MBT.

We hope that you’ll enjoy it and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!