On the occasion of the IDEX 2023 exhibition, KNDS presented, to everyone's surprise, the EMBT tank, as an alternative for Cairo to modernize its large armored fleet. This proposal was supported by Paris, which maintains excellent relations with the Egyptian authorities against a backdrop of regional strategic convergence.
If the EMBT is now offered on the export market, there is no indication, to date, that Paris intends to be interested in it for its own armed forces. But the arrival, announced recently, of Italy within the MGCS program, could profoundly reshuffle the cards in this area, and simultaneously offer means and opportunities to the French authorities, to develop, and acquire, this intermediate generation tank.
In this section:
The EMBT tank, a promising concept
To this day, the EMBT tank is a tank in name only. It is, in fact, more of a demonstrator entirely focused on a turret and an interior layout of a hull. Leopard 2, which can also be easily replaced by a Leclerc chassis, if necessary.
However, the concepts put forward in the design of this new turret, and the sharing of tasks on board the armored vehicle, are sufficiently innovative to qualify the resulting vehicle as an intermediate generation tank, the equivalent of the new Abrams M1E3 or even of KF51 Panther from Rheinmetall.
We find, in fact, all the characteristics specific to this intermediate generation, including new generation global vetronics, remote-controlled turrets to ensure close protection against infantry and drones, an active protection system combining hard kill and soft kill protection, advanced connectivity to operate from the infocentric combat bubble, as well as its share of drones and guided munitions, for engagement beyond the line of sight. All that would be missing would be hybrid-electric propulsion, to make it what could be the equivalent of what the American M1E3 promises to become.
As we had echoed during its official presentation at the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition, the EMBT brings with it a most interesting concept, probably borrowed from combat aviation. Indeed, where tanks equipped with an automatic gun loading system, as is the case, have a three-member crew (pilot, gunner and tank commander), the EMBT relies, on a fourth member, ensuring the function of systems and weapon systems operator.
Like the OSA (Weapon System Officer) who take place aboard the two-seater versions of the Rafale, the Mirage 2000, the F-15 or the Super Hornet, its function is to implement the long-range detection and engagement systems of the armored vehicle, such as drones, anti-tank missiles, or even anti-tank systems. electronic warfare.
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Hello Fabrice,
I feel like we could have quite a battlelord in this story!
Imagine the EMBT with the ascalon, the diamond and this kind of powertrain ( https://www.forcesoperations.com/comment-arquus-peut-offrir-un-second-souffle-aux-chars-de-combat/ )
and you get something probably terrifying.
I would be the ministry, I would put it at the top of the shopping list and I would start intense lobbying with India and the Middle East
Nice article as usual.
I have little doubt about the potential of the BITD to produce efficient equipment, but above all mobile and well protected, adapted to the employment doctrine of the AT. The problem here is above all political and budgetary. Political, because embarking on EMBT is, in a certain way, recognizing that MGCS is a risky program. This is also the analysis that was made of the Rafale F5 + Neuron, which together represent much more than a simple interim solution. Budgetary, then, because if by redirecting the MGCS savings linked to the arrival of Italy, we can probably finance a large part of the development of EMBT, there is no credit line in the LPM making it possible to acquire the armored vehicle in sufficiently significant quantities to justify its development. For the Rafale F5, there are still around forty devices to be ordered beyond 2030. But for the EMBT, we have 0. So going down this path means returning once again to the LPM…
Hello, you left a typo in the fourth paragraph where you talk about the “KF51 Blanck Panther », in place of the KF51 Panther, small confusion with the K2 Black Panther south korean.
At the same time, we may have to drop the feline names for military vehicles, we are starting to go in circles.
I return to my reading. Good day to you !
Thanks, it's fixed))