The EMBT Will Bring a Leopard-Leclerc Hybrid to War Thunder at Rank VIII
The planned vehicle combines a Leopard 2A7 chassis and engine with a Leclerc S2 turret, an autoloader, and the OFL 120 F1 APFSDS round.
War Thunder will add the EMBT to both Germany and France at Rank VIII, giving each nation a hybrid main battle tank built around a German Leopard 2A7 chassis and a French Leclerc S2 turret. Gaijin Entertainment has not provided an arrival date, and the vehicle’s specifications may change before it enters the game.
Gaijin detailed the tank in its Steam announcement, outlining a vehicle that trades some protection for firepower, mobility, and a flexible place in both nations’ ground lineups.
Firepower comes from the Leclerc side
The EMBT will use a long-barreled 120 mm gun with an automatic loader. Its ammunition includes the OFL 120 F1 APFSDS round, which is also used by the Leclerc S2. That combination should give the tank a strong option for direct engagements at Rank VIII.
Protection is split between the two donor vehicles. The Leopard-based hull provides reinforced frontal armor, while the Leclerc turret contributes reinforced cheeks. The EMBT also uses the Leopard 2A7’s engine, but its overall weight is about 4.5 tons lower, giving it strong mobility for a tank with this level of firepower.
Its weak points remain clear. Side hits can cause serious problems, and the turret ring is another vulnerable area. Players will need to use movement and positioning rather than relying on the turret to absorb every incoming round.
Germany and France will receive different research paths
Germany will place the EMBT in the joint-development sub-branch after the American-German Leopard 2K. It can be researched separately from the main Leopard line, giving German players another route toward the Rank VIII vehicle.
France will place the tank at the top of its Dutch Leopard line. It will also be researched separately from the Leclerc vehicles, so the EMBT will occupy a distinct place in both nations’ trees despite sharing equipment with existing tanks.
The EMBT’s real-world development
Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann unveiled the first EMBT prototype on June 11, 2018, at Eurosatory. The design paired a Leopard 2A7 chassis with a Leclerc turret as one proposal for the Main Ground Combat System program.
KNDS France presented a different EMBT variant at Eurosatory 2022. A 2024 mockup then showed an updated design fitted with the 140 mm smoothbore ASCALON gun. Tanks developed through the MGCS program could eventually replace Europe’s Leopard 2 and Leclerc XLR fleets, but that change would not happen before 2035.
The EMBT will give Germany and France another high-rank tank built around speed and firepower, although its turret ring and side armor will leave it vulnerable when exposed. Share your thoughts on the Eurotank in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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