Commanders!
Some of you have been guessing correctly, some of you have been suggesting at as well and we’re happy to adhere to your wishes. Without further ado, presenting the final prize of the upcoming Battle Path, the XK3 Main Battle Tank.
For starters, a little history and background as usual.
Our XK3 is based on a small scale model of the Next Generation Tank, unveiled by Hyundai during the ADEX 2023 expo in Seoul. The model was developed without any doubt to be more eye-catching than anything else, but also to highlight the technologies that are being developed to upgrade the K2 as well as its replacement.
The characteristics of the vehicle, as presented by Hyundai Rotem, are not known, but some can be discerned from taking a look at how the entire model is assembled. It’s clear already that the future doesn’t lie in weight increases so the tank would very likely be very light (we’re going with 35 tons). Pure passive protection is a thing of the past and the vehicle therefore features very advanced APS and jammers.
Several concepts of South Korean “next-gen MBT” were presented with a different one mentioning a 130mm smoothbore gun – so that’s what we went with. The launcher is for advanced Raybolt ATGMs. And last but not least, no next-gen MBT concept would be complete without a hybrid engine (also mentioned in potential K2 upgrades).
Unlike some other games, we’d like to be clear in saying that we made most of the vehicle’s characteristics up. How much “fake” it is when an actual small-scale model exists (along with a nicely rendered video by Hyundai Rotem) – that, our dear players, we leave for you to judge.
This tank has been in our sights ever since it appeared and it was suggested by you many times. We hope that you’ll forgive us the liberties we took in designing it. After all, it’s far more real than the infamous ZTZ-20. With that being said, let’s get to its performance.
In Armored Warfare, the XK3 will be a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank.
As you can guess from the text above, as MBTs go, the XK3 will be on the light side. The best word to describe it would be “cutting edge” – what it lacks in thick armor it more than makes up in mobility, weaponry and electronics. In other word, it’ll be what MBTs of the future will likely become as well – a hybrid of a battle tank, fire support vehicle and an electronic warfare platform.
Let’s talk specifics. You’ve already read about its weight – mere 35 tons. That’s due to the use of advanced composite armor. Here’s the thing about such composite armor. Even now, it is clear that tank duels are a thing of the past. They simply don’t happen even in widespread conflicts so having incredibly thick frontal armor to protect the tank against another tank (let alone something as obsolete as an anti-tank gun) is simply wasteful. Drones and ATGMs, on the other hand, represent a massive threat to the point of making classic, un-upgraded tanks obsolete. A single drone worth a few thousand dollars can effectively knock-out an Abrams (widely considered one of the best tanks in the world), let along even older machines.
As a result of this line of thought, the XK3 will be extremely well protected against HEAT threats but poorly against APFSDS rounds. The composites will also be complemented by ERA covering its sides (those are the hexagons on the hull). Along with that come two active protection systems – one of the best hard-kill APS in the entire game and a very effective soft-kill APS to boot. These launchers (along with smoke) are hidden in the turret – the hexagonal panels open and close depending on their status. The crew is also located in the hull and the turret is therefore unmanned (taking reduced damage).
But that’s just passive protection – what's more important is the firepower. The tank will have a 130mm smoothbore cannon roughly on par with the KF51 (APFSDS, HEAT-MP and HE shells) as well as a twin-tube Raybolt ATGM launcher in the turret. The missiles will have tandem warheads (1200mm penetration for now), excellent maneuverability and the top attack self-homing feature (think double tap Javelin/Raybolt, although single fire mode can be selected). You don’t have to worry about gun elevation and depression either – the vehicle will have active tilting suspension much like the K2 Black Panther.
It’s probably worth noting that the concept has a remote-controlled autocannon on its roof. We have decided not to introduce it because it doesn’t fit the vehicle’s intended gameplay which we will describe below. In other words, it’s a design choice.
And then there’s the mobility – a hybrid engine producing 1500hp at 35 tons, need we say more? The vehicle will not only be fast, but also agile and, even more importantly, stealthy. Because that is its real ace in the hole – its stealth. Aside from being generally stealthy (20% base camouflage], the vehicle will feature a brand-new active ability called Ambush Mode.
When the ability is activated, the tank redirects its power from the electric generator to camouflage and cooling systems. In game terms, what this means is that its active protection systems (both of them) become deactivated as long as the ability works. On the upside, the camouflage factor jumps to whopping 70%, making the vehicle very hard to detect.
When the ability is active, the gun/missiles gain an overheat meter. It doesn’t prevent you from firing but as long as the weapons don’t overheat, you can fire without a penalty to camouflage. This on one hand severely limits your damage output but it keeps the vehicle practically invisible for as long as the ability is active.
The ability will deactivate either when you disable it manually or when the vehicle gets spotted and the deactivation is followed by a long cooldown.
Now, you might be thinking, this thing’s going to compete for the same spot as the KF51 and EMBT, right? Yes and no. All three vehicles will have their niche. The XK3 puts more emphasis on pure stealth and mobility, the EMBT will offer the Jammer ability and as for the KF51 Panther? It’s getting its Hero 120 drones. How’s that for a pack of changes!
Either way, in capable hands, the XK3 is bound to be a powerhouse. But there’s one last thing. The name XK3 sounds boring, right? It needs a cool name. A strong name. So we’ll let you name it and vote on the best suggestion (with the owner of the winning suggestion receiving something cool). So start thinking about some good names and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!