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HWK 40

Germany·Heavy Tank·HT universal

A project for a heavy tank from the late 1960s, envisaged as a better protected and more powerful "heavy variant" of the Leopard 1 doctrine, retaining the conventional configuration. The vehicle combined traditional solutions with new elements: a developed stabilization system, modernized transmission, and experimental armor modules. The work took place from 1967 through 1971; a full-scale mockup was made. However, for a number of reasons (primarily because of a heavyweight tank's incompatibility with the doctrine of the Bundeswehr's maneuverable forces) the project was taken no further. Nevertheless, several technical solutions were used later in research preceding the appearance of next-generation tanks, including the Leopard 2.