Key Points and Summary – This 2025 ranking of Europe’s top 5 tanks (excluding the M1 Abrams) showcases advanced armor and firepower.
-At #5 is Ukraine’s Oplot-M, a modernized T-80.
A British Army Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) lays down a smoke screen during Spring Storm 19, Estonia’s largest annual military exercise. Roughly 9,000 soldiers from Estonia, other NATO Allies and partner nations have gathered near the town of Jõhvi to engage in a collective defence exercise, strengthening their ability to work together in times of crisis.
-The #4 spot goes to the UK’s Challenger 2, lauded for its survivability in Ukraine.
-France’s fast-firing Leclerc, with its 12-round-per-minute autoloader, takes #3.
-South Korea’s K2 Black Panther, now a pillar of Poland’s army, is #2.
-The list is topped by the #1 German Leopard 2A7V, which is considered the best for its combination of a more powerful gun, modular armor, and the integrated Trophy active protection system.
The Five Best Tanks In Europe in 2025
The argument over whether the tank has seen its heyday is still ongoing; however, I would argue here that the main battle tank is far from done, even with the plethora of anti-tank missiles and drones that we’ve seen in Ukraine.
An M1A2 Abrams tanks, assigned to 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, maneuver into fighting position during a battalion live-fire range during Agile Spirit 19 at Orpholo Training Area, Georgia, August 9, 2019. AgS19 is a joint, multinational exercise co-led by the Georgian Defense Forces and U.S. Army Europe which incorporates a command post exercise, field training and joint multinational live fires. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. True Thao)
Everyone loves lists of Top 5 this or that, so here is my list of the Top 5 European tanks in 2025. I could list the M1 Abrams since some countries use them, but I left that out. And I didn’t include Russia’s tanks, though a variant of one does make the list.
#5 The T-84 Oplot-M
The Oplot-M, built by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB) for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, deserves a spot on this list. Building upon the Soviet T-80, the Oplot-M incorporates several improvements over its predecessors.
With modern thermal sights and fire-control systems, the tank can accurately hit targets from over 3 km away.
T-84 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
T-84 Tank Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The tank features a bustle autoloader system, reducing the crew size to three—a massive improvement over the volatile carousel autoloader in Soviet tanks. Oplot-M is powered by a 6TD-2 multifuel, six-cylinder, liquid-cooled diesel engine that delivers a maximum power of 882kW.
The engine gives it an on-road speed of 70 km/h and an estimated range of 500 km.
#4 The British Challenger 2
The Challenger 2 is among the best-protected main battle tanks operated by the 32 NATO member allies, thanks to its Dorchester armor.
The armor, itself an evolution of the United Kingdom’s Chobham armor used on the M1 Abrams, is a multi-layered composite material, thought to be made of several kinds of metals, ceramics, and possibly other materials that are a tightly guarded British secret.
One example of how tough the armor is was when a Ukrainian tank crew survived a direct hit from a high-explosive round during a rocket attack by Russian helicopters.
Challenger 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Challenger 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“The damage was 720 mm deep, but the crew inside survived. The tank could still move and complete its mission,” according to the tank commander.
Works “Like A Sniper”
The tank crew relayed that one of Challenger 2’s key strengths is its accuracy. The tank features a rifled 120mm gun and a sophisticated firing system that compensates for factors such as wind speed and humidity.
The brigade has changed its usage, and it is now using the Challenger 2s to support the infantry rather than the other way around. Other tankers said they fight their tank from Ukrainian-controlled treelines, firing at Russian-controlled treelines up to 1.8 miles away while drones correct their shots.
The targets were the Russians’ “full-concrete, dug-in positions.” But “no vehicles yet,” one tanker added.
The Challenger 2 Is Heavy
The Ukrainians didn’t use them in the type of attacks for which they were designed. The Challenger II was intended as a break-out, defensive line-penetrating platform during the counteroffensive. They were used more as mobile assault guns than in a traditional tank role.
Leclerc Main Battle Tank in Parade. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Leclerc Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The crew in the Forbes article explained why. “Cross-country mobility is difficult,” one tanker said. “For our ground, the 71-ton British tank is heavy.”
Like its American counterpart, the M1 Abrams main battle tank, the British Challenger II’s mobility and range are compromised by an effective but heavy armor protection package.
Drawbacks of the Challenger 2 include the need for specialized ammunition, the heavy tank’s tendency to bog down in Ukraine’s soft soil, and its underpowered engine.
#3 The French-built Leclerc Tank
This third-generation, French-built MBT “oozes with firepower,” as National Interest describes it. Designed to replace the French Army’s aging fleet of AMX-30 tanks, the tank was initially conceived in the 1980s and first deployed in 1991.
It is a widely respected MBT in armor circles, despite not being as well-known as some other NATO designs.
Meet The Leclerc Main Battle Tank
The Leclerc is equipped with an automatic loading system for the main armament. Remote-controlled machine guns allow for a crew of just three: a commander, driver, and gunner.
The third-generation tank is armed with a 120mm smoothbore main gun. It is longer than the guns on the Leopard 2 or the M1 Abrams, but it fires essentially the same ammunition.
The 120mm gun is fully stabilized to allow firing on the move, even across open country, with very accurate results. With its autoloader, the Leclerc can sustain a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute.
The 57-ton MBT is powered by a SACM V8 high-pressure diesel engine, which delivers 1,500 horsepower. It can also be equipped with additional fuel tanks to increase its range. It can reach a top speed of 44 mph on roads and 34 mph cross country.
An improved version to improve its defenses against IEDs and drone attacks began reaching units about a year ago.
#2 The Polish (South Korean-Built) Black Panther Tank
The South Korean K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) is one of the most advanced armored vehicles in the world, rivaling Western counterparts like the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2, and Challenger 2. Some experts have even called this tank the best in the world.
Poland received 110 tanks in March of this year. As Poland plans to expand its military, the K2 is envisioned as the new backbone of the Polish tank forces.
The K2 Black Panther was launched in the early 2010s by Hyundai Rotem to integrate a fourth-generation main battle tank into the South Korean Army.
The K2 has a 120-millimeter smoothbore cannon, a 12.7-millimeter (.50 caliber) heavy machine gun, and a 7.62-millimeter NATO-standard secondary machine gun.
K2 Black Panther Tank. Image Credit: Polish Ministry of Defense.
K2 Black Panther Tank from South Korea. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
K2 Black Panther. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The main 120mm gun reportedly fires 10-15 rounds per minute and can be used with a wide range of munitions, including all standard NATO tank rounds. As detailed by Military Watch Magazine, this system can instantaneously detect, select, and load the necessary type and amount of ammunition.
The platform’s sensors are also extremely powerful, with its fire control system linked to a high-frequency radar deployed on the frontal arc of its turret, which complements its crosswind sensors and laser rangefinders.
The tanks’ armor consists of steel and silicon carbide ceramic plates. It measures 36 feet in length, weighs 55 tons (121,254 pounds), and is operated by a three-person crew: a commander, a gunner, and a driver.
The K2 is powered by a 1,500-horsepower engine and a six-speed transmission, capable of reaching 43 miles per hour and a range of 280 miles. While it is one of the most advanced main battle tanks (MBTs) in the world, it is also the most expensive, costing around $8.5 million per unit.
The Korean K2 Black Panther is equipped with an elaborate “snorkel” system that allows it to cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters. This seems to be an amphibious quality, given that the US Army’s M1 Abrams reportedly can travel only about 2 meters of water.
The K2 snorkel system is quite elaborate, as it utilizes a “conning tower” to extend above the tank out of the water and funnel air down into a sealed, air- and water-tight crew compartment, which operates with an air circulation system.
According to data from the K2’s manufacturer, Hyundai Rotem, the tank’s snorkel system can be prepared in 20 to 30 minutes and is fully combat-ready upon exiting the water.
And there is also a K3 tank coming soon, which we saw a model of at a defense expo National Security Journal attended months back in Poland.
K3 Tank from South Korea National Security Journal Photo.
K3 Full Scale Model National Security Journal Photo.
K3 Detailed Model View Image by National Security Journal.
K3 Tank National Security Journal Photo.
#1 The German Leopard
The Leopard 2A7V is Germany’s most advanced version of the Leopard 2 main battle tank, featuring enhanced protection through a new modular armor package, improved lethality with a more powerful L/55A1 cannon and advanced ammunition, and better situational awareness with new sensors and electronics.
This version entered service with the German Bundeswehr in September 2021, weighing around 66.5 tons and utilizing an MTU 1500 HP engine for improved mobility, including an adaptive transmission.
The frontal protection has been improved with a dual kit on the turret and hull front. In contrast, 360° protection against RPGs has been added, and the lower hull has been reinforced for mine protection, increasing the tank’s survivability in urban operations.
German Leopard 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Swedish soldiers with the Wartofta Tank Company, Skaraborg Regiment in a Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank conduct the defensive operations lane during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, June 7, 2018. U.S. Army Europe and the German Army co-host the third Strong Europe Tank Challenge at Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 3 – 8, 2018. The Strong Europe Tank Challenge is an annual training event designed to give participating nations a dynamic, productive and fun environment in which to foster military partnerships, form Soldier-level relationships, and share tactics, techniques and procedures. (U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach)
Canada first used the modular armor system’s components in Afghanistan. It can fire programmable High Explosive munitions. The turret-mounted MG3 has been replaced with a stabilized FLW 200 remotely controlled weapon station.
The improved Leopard has cameras for situational awareness, an enhanced gun barrel for increased service life and foreseeable ammunition improvements, third-generation FLIR for TC and GNR, BMS (battlefield management system), belly and lower glacis armor, and perhaps APS (active protection systems). The external armor package is more conventional than the 7+.
On February 22, 2021, Germany signed a contract with Israel to purchase the Trophy active protection system (APS) for its Leopard 2A7V Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). The Israeli Trophy APS is now in service with three countries, including Israel on the Merkava 4, the United States on the M1A2 SEPV V3, and the Leopard.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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