European defense company KNDS has formally unveiled its new Leopard 2A8 main battle tank, which will be deployed with German forces in Lithuania as the continent steps up its presence on NATO's eastern flank bordering Russia.

The tank was formally rolled out in the German city of Munich on November 19 in a ceremony attended by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The design is entirely new, rather than an update on previous platforms, according to its developers. The tank, like older Leopards, is fitted with a 120 mm smooth-bore main cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns.

Why It Matters

European countries have long used different versions of the Leopard tank, and several nations donated dozens of Leopard 1 and 2s to Ukraine's war effort in the years since Russia's full-scale invasion

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