In Development: XK3

[Qbicle 108]

Source:

https://armoredwarfare.com/en/news/general/development-xk3

 

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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 alone 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!

 

Dev responses on official Discord server:

• When asked about this particular tank, Maciek states it's a K2 upgrade proposal that is named K3 for marketing sake and not related to the Next-Generation Main Battle Tank that will appear as XK3 in AW.
• Some people state that there's a large difference between AW's proposed mass of 35t vs "less than 55t" as seen on the spec sheet. SS replied "Maybe the 35 is a mistake, let me check".
• The top-attack missile choice is "to make things interesting".
• There is no plan to retrofit the Ambush Mode ability to the PL-01 or the CV90120 Ghost.
• It's probably too late to add RWS to the tank as a functional weapon or just a static decoration.
• The XK3's iteration in AW is akin to an export version adapted to the needs of the customer, hence the lack of autocannon RWS by design choice. "Note how the original does not have a coax and our does for example."
• There will be an official XK3 naming contest, but it's not available yet as of this article's publishing date.

[Qbicle 108]

The naming contest:

https://armoredwarfare.com/en/news/general/contest-name-xk3

 

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If you are following our news, you know already that the top prize of the upcoming Battle Path (called “Seahawks”) is the XK3 Main Battle Tank. And you already know that we have promised to let you name it in a contest. This is that contest.

The rules are really simple. Write your suggestion (along with your in-game name) in this form until October 20, 2024 (23:59 CEST). Once the submission phase is over, the acceptable names will be put to a vote by you.

The winner will receive the access to the Seahawks Battle Path along with 225.000 Battle Coins (enough to unlock the XK3 on the first day). Additionally, the vehicle will be named so in the game with a mention of the winning player’s name in its description.

Please note:

• The submission phase ends on October 20, 2024 at 23:59 CEST
• The name has to be in English or at least written with Latin alphabet
• Foreign names are translated to be in English. Names in foreign languages will not be accepted (so, for example, the Russian word Bars would have to be submitted as “Snow Leopard”), the manner of translation is your responsibility
• One submission allowed per player
• If two players make the same suggestion, only the earlier one will make it into the voting
• Suggestions must not include inappropriate words, terms or connotations
• We reserve the right to discard any such inappropriate submissions based on our judgment
• The prize will be handed out with or after the launch of the Seahawks Battle Path

 

A partial list of submitted names may be found here.

[Qbicle 108]

Source:

https://armoredwarfare.com/en/news/general/xk3-name-contest-voting

 

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As you already know, we are running a contest to give the XK3 MBT a proper name. We have gathered your submissions and would now like you to vote for your favorite one.

Please use this link to vote for your submission until October 27, 2024.

 

• SS already regrets making this contest. "That XK3 contest was a bad idea. So many retarded submissions... Just a huge waste of my time at the busiest time of the year."
• He disagrees making the poll available on Discord only. "Discord is very limited. Also, much easier to process the data from google."
• "I think the deciding factor will be the Korean community. For one, it's relatively numerous. Second, they want a Korean name and it appears they are voting for one."

 

[Qbicle 108]

The XK3 will be called "XK3 Phantom" in the game.

 

Source:

https://armoredwarfare.com/en/news/general/xk3-contest-results

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Thank you all for voting in our XK3 naming contest. We are now ready to announce the results.

After a disqualification of one of the leading entries, it was the name Phantom that received the most votes. The same name was submitted several times (in fact, 22 times) but the first player to submit it was Pasta_Senpai.

He will receive his prize upon the launch of the Seahawks Battle Path and the vehicle will be renamed to XK3 Phantom momentarily. Thank you all who have participated in the contest and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

 

On a side note, SS posted a message regarding the results in Discord on the day before:

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Commanders, we'll post the XK3 results officially but for now, I'd like to say that the winning vote is the "Phantom". Furthermore, I'd like to apologize to TitaniumNA because while the top submission "Yi Sang" was fairly clearly rigged, there is no evidence he personally is responsible and we should adhere to the classic principle of innocence presumption. According to his explanation, it might have been the fans of another video game with a similar character who somehow got the wind of it and wanted to have a bit of fun. Who knows.