KNDS Demos ASCALON Tank Gun's Quick Barrel Calibre Change

KNDS conducted a new firing campaign for the ASCALON 140mm gun, demonstrating barrel caliber transition from 120 to 140mm in less than an hour.

KNDS prepares the ASCALON concept within the framework of the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

KNDS is actively working to demonstrate the maturity of the ASCALON 140mm gun and its ammunition. The last firing campaign in May 2024 has shown the capacities of the 140 and 120mm barrels as well as the APFSDS rounds' maturity. The ASCALON program includes several hundreds of firings of 120 and 140mm barrels from May 2022 to December 2025. The next important step is firing tests from a main battle tank in 2025.

A scalable gun for more modularity. KNDS demonstration included shooting with a 140mm ASCALON barrel followed by a quick change to a 120mm ASCALON barrel before new firing of 120mm ammunition. This campaign shows the possibility offered by the ASCALON concept to fit any barrel from 120 mm to 140 mm on a sole carriage in less than one hour.

ASCALON, the new gun concept for the development of the MGCS main weapon. The innovative concept ASCALON delivers performance levels that current technologies do not offer. It also proposes significant growth potential. As the innovation leader of heavy caliber gun and ammunition, KNDS designed ASCALON with an open architecture to serve as a basis for cooperative development of a combat gun platform within the framework of the Franco-German MGCS program, laying the foundations for the future standard of European tank gun and ammunition.