Rheinmetall has successfully completed the development of the latest generation of advanced armor-piercing 120mm caliber ammunition, KE 2020 Neo.

According to the company’s press release, it is designed to counter modern defense technologies.

“Thanks to the use of new technologies, the high-strength tungsten core in the projectile will be able to penetrate modern armor,” Rheinmetall representatives stated.

As a result, Rheinmetall has received orders from the Bundeswehr and the British Army to produce samples of this new ammunition.

The KE 2020 Neo, also known as Enhanced Kinetic Energy (eKE) munition, is the latest innovation in Rheinmetall’s series of kinetic energy munitions.

Rheinmetall’s KE series of projectiles has evolved considerably since the initial DM13 model.

It was followed in the 1980s by the DM23, then the DM33, and then advanced versions such as the DM53 and DM63.

They were designed to meet the needs of the modernized Leopard 2A6 tank.

Today, the DM73 is the advanced ammunition in the series used by the Bundeswehr with the L55A1 gun.

The official qualification contract signed in September 2020 between the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH highlights Rheinmetall’s leading position in smoothbore and tank weaponry technology.

Rheinmetall’s 120mm smoothbore technology, including the Rh120 gun and ammunition series, has become the NATO standard for main battle tanks such as the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams and is being integrated into the Challenger 3 tank to enhance its combat capabilities.

In June 2023, Germany handed over modern DM53A1 armor-piercing ammunition to Ukraine along with Leopard 2 tanks.