5. Modernization Generation
Many tanks in existing armed forces are becoming increasingly outdated, not only because they are old (the M1 Abrams has been in production since 1980), but because their main competition on the potential battlefield has thus far been similarly old tanks.
Germany and France already began developing a new tank, the Leopard 3, in 2015. While Britain is not planning to take part in the tank’s development, it is possible that Western countries’ escalation of tensions with Russia could give a new push for defense manufacturers to lobby for the development of new tanks.