Russia's cutting-edge T-14 Armata battle tank with its 125 mm calibre cannon eclipses the German Leopard-2 in a number of its characteristics, Die Welt reported.
The daily mentioned the Russian tank in relation to joint attempts by Germany and France to develop a new combat vehicle that will replace their Leopard and Leclerc tanks, respectively.
According to the author of the article, their joint cooperation could be overshadowed by a disagreement on the installation of a cannon that the new tank will be equipped with.
German defence contractor Rheinmetall has developed a 130 mm calibre weapon to replace the old one with a smaller calibre.
Similarly, French weapons manufacturer Nexter announced successful tests of a 140 mm calibre cannon.
Both companies argue that their weapons are the most suitable for the jointly-developed German-French tank.