Serbia’s New M-84 AS3 Tank Aims to Challenge U.S. M1A2 Abrams and NATO Leopard 2.

Serbia has unveiled its new M-84 AS3 tank, designed to compete directly with the U.S. M1A2 Abrams and NATO’s Leopard 2. The modernization marks Serbia’s bid to elevate its armored forces and attract global defense buyers.

Belgrade, Serbia, October 8, 2025, 13:54 PM (CEST) - At the Partner 2025 defense exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, defense manufacturer Yugoimport introduced the M-84 AS3, its most advanced main battle tank to date. Equipped with upgraded armor, digital fire-control systems, and NATO-level sensors, the AS3 is designed to rival Western platforms like the U.S. M1A2 Abrams and German Leopard 2. The unveiling signals Serbia’s intent to modernize its ground forces and expand its defense export portfolio.
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The M-84 AS3 is Serbia’s latest main battle tank, featuring upgraded armor, active protection, advanced optics, and enhanced firepower to meet modern battlefield threats. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The M-84 tank family has its roots in the 1980s Yugoslav defense industry, which sought to create an indigenous armored platform based on the Soviet T-72M while integrating localized enhancements. The first M-84 rolled off the production line at the Đuro Đaković plant in Slavonski Brod (present-day Croatia) in 1984 and quickly became the most advanced main battle tank produced by a non-Soviet Warsaw Pact member.

The original M-84 was armed with a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore gun, capable of firing a wide array of Soviet-standard ammunition types including APFSDS, HEAT, and HE-FRAG. It featured an autoloader system, reducing the crew to three—commander, gunner, and driver. Secondary armament included a coaxial 7.62mm PKT machine gun and a roof-mounted 12.7mm NSVT heavy machine gun for anti-air and anti-infantry roles.

Mobility was a key strength of the M-84. Powered by a V-46TK 12-cylinder diesel engine generating 780 horsepower, the tank had a top road speed of 65 km/h and an operational range of up to 500 kilometers. Its combat weight of around 41.5 tons gave it a favorable power-to-weight ratio, while its torsion bar suspension enabled off-road agility. It could ford water obstacles up to 1.2 meters deep unprepared, or up to 5 meters with a snorkel.

In terms of protection, the M-84 incorporated composite armor on the turret front and glacis plate, offering an estimated protection equivalent to 400–450 mm RHA against kinetic threats and up to 600 mm against shaped-charge munitions. The M-84A variant introduced minor enhancements in fire control and targeting optics, but by the 2000s, the platform was technologically outdated compared to modern threats, lacking thermal sights, reactive armor, or advanced digital networking.

The M-84 AS3 unveiled at Partner 2025 is far more than an incremental upgrade; it is a sweeping modernization that transforms a legacy Cold War platform into a digitally networked, battlefield-resilient fighting vehicle. At its core, the AS3 retains the 125mm smoothbore gun but integrates a new generation of armor-piercing (AP) and high-explosive (HE) ammunition, offering improved penetration and blast effects to match evolving armored threats.

Critically, the automatic loading system for the main armament has been relocated outside the crew compartment and repositioned at the rear of the turret, drastically improving crew survivability by isolating ammunition in an armored bustle with blow-out panels, an approach now standard in Western MBT designs.

The gunner’s station has been fully upgraded with a new sighting system incorporating thermal imaging (TMV), daylight television (TV), and laser rangefinding (LR), linked to a digital fire control system. This dramatically improves first-round hit probability and overall engagement effectiveness under all battlefield conditions.

One of the most important survivability features is the integration of a hard-kill active protection system (APS), designed to intercept and destroy incoming anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), rocket-propelled grenades, and top-attack munitions. With this addition, the M-84 AS3 achieves survivability standards comparable to tanks like the M1A2 Abrams with Trophy APS and the Leopard 2A8 with EuroTrophy.

Additional protection is delivered through modular explosive reactive armor (ERA) modules on the hull and turret, a fuel explosion prevention system, an automatic fire suppression system, and enhanced engine protection subsystems. In terms of electronic warfare and sensor evasion, the tank features a mobile camouflage kit that reduces its signature in both the infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) spectrums, offering greater survivability against drone and loitering munition threats.

The M-84 AS3 also embraces full digitization. It includes a GNSS-based navigation and orientation system, a dual-axis digital meteorological sensor, and a new commander’s 360-degree video surveillance suite, significantly increasing situational awareness. These are fully networked into upgraded command information and communication systems (CIS), enabling seamless integration into modern C4ISR frameworks.

Despite a raised combat weight of 48.5 tons, mobility is maintained through an upgraded engine producing up to 735 kW (1,000 hp). The tank can reach road speeds in excess of 60 km/h, supported by forged dual-pin tracks with a service life of up to 4,000 kilometers. A 7.5 kW auxiliary power unit (APU) ensures onboard systems remain powered during silent watch operations, reducing fuel consumption and acoustic or thermal signatures when stationary.

With the M-84 AS3, Serbia has redefined its armored capability not just for national defense but for global export relevance. The AS3 offers a low-cost, high-capability solution for countries seeking to modernize Soviet-era fleets without the financial or political burdens associated with Western platforms. It is especially attractive for armed forces in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East that operate aging T-72 or M-84 inventories and seek an affordable modernization path with credible battlefield performance.

While it cannot match the sheer industrial depth or sensor fusion of the Abrams, Leopard 2, or Leclerc families, the AS3 offers a pragmatic balance of protection, firepower, and digitalization, making it one of the most capable non-NATO MBT modernization packages currently available on the international market.

The public debut of the M-84 AS3 at Partner 2025 marks not only a new chapter for the Serbian defense industry, but also reasserts Belgrade’s ambition to reclaim a role in the global armored systems marketplace.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.