As a reserve officer in the Panzertruppe, Rolf Hilmes was trained on the Bundeswehr's most important main battle tank, the Leopard. After his military service, he worked in the armaments field as a tank technology consultant, before accepting a position as a lecturer and department head at the Bundeswehr Academy. Since his retirement, he has been able to devote more time to his hobbies--which include preparing presentations, articles, and books on the subject of tank technology.