Report: Germany and France Set Up Company to Develop Advanced MGCS Tank - M5 Dergi
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Report: Germany and France Set Up Company to Develop Advanced MGCS Tank

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German and French companies have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture MGCS Project Company, which will develop and manufacture a new generation European tank, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Thales have signed a shareholder agreement to establish MGCS Project Company GmbH, headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

The signing ceremony took place in Paris in the presence of French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecorne and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

“Today marks an important step in the future establishment of the MGCS Project Company. Following the conclusion of a contract with the Bundeswehr Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Technical Support (BAAINBw), acting on behalf of the two states through the German-French Joint Project Team (CPT), this company will be responsible as the industrial general contractor for the implementation of the next phase of the MGCS program,” the press release stated.

The new company, in particular, will have to approve the final concept of the new tank and the main technological components of its systems. It will be owned equally by the parties, 25% each, with a national share of participation of 50% by Germany and 50% by France.

Main Ground Combat System

3D model of the MGCS next-generation tank prototype.

MGCS is a project launched in 2017 by Germany and France to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks.

The program is supposed to develop a universal platform on the basis of which other vehicles will be built in addition to the tank. In particular, early concepts of an artillery unit and a heavy armored personnel carrier were presented on a number of models.

At the Eurosatory exhibition in 2022, KNDS demonstrated the MGCS technology prototype, which is not yet a working prototype, but reflects the vision of the future combat vehicle.

The presented model is actually a significantly modified combat compartment of the Leclerc tank based on the Leopard 2A7 chassis.

The first combat vehicle developed under this project is expected to be produced in 2035.

In early January 2025, KNDS conducted a test of the 140/120 mm ASCALON bi-caliber tank gun, which is proposed to be installed on this tank.

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