Germany gives the green light to establish a company to develop a new generation MGCS tank
Germany's Federal Cartel Office has approved the establishment of a joint venture to develop a new generation MGCS battle tank. Its founders are KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall and THALES.
Here's What We Know
The new company, MGCS-Project Company, will be headquartered in Germany. Only two customers will participate in the project: the governments of Germany and France. According to Andreas Mundt, president of the competition authority, Rheinmetall and KNDS's areas of expertise complement each other, and the armoured vehicle market itself remains competitive.
MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) is a project launched in 2017 to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tanks. It envisages the creation of a universal platform that will serve as the basis not only for the new tank but also for other vehicles, such as artillery systems and heavy armoured personnel carriers.
Illustrative image of the MGCS project. Illustration: KNDS
During the Eurosatory-2022 exhibition, KNDS presented a demonstrator of MGCS technologies. Although it cannot be called a full-fledged prototype, it demonstrates the concept of the future tank. The model combines the combat compartment of the French Leclerc with the Leopard 2A7 chassis.
It is known that the new vehicle will be equipped with the ASCALON bi-calibre gun (140/120 mm), which allows for quick barrel changes and uses a common breech. In January 2025, the first video of the system's testing was released.
Despite initial difficulties in cooperation between Germany and France, in the spring of 2024, the countries reached an agreement on the division of tasks and production capacities. The parties will now work on the platform jointly, with an equal distribution of responsibilities.
Source: Bundeskartellamt
