Main Ground Combat System

Main Ground Combat System
Typenext generation Main battle tank, system of systems
Place of origin Germany
 France
Production history
DesignerKrauss-Maffei Wegmann
Nexter Systems
Rheinmetall[1]
ProducedNot earlier than 2045

The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is a project launched in 2017 by Germany and France, aiming to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks.[2][3][4][5] Coordinated by Germany, in contrast to the other major Franco-German program launched in 2018 (the Future Combat Air System implemented under French lead), the MGCS will not be a single armoured fighting vehicle, but a series of systems conceived around said vehicle.

It is to be developed and manufactured by KNDS (a holding company founded in 2015 by German arms producer KMW and the French defence firm Nexter Systems) and Rheinmetall, which joined the project in 2019. Rheinmetall's addition to the MGCS did not go without tensions between Paris and Berlin, as development leadership of the various pillars of the program as well industrial production were supposed to be equally split between the two countries. Ultimately, an agreement was reached, with Nexter, KMW and Rheinmetall leading the development of 1/3 of the program's pillars each, with a guarantee that Nexter will manufacture 50% of the systems as originally agreed, while the remaining half is shared between the two German contractors.[6] The first production unit is expected to roll off the assembly line in 2045.[7]

According to Frank Haun, CEO of KNDS, various countries have shown interest in joining the MGCS, including Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Discussions are still ongoing on the matter as of 2022.[8]

  1. ^ Heiming, Gerhard (16 March 2020). "MGCS – Studien für die Nachfolge der derzeitigen Kampfpanzergeneration". Europäische Sicherheit und Technik (in German). Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. ^ Germany, France to jointly develop 'Leopard 3' tank Archived 25 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Deutsche Welle, 22 May 2015
  3. ^ "Design concepts emerge for possible new French–German Main Ground Combat System - Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Europe creates its supertank - The Siver Week". sivweek.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference isl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "MGCS: Italy, Poland, Norway and Great Britain could join the program from 2023". 11 April 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference j81083 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "KNDS-Chef erwartet bald weitere Partner bei deutsch-französischem Panzerprojekt MGCS". 8 April 2022.