Project Future Tank: Main Ground Combat System.

The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is a joint armament project of Germany and France for the development of a Main Ground Combat System Land. The project, to be implemented under German political leadership, is intended to replace the Leopard 2 battle tank within the Bundeswehr and the Leclerc within the French Army from 2035 onwards. Preparation for this began in December 2019 with the establishment of a working group (ARGE) by the participating companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW), Rheinmetall AG and on the French side, Nexter Systems. Now, a first study ("System Architecture Definition Study - Part 1 [SADS Part 1]") for this future land combat system is set to begin. A corresponding contract between the three companies and the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), acting on behalf of Germany and France, was recently signed. This contract marks the industrial start of the first step of the MGCS concept.

During the German-French Ministerial Council meeting on October 16, 2019 in Toulouse, the Defense Ministers of both countries, Florence Parly and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, reaffirmed their commitment to the development of the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

The ARGE, as a German legal entity, is the contracting party of the public contracting authority BAAINBw in the first phase of the program. The three companies are represented in the ARGE with equal shares (each 1/3).

The goal of the study is to harmonize the final MGCS concepts from the previous bilateral study phase, analyze further details, and propose a common cross-platform architecture. The three contracting parties will evaluate several aspects of different concepts: the technical feasibility over the entire foreseeable program period, the ability to meet the operational requirements of both armed forces, efficiency, and compatibility with the respective national command system networks (SCORPION in France and D-LBO in Germany). The work shares of this SADS Part 1 study are to be split equally (50:50) between Germany and France. The first phase of this architectural work is expected to last 18 months.

KMW online: www.kmweg.de

RHEINMETALL online: www.rheinmetall.com

NEXTER online: www.nexter-group.fr

The illustrations of the MGCS are not from the project partners, but from an animation by Marcel Adam CG. This unofficial representation has nothing to do with the plans of the German-French consortium. The full video is available on YouTube HERE.