Germany and France will have a state-of-the-art MGCS land combat system by 2040. On Friday, the defense ministers of the two countries signed a joint declaration in Paris to build modern armored vehicles.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu described them as the “tank of the future.”
The new vehicles should be available by 2040. Pistorius stressed that the vehicles will not be a development of contemporary tanks, but “something completely new,” which will include several “networked combat vehicles.”
The tanks will be equipped with technologies based on artificial intelligence, the German defense minister added.
The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is the land-based equivalent of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which France and Germany are already working on.
The MGCS is expected to link battle tanks in a data network with other weapons such as drones.
The French defense minister conveyed that the development and construction of the system have been contracted to Rheinmetall, KNDS and Thales.
The goal is to finalize the respective contracts by the end of this year. In principle, France is to be responsible for the development of the FCAS system, and Germany for the MGCS.
Pistorius stressed that there is no doubt that the MGCS project will receive support from the majority of German Bundestag MP’s. The system is to be a follow-up to the German Leopard 2 tank and the French Leclerc tank.
The new vehicles should be available by 2040. Pistorius stressed that the vehicles will not be a development of contemporary tanks, but “something completely new,” which will include several “networked combat vehicles.”
The tanks will be equipped with technologies based on artificial intelligence, the German defense minister added.
The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is the land-based equivalent of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which France and Germany are already working on.
The MGCS is expected to link battle tanks in a data network with other weapons such as drones.
The French defense minister conveyed that the development and construction of the system have been contracted to Rheinmetall, KNDS and Thales.
The goal is to finalize the respective contracts by the end of this year. In principle, France is to be responsible for the development of the FCAS system, and Germany for the MGCS.
Pistorius stressed that there is no doubt that the MGCS project will receive support from the majority of German Bundestag MP’s. The system is to be a follow-up to the German Leopard 2 tank and the French Leclerc tank.
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