Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden agree to create a successor to the Leopard 2 tank

Germany has reportedly joined Italy, Spain and Sweden to develop a successor to the Leopard 2 tank with funding from Europe. The project will be led by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall, both participants in the Franco-German MGCS programme.

The coup de grâce for the Franco-German MGCS programme. According to German economic media HandelsblattGermany has signed agreements with Italy, Spain and Sweden to develop a successor to the Leopard 2. This project will be supervised by German arms manufacturers Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall, which produce the Leopard 2. Handelsblatt Citing industrial and political sources.

The partners of this initiative intend to submit a request to the European Defense Fund to find financing amounting to hundreds of millions of euros, the newspaper wrote, adding that the project should also include the Swedish Saab and the Italian company Leonardo.

End of MGCS program?

The Spanish partner has not been identified. A Rheinmetall spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. KMW could not immediately be reached. If confirmed, this initiative could anger France, which six years ago launched with Berlin the “tank of the future” (MGCS, Main Ground Combat System), which aims to replace the Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc tank by 2040. The project has been slowed for several months Because of the differences between Paris and Berlin.

However, the MGCS project has been relaunched several times, most notably last July when the French Armed Forces Ministers and the German Defense Ministers instructed the Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff to prepare a preparatory document by the end of the year on the capabilities of the future tank.

according to Handelsblatt However, Paris and Berlin failed to agree on the tank’s characteristics, with France advocating the construction of a fairly light vehicle while Germany wished to opt for a heavier armored vehicle.

Neither the Elysee nor the Ministry of the Armed Forces immediately responded to a request for comment. The German Ministry of Defense also did not respond to a request for comment.