Germany has rejected the claim that it has abandoned the joint MGCS project with France to develop a new generation of combat vehicles. The German Defense Ministry said that the program is continuing, but its scope has been adapted in light of the lessons of the war in Ukraine.
„This does not mean that the MGCS project has failed. On the contrary, we remain committed to an equal partnership within the program and are focusing on future technologies for conducting combat operations with armored vehicles“, said a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry.
The gap between Berlin and Paris
The statement came after the hearing of the head of the French armed forces, General Fabien Mandon, before a parliamentary committee. He described the result of the joint program as “unsatisfactory“ and said: “We have noted that the Germans have decided to withdraw from the project.“
Later, the French Defense Ministry issued a clarification on behalf of Mandon. It stated that the work so far on the joint project had not been in vain and that the program continues to have “great importance“. Its new priorities include connectivity between combat systems, joint combat operations, automation and robotics.
A program for more than one tank
Germany and France agreed on the MGCS in 2017 with the intention of eventually replacing the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc. However, the idea is not limited to creating a new tank. The program envisages an integrated ground combat system that would unite manned and unmanned platforms, communication and command means, automated systems and new weapons technologies.
The project involves the Franco-German company KNDS, the German concern Rheinmetall and the French technology group Thales. Since the beginning of the program, it has been accompanied by delays and disputes between countries and companies, including over the division of tasks and industrial participation.
The new disagreement comes four months after the termination of another large-scale Franco-German project - the development of a new generation fighter under the FCAS program. Thus, the dispute over MGCS puts additional strain on military cooperation between Berlin and Paris, although the German Ministry of Defense emphasizes that work on the ground program continues in a modified format.
Sources: news.bg, internazionale.it