The joint Main Ground Combat System ( MGCS ) project between France and Germany aims to revolutionize tank warfare while acting as a test case for European defense cooperation.
According to multiple media sources, France and Germany are working on the MGCS project to replace the Leopard 2 tanks in Germany and the Leclerc in France by 2040 – 2045. The defence officials of both nations have reaffirmed their commitment to the program despite prior setbacks and difficulties.
Important industry players like KNDS, a joint venture between Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann ( KMW ) and France-based Nexter, are involved in the project. Rheinmetall, a European tank manufacturer, is also included.
A flexible program with manned and integrated platforms is what the MGCS is designed to be. The project, however, encounters a number of difficulties, such as disagreements over the tank’s primary gun caliber, competing business objectives, and conflicting corporate objectives.
France insists on a necessarily new growth, while Germany has expressed interest in modernizing the current Leopard 2 type, in part due to high demand following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While the project’s greatest success will require overcoming difficult complex and political challenges, funding and social approval are also significant obstacles.
The task serves as an example of German security cooperation in a setting characterized by elevated security concerns brought on by the Ukraine War. The divergent strategic priorities and industrial interests of France and Germany reveal their respective fantasies for the MGCS.
Leopard 2 vehicles currently control the European market, and exports are rising in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. In contrast, France sees the MGCS as a means of reviving its manufacturing lines after ceasing to produce the Leclerc in 2008. In 2024, deals are anticipated to get signed.
Once the project details are finalized, another EU nations may join the initiative; Italy and the Netherlands have expressed interest in becoming observers.
Although the specifics of MGCS are unknown, European Security and Defense notes in an article from January 2023 that the system will have a hybrid engine system, offer environmental benefits, and offer operational advantages like shorter operational distances, greater operational range, lower ecoustic and thermal signatures. It also has” silent view” capabilities.
According to the article, it will have weight-saving features like smaller crew sizes, lighter composite armor, and increased reliance on active protection systems ( APS ). The main vehicle’s hull will also serve as the foundation for support vehicle variants.
The MGCS does have a large caliber major gun with improved performance compared to the 120 cm weapons used on the Leclerc and Leopard 2, according to an article in the European Security and Defense. It states that Nexter is suggesting the newly created 140 mm Autoloaded and Scalable Outperforming Gun( ASCALON ) as the primary weapon for the unit. Users can select from a variety of desired end effects thanks to ASCALON’s versatility in munitions.
According to the article, it will also accommodate future intelligent tank munitions that can engage targets at ranges beyond line of sight / non-line-of-sight( BLOS / NLOS ).
Directed energy weapons ( DEW ), hypersonic guided missiles, indirect fire weapons for BLOS / NLOS targets, machine guns or automatic cannons for counter-drone and air defense roles, and an electronic warfare suite are additional MGCS weapons. Additionally, the pond will have a stable military system, highest application of artificial intelligence, and digitization.
However, France and Germany appear to be advancing rival container models. The French-German KNDS Enhanced Main Battle Tank ( EMBT ) and Germany’s KF51 Panther were two competing tank concepts that were displayed at the Eurosatory 2022 arms expo, according to German news outlet Stern.
According to the report, the KNDS EMBT had to do without its main weapon, a 140 mm Autoloaded and Scalable Outperforming Gun ( ASCALON ) main gun, while the full KF51 Panther was on display with its autoloading Rh – 130 L / 51 130 millimeter smoothbore gun. Instead, it had an installed 120 MM gun and 30-mm autocannon.
The KF51 Panther’s main gun, which can only hold 30 rounds as opposed to 42 for the Leopard 2, is also noted in the article as being 50 % more effective than 120 mm guns. The KF51 Panther, however, compensates for that with better picture accuracy.
Stern points out that although the KF51 Panther has a staff of three, it is capable of supporting an additional staff member who can operate drones, loiter munitions, or even an autonomous bodyguard tank. According to the source, the KF51 Panther’s hull incorporates components from the Leopard 2 and has the Top Attack Protection System( TAPS ), which can deflect top-attack missiles.
Stern claims that the 140 mm ASCALON won’t be ready for the KNDS EMBT until 2025 because tower modifications are required to building the larger weapons. Additionally, it claims that the Leopard 2 serves as the foundation for its ship and that its chassis is capable of driving by wire, which is necessary for autonomous operation.
The Ukraine War has rekindled discussion about the value of tank in contemporary war, with some analysts arguing in favor of and against their applicability. Curtis Buzzard and other authors contend that the ship’s present concept did hold true on upcoming battlefields in an article published in August 2023 by the US Army University Press.
According to Buzzard and others, tanks are essential for military combined arms maneuvers, national power projection, and operational flexibility. They contend that included training, corporate flexibility, and the ability to maintain combat power are necessary for armored teams to be effective against antiarmor systems.
Additionally, they claim that Russia’s enormous tank losses in Ukraine are more due to its poor strategy and planning, which includes inadequate training and a lack of combined arms enablers than to technical flaws in the tank.
Buzzard and others emphasize the warning power of tanks, pointing out that during the Cold War, NATO’s armored formations served as national defense commitments for Europe, and that today, the countries most at risk from China or North Korea, like South Korea and India, still have some of the largest tank fleets in the world.
They place a strong emphasis on the importance of tanks in floor war, allowing commanders to direct and direct the conflict. They claim that tanks are crucial for battle success despite their higher costs and logistical requirements because they can offer fight power at crucial moments and locations.
Peter Suciu, on the other hand, contends that the ship’s time may come to an end as Russian deficits in Ukraine increase in a March 2022 post for 1945. According to Suciuu, Western anti-tank weapons that were supplied to Ukraine, such as the FGM-148 Javelin shoulder-fired missile and the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon( NLAW ), have been so successful that they appear to be weapons from another era.
Suciu notes that despite advancements in pond technology, they continue to encounter many of the same issues that hindered their ability to engage in combat during World War I, noting that container barriers and mud are also problematic today, just as they were more than a century ago. According to him, the development of new guided missiles and drones may have rendered the tank’s present function outdated.
According to him, tanks will need to develop with more security, but this could lead to size and weight issues that would impair sustainability and flexibility. He emphasizes that today’s tanks will probably be smaller as current guided-missile destroyers took the place of large battleships.
Suciu predicted that tanks in the future could function freely, without a crew, and be controlled remotely. He claims that they might be outfitted with technology to keep their crew safe and generally used for holding soil more than advancing on it.
The Ukraine conflict has brought in enormous profits for the wings industry. According to Reuters, Rheinmetall increased its sales projections for 2025 as a result of the Ukraine War’s increased demand for weapons and urged Berlin to move quickly on large-ticket orders to overhaul its armed forces.
In June 2023, Reuters even stated that Rheinmetall anticipates a rise in the company’s stock market value as result of the Ukraine war and increased defense spending in Europe.
” Our operating income in 2025 should be around 1.5 billion euros( US$ 1.6 billion ), possibly even 1.7 billion. Multiply that with a component of 11 or 12 to get an accurate assessment. That gives you an order of magnitude. According to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, who was cited by Reuters, a rating of 17 billion dollars is reasonable for the company over the choice name.
According to the report, Rheinmetall’s profits are anticipated to increase between 11 and 12 billion dollars in 2025, an increase from the 10 to 11 billion euro mark from November of last year.
With an operating revenue of 754 million dollars in 2022 and a stock market value that has tripled since December 2021, Rheinmetall is currently valued at about 10.5 billion dollars, according to Reuters.