Germany and France sign agreement to jointly develop new MGCS tank

Germany and France have taken another important step towards the implementation of a joint project to develop a new generation of MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) tanks. On Friday, 26 April, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecorneuil signed a memorandum of understanding in Paris.

Source. This was reported by Deutsche Welle.

The document provides for an equal division of responsibilities between the defence companies of the two countries.

"This is another important milestone," Pistorius said. According to him, the joint project, which Germany and France launched back in 2017, emphasises the "deep connection and friendship" between the two countries.

It is not about the further development of current tanks, but about "something completely new," the head of the German Defence Ministry said. He noted that the use of artificial intelligence technologies means a "clear qualitative advantage in terms of capabilities".

It was not disclosed how the responsibilities of the project participants will be distributed. However, according to Lecorneuil, this is not the most important aspect of the agreement.

"The most important thing is that Germany and France will have the same tank in 2040," he said.

In addition to the Franco-German holding company KNDS, the project will involve Rheinmetall, Thales and many other companies, the French Defence Minister said.

"We are taking a pragmatic approach and looking for the best that each industry has to offer," Lecorneau added.

Background. As reported, France will provide Ukraine with hundreds of armoured vehicles and Aster 30 missiles. The delivery dates for the armoured vehicles are 2024 and early 2025.