Italy’s state-controlled defense company Leonardo wants to take part in Germany’s next-generation Leopard 2 tank program. “I confirm that we are working in this direction. The expectations are actually very good, the negotiations are going very well,” said Leonardo boss Roberto Cingolani. His group specializes in the development and production of tanks and aircraft, helicopters, satellites, rockets and space components.
Currently, the Leopard tank is manufactured jointly by the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall. According to an earlier media report, Germany is making a new attempt to develop a successor to the Leopard 2. A new main battle tank is to be designed under the leadership of KMW and Rheinmetall with partners from Italy, Spain and Sweden. This merger would be a competitor to the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) main battle tank project decided by Germany and France in 2017. This system is intended as a successor to both countries’ Leopard and Leclerc tanks and is expected to be operational over the next decade. Germany has the leading role in the project.