The French Minister of the Armed Forces and his German counterpart are due to sign an agreement this Friday in Paris on the joint project of tank of the future (MGCS)long held back by divergent interests.
“After several months of intense negotiations we can now present a result […] Working groups [entre les deux pays] have developed a document that we will sign together on Friday in Paris,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in an interview published Thursday in the daily FAZ. “It’s finally happening!” “, he added, specifying that “at the beginning of next year, the detailed contract should be ready”.
French Minister Sébastien Lecornu insisted, in this joint interview given to the German newspaper, on the fact that Paris and Berlin were designing “the new generation of tanks for 2040” with this project. 20 minutes explains to you what this “tank of the future” project is. »
What is MGCS?
MGCS is the acronym for “Main Ground Combat System”. Initiated in 2017 at the same time as the combat aircraft of the future, the Scaf (Future Air Combat System), the MGCS is a Franco-German arms program. It aims to replace the German Leopard 2 tanks and the French Leclerc tanks, while integrating the latest technological advances.
Why do we talk about the “tank of the future”?
“Much more than a traditional heavy armored vehicle, the MGCS is designed as a multi-platform system: a tank itself, equipped with a large caliber gun, accompanied by other interconnected complementary modules (a heavy armored vehicle equipped with powerful anti-tank missiles, a natively robotic support vehicle equipped with laser weapons, drones and other innovative weapons)” indicates the Ministry of the Armed Forces. For Sébastien Lecornu, the MGCS will be “revolutionary military equipment. We are not just developing the tank of the future, but the future of the tank that we want to imagine together.”
A true “combat system”, the MGCS will be equipped with significant technological breakthroughs such as AI. This will assist crews by providing support for intelligence, planning, command and coordination of fires. Information can be shared in real time thanks to an integrated combat cloud. In this way, the different modules (or vehicles) will be able to instantly process, store and distribute tactical data and coordinate their actions semi-automatically to combine effects on the enemy.
What will be the main characteristics of the MGCS?
Capable of shooting up to 8,000 meters, twice as long as the current standard of the Leclerc tank, the MGCS strike force will be increased tenfold, assures the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The different modules that accompany the MGCS will increase their capacity for aggression on the enemy, amplifying “the effect of surprise on the adversary. »
The MGCS ecosystem will allow observation up to 10,000 meters away, thus improving target identification and anticipation capabilities. Finally, with its active camouflage, its reinforced armor, its countermeasures and neutralizations, the MGCS will deploy a real “protection bubble” to act against air and land threats, contributing “to the protection of combatants. »
Who will manufacture this MGCS?
The German and French Defense Ministers are also meeting in Paris to ratify the distribution of tasks between industrialists from the two countries. Financed equally by Paris and Berlin and carried out under German direction, this program, originally led by KNDSthe arms company which brings together the French Nexter (which manufactures the Leclerc) and the German group Krauss-Maffei Wegmannune, saw the emergence in 2019 of the German manufacturer Rheinmetall.
When should this tank of the future be delivered?
The target is 2040. The agreement signed this Friday should pave the way for notification of contracts to manufacturers “at the beginning of next year, which is ambitious”, according to Boris Pistorius. This contract will relate to the so-called 1A phase of the design project for a demonstrator, a sort of pre-prototype, which must be manufactured “at the turn of the decade. »