As of: March 23, 2024, 9:07 p.m
By: Karsten Hinzmann
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He should even be able to drive alone – in a few decades.
In addition, it will be able to do everything better than its opponents: the new super tank MGCS.
Berlin – Sobering news for Armin Papperger.
“A European army is only possible if all EU states enshrine in their constitutions that a European defense minister can send them to war.
It's a nice dream, nothing more.
Currently, armaments are even going in the other direction: “Renationalization instead of Europeanization.” This is what the CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall recently told the
Tagesspiegel
.
Now reality may prove him wrong.
The MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) will definitely be the tank of the future - the future of the day after tomorrow or even later.
Germany and France have now made the decision to build a modern battle tank as a joint armaments project.
“This is a historic moment,” said Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) on Friday after a meeting with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin.
On April 24, both sides sign a memorandum of understanding that sets out the details.
A contract with the participating industries should be ready by the end of this year.
Intended as a quantum leap in offense and defense: the new Main Ground Combat System.
Germany and France have now reached an agreement on the construction of the smart tank.
© Screenshot@NexterKNDS
Rheinmetall is building its competitor with the KF51 Panther.
The Düsseldorf-based company decided to develop its own combat vehicle after the company was unable to exert sufficient influence in the MGCS project.
The KF51 Panther can also be seen as a response to Russia's new generation of T-14 Armata main battle tanks.
The MGCS will also have to contend with this.
MGCS: More than ten years of planning for the competitor to Putin's T-14 Armata
The magazine
European Security & Technology
has already styled its competitor MCGS as a
“Quantum leap in both offensive and defensive capability” – the construct is the amalgam of the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc, which have apparently reached the end of their growth potential, and will ideally be the heavy armored forces of both NATO from 2035 onwards. Form partners.
This is the finish line of a project that has spanned more than ten years.
After an operational needs analysis and initial concepts that have been developed since 2012, Berlin and Paris officially agreed in June 2018 to jointly implement the MGCS program, with the federal government retaining political leadership in the project and also shouldering the main industrial burden.
In October 2019, the two partners reaffirmed their commitment.
MGCS program – the roadmap:
Going forward, the MGCS program is divided into three main phases:
• Technology Demonstration Phase (TDP) – ongoing, 2020-2024;
• Full System Demonstration Phase (FSDP) – planned for 2024-2028;
• Implementation and pre-production phase – 2028-2035.
The tank's first deployment is expected in 2035 and its full operational capability (FOC) is expected to be achieved in 2040.
Source: European Security & Defense
The decision reflects the recent trend towards a multinational approach in large European armaments programs - as is currently underway, for example, with the IRIS-T SLM missile defense system.
KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS), based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is predominantly involved in the project, a holding company consisting of the defense companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), which merged in spring 2015, and the French state-owned Nexter Systems.
The project is supported by the German-French Research Institute Saint-Louis (ISL).
According to its own statements, the task of the ISL is “to develop technical innovations in the areas of defense and security.
The research work takes place in different specialist areas and with different levels of technology maturity: from basic research to the development of pre-industrial prototypes that can be integrated into operational equipment.
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The European project is aimed at the year 2040, and based on a certain professional experience I expect it to be closer to 2045. Our business consideration was therefore that we need a new tank for this long interim.
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger in the Tagesspiegel on the exit from the MGCS project
Mobility is intended to be one of the characteristics of the MGCS - the maximum weight planned is 50 tons - this would make it around ten tons lighter than the basic model of the Rheinmetall Panther and about the same weight as the Russian T-14 Armata.
The MGCS will be powered by a hybrid system with 1,325 kW/1,800 hp and, with around 36 hp per ton, will outperform the competition by ten hp per ton.
The crew of two, minimized around the loader, works in an encapsulated chamber in the fuselage for better protection - if they stay on board at all.
The concept also includes the idea of remotely controlled operations from covered command tanks, as a senior Rheinmetall engineer
loyally
explained to the reservist association's magazine at the beginning of the planning phase.
However, this may be the shrillest sound of the future; in fact, the unmanned MGCS tank is probably only the next stage of development.
From the outset, the Federal Ministry of Defense apparently had ambitious ideas about what the MGCS should achieve.
MGCS: Only one will look like a tank in the classic sense - with a pipe
The responsible sub-department head, Brigadier General Holger Draber,
loyally
paints the big picture of a weapon system of the future and dispels the idea that it was just a new tank.
The special thing: “Only one of the vehicles based on it will have any resemblance to what we today understand as a battle tank with a classic barrel weapon.
We will also have vehicles equipped with other effectors.
High-speed missiles, drones, lasers and long-range weapons beyond the line of sight are conceivable.
Plus leadership and communication platforms,” says Draber.
It is planned - for cost reasons - that three vehicles with identical or similar chassis but completely different tasks will arise from one chassis: In addition to the main tank with a barrel weapon, a manned vehicle will carry missile systems, and an unmanned vehicle will carry indirect fire weapons, possibly long-range or loitering anti-tank missiles Ammunition (loitering ammunition).
According to plans, these vehicles will also have their own drones to reconnoiter the battlefield.
In terms of the firepower of the tube-based tank, the MGCS is expected to exceed the capabilities of its forebears and will likely replace the Leopard's 120mm cannon with a larger caliber gun, possibly the Rheinmetall 130mm or a 140mm caliber Nexter.
The design includes a turret-mounted weapon system and reduced ammunition capacity - expected to be 20-26 for the MGCS instead of up to 40 in current main battle tanks.
MGCS: The Smart Tank is rolling in – with artificial intelligence from Bavaria
And it should be smart - the Hensold company based in Taufkirchen, Bavaria, is already highlighting the new Bundeswehr flagship online: “The aim is to provide the MGCS crew with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) in real time with a complete overview, including automated situation analysis The new tank is intended to create “decision-making superiority” and enable faster, more targeted shots in combat.
Hensold promises: “The Smart Tank is rolling in.”
What exactly will ultimately be developed will be decided later.
This year, technology demonstrators are to be developed for individual components and will result in an overall system demonstrator by 2028.
This will show which types of vehicles, weapons and other components can ultimately be used.
The project will then be opened up to other European nations in due course.
The magazine
Defense Industry
had already reported in September that Italy was considering joining the project - for several reasons: The involvement of Italy is relevant from an industrial perspective, as expertise in sensors and electronics needs to be brought in from there.
At the same time, the merger between KMW and Nexter would pose a risk that the Italian industry could feel left out in the cold.
MGCS: If the super tank comes later, the Panther rattles onto the battlefield
Inclusion in the project would therefore allow Italian companies to retain their know-how and skills.
In addition, the Italian contribution would allow the development costs to be distributed between three actors instead of two.
According to
European Security & Technology,
the total development costs of the MGCS between 2020 and the start of implementation would amount to 1.5 billion euros.
However, this should also be a step into the next century, as Rheinmetall engineer Kappen claims: “We want to develop a weapon system that represents the backbone of the ground forces and should remain in service for at least 40 years after its introduction in 2035.”
This is a complex problem, as
loyal
writes.
“For this, technological leaps must be considered, which today require some imagination.
Because the MGCS is so fundamentally new, the industry has taken a zero-base approach.
This means that what is currently available in the Leopard 2, for example, will not be continued linearly into the future, but rather something completely new will be created.
“We think from the end, from the effect we want to achieve and not from what is already there,” explains Kappen.”
According to
loyal
author André Uzulis, the ambitions are just as great as the risk of failure.
The first series vehicle is scheduled to be delivered in 2035.
The schedule is tight, predicts
European Security & Defense
: It is still essential for France and Germany to begin replacing their current main battle tanks in the 2030s - the same applies to many users of the Leopard 2. Should this happen at MGCS If there are major delays, an interim solution is required.” This in turn would be good news for Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger, as he told the Tagesspiegel.
He wanted to know why he had left the MGCS and had a competitor roll out with the KF51 Panther: “The European project is aimed at the year 2040, and based on a certain professional experience I am expecting 2045. Our business consideration was therefore: that we need a new tank for this long interim.
In this respect, I am pleased that we will develop the Panther to series production together with the Hungarian government.”