MoU signed for MGCS with eight technology pillars

At the Hotel de Brienne, the residence of the French Defense Minister in Paris, the host, Sébastien Lecornu, and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today, in which the required capabilities for the joint project Main Ground Combat System ( MGCS) will be distributed across eight technology pillars and allocated to national resources.

With the assignment, the ministers want to achieve an equal division of responsibility and value creation and at the same time establish German leadership in the project. The ministers have thus put in writing the breakthrough they announced a month ago at the MGCS.

Based on the categories of the iron triangle of mobility, firepower and protection, expanded by the categories of reconnaissance, communication, digitalization and sustainability, the ministers at conferences in Evreux and Berlin prioritized and reorganized the capabilities catalog for the MGCS according to the needs and from the perspective of the armed forces . Lecornu named seven of the eight pillars: platform, tower, classic fire, new generation fire, infrastructure, connectivity and electronic warfare. In each pillar, the nations each participate half in development and production. Germany has the lead in two pillars, including the Tower pillar. France also has two pillars. The remaining four are coordinated together.

Nach der Unterzeichnung des MoU betonten die Minister erneut, dass mit MGCS kein Nachfolger der heutigen Kampfpanzer Leopard 2 oder Leclerc entwickelt werde. Es gehe nicht um den Panzer der Zukunft, sondern um die Zukunft des Panzers. Deutschland und Frankreich seien die ersten, die sich mit diesen Fragen beschäftigen. Weder aus den USA noch aus Russland sei das ein Thema.

Industrial companies have long positioned themselves to participate in the development of the MGCS and subsequent production. The founding in 2015 of KNDS, the merger of the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the French Nexter Group, is associated with the MGCS project, which was founded in 2012. With the industrial contract for the system architecture study, Rheinmetall officially joined the project as a member of the ARGE, consisting of Rheinmetall, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter. The BAAINBw documented Germany's claim to leadership as the contracting party for both nations. Thales for communication and intelligence, Rohde & Schwarz for communication and Hensoldt for intelligence are also mentioned.

Die paritätische Zuordnung der Leistungserbringung soll säulenbezogen erfolgen. Will heißen: In jeder der Säulen werden die Aufträge gleichmäßig auf beide Partner aufgeteilt. Das wird ein schwieriges Thema u.a. deshalb, weil mit KNDS und Thales zwei Firmen beteiligt sind, die Entwicklungsbüros und Produktionsstätten in Frankreich und Deutschland haben. Wie stellt man da die länderbezogene Aufteilung sicher? Wie zu hören ist, erhebt Frankreich den Anspruch, alle Komponenten in der eigenen Industrie prozieren zu können. Wie kann das in die Verträge integriert werden?

An important question has not yet been clarified: what caliber the new on-board cannon will have. It is clear that there will be one and that the current 120mm caliber is not sufficient for the requirements of the MGCS. Rheinmetall is entering the race with the 130mm cannon, while KNDS offers its 140mm cannon for the MGCS. Both weapon systems have an automatic loader. Therefore, the turret can remain unmanned, which affects the necessary armor and therefore the weight.

The MoU is now the basis for contract negotiations with the industry for the development and construction of the technology demonstrators (Main Technology Demonstrator, MTD). The contracts are to be concluded after parliamentary consideration at the turn of the year 2024/2025. The companies should be given six years until the work results are available.

Since 2012, the German and French defense ministries have been investigating how a new land combat system (Main Ground Combat System, MGCS) can be used to further develop the capabilities that are currently being realized with the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks. After the common catalog of capabilities was developed in Phase I, it quickly became clear through concept studies in Phase II that there would be no solution with the conventional main battle tank concept. The multi-platform concept was created with two important framework conditions: the weight of the platforms must not exceed 50 tons and the number of operators must be reduced while performance is increased. In Phase III, which is currently underway, the architecture of the MGCS was developed and the requirements for the technology areas created the prerequisites for the construction of technology demonstrators.

The MGCS will not only be a technological breakthrough that will bring an assertive and survivable system to the force. The tactical and operational upheaval will be just as serious. Much fewer staff have a much higher range of services. This will be a challenge, especially for the tactical leaders.

Gerhard Heiming

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