‘Eurotank’ firms form joint venture before talks with Germany, France

COLOGNE, Germany — The main contractors for the Main Ground Combat System have formed a joint project company to represent industry in upcoming contract negotiations with client nations Germany and France.

The company, based here, represents KNDS Germany, KNDS France, Thales and Rheinmetall as the four parties at the top of a pyramid of suppliers. The contractors are charged with building a futuristic tank while showcasing Europe’s unified arms industry at the same time.

In a joint statement, the companies described the incorporation of the business as a “further significant step” toward fielding the weapon by 2040.

The MGCS program is one of two key weapon projects spearheaded by France and Germany. After haggling over workshare specifics for years, government leaders decided to have Germany lead the tank project while France would oversee a sixth-generation fighter program, the Future Combat Air System.

Officials have said MGCS will go beyond fielding a new main battle tank for German and French ground forces that would ideally be adopted later on by European partners. The idea is, rather, to build a suite of interconnected manned and unmanned vehicles to revolutionize ground combat through firepower, sensors and artificial intelligence.

The project is meant to produce a successor for Germany’s Leopard 2, the most widely used modern battle tank in Western Europe, and France’s Leclerc main battle tank.

Stefan Gramolla, a colonel in the German Army reserve, is managing director of MGCS Project Company, or MPC, according to the firms’ joint statement.

Gramolla’s LinkedIn profile lists a two-month stint at Rheinmetall as well as a consulting job as his previous career stops.

Next up for the joint company are negotiations with the defense-acquisition departments in Berlin and Paris about the next phase of the MGCS program.

“In particular, it will consolidate the concept and the main technological pillars of the system,” the statement reads.

German and French defense officials last year approved a division of labor in the program. There are eight so-called pillars that cover everything from the chassis to weaponry to protection.

One notable fork in the road will be the selection of a main cannon. France and Germany will initially develop a separate option each, with a winner technology to be picked after testing.

The main gun is considered a key differentiator in future tank concepts, with engineers brooding over projectile size, shot range and ammunition feeder mechanisms.

Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris contributed to this report.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——主地面作战系统的主要承包商已成立一家联合项目公司，代表业界参与即将与客户国德国和法国进行的合同谈判。

这家总部位于此地的公司代表着KNDS德国公司、KNDS法国公司、泰雷兹公司和莱茵金属公司，这四家公司位于供应商金字塔的顶端。承包商的任务是建造一款未来坦克，同时展示欧洲统一的军工产业。

两家公司在一份联合声明中表示，成立这家公司是朝着在 2040 年前部署该武器迈出的“又一个重要步骤”。

MGCS项目是法国和德国牵头的两大关键武器项目之一。经过多年就工作分工细节的磋商，两国政府领导人最终决定由德国主导坦克项目，而法国则负责第六代战斗机项目——未来作战空中系统（FCA）。

官员们表示，MGCS项目的目标不仅仅是为德国和法国地面部队研制一种新型主战坦克，并希望该坦克日后能被其他欧洲国家采用。其理念是打造一套互联互通的有人和无人驾驶车辆系统，通过火力、传感器和人工智能技术革新地面作战方式。

该项目旨在生产德国豹2坦克（西欧使用最广泛的现代主战坦克）和法国勒克莱尔主战坦克的后继者。

根据两家公司的联合声明，德国陆军预备役上校斯特凡·格拉莫拉是 MGCS 项目公司（简称 MPC）的总经理。

Gramolla 的 LinkedIn 个人资料显示，他之前的职业生涯包括曾在莱茵金属公司工作两个月以及担任咨询工作。

接下来，这家合资公司将与柏林和巴黎的国防采购部门就 MGCS 项目的下一阶段进行谈判。

声明中写道：“尤其重要的是，它将巩固该系统的概念和主要技术支柱。”

去年，德法两国国防官员批准了该项目的分工方案。该方案包含八大支柱，涵盖从底盘、武器到防护等各个方面。

一个值得注意的分歧点将是主炮的选择。法国和德国最初将各自研发一种方案，经过测试后选出优胜方案。

主炮被认为是未来坦克概念的关键差异化因素，工程师们正在仔细研究炮弹尺寸、射程和弹药供弹机构。

巴黎的鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格对本报道亦有贡献。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。