France and Germany sign the commitment agreement for phase 1A of the MGCS programme

In the wake of the meeting held on March 21 and 22, 2024 in Berlin, Sébastien Lecornu and his German counterpart, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, met in Paris on April 26, 2024.

On this occasion, the two ministers signed the commitment agreement for phase “1A” of the MGCS program. Unique in the world, this pioneering programme aims to have a new generation of combat tanks by 2040. Going beyond a simple update of existing combat tanks, the programme will integrate new technologies (new generation fires, artificial intelligence, new modes of electronic warfare, etc.) in order to mark a real technological and generational breakthrough. The programme contributes to the structuring of an autonomous and consolidated European defence industrial and technological base.

The agreement also ensures an equivalent distribution between manufacturers from the two countries over the entire programme.

Emblematic of bilateral defence cooperation, this programme marks the commitment of the two countries to work jointly to face the strategic challenges of today and tomorrow.

“We are not just developing the tank of the future, but the future of the tank that we want to imagine together,” declared Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces.

Source French Ministry of the Armed Forces

Unofficial translation by EDR On-Line

Image courtesy KNDS