Earlier in April last year, German and French companies: KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall and Thales announced the establishment of a common temporary structure to address the improvement of technological blocks within the project. The agreement signed on Thursday is simply a shareholder agreement formalising this structure,” said AFP agency origin akin to the case.
According to the Intergovernmental Agreement of April 2024., the full task of the ‘tank of the future’ (i.e. MGCS ground fighting platform) is divided into 8 ‘technological films’. The German side is responsible, as leading, for the pillars: the first (platform and automatic guidance) and the seventh (protection and defence against drones). France had its pillars: the 3rd (including missiles) and sixth (sensors). The remaining 4 pillars (e.g. turret and cannon, or communication systems) will be coordinated jointly by both countries.
It is not specified whether the agreement signed on or not determines which circumstantial companies will be liable for the different pillars.
The paper was signed in the spheres of Pistorius gathering with France's Minister of Defence Sebastien Lecorn.
The MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) is the terrestrial equivalent of the FCAS (Future Combat Air System), which France and Germany are already working on. MGCS is expected to connect combat tanks in the data network with another weapons specified as drones. The first copies of the “tank of the future” are to be produced by 2040.
