KNDS, Rheinmetall, Thales to form New Company for MGCS Project

French and German companies – KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Thales – are forming a new company to collaborate on the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) project.

The agreement, solidified during the Franco-German Ministerial Council meeting in Toulouse on October 16, 2019, underscores both nations' commitment to jointly develop a successor to the Bundeswehr’s Leopard 2 and the French Army’s Leclerc, with deployment expected to begin in 2035.

In response to this agreement, the four companies intend to establish a joint project company aimed at effectively addressing the complex challenges associated with the MGCS development. This initiative will operate in accordance with the bilateral accord, ensuring a balanced 50:50 distribution of responsibilities between French and German entities based on their complementary technical skills and resources.

Negotiations for the project company are set to begin soon, with the aim of efficiently implementing a contract expected in 2025.

This collaborative effort builds upon the establishment of an ARGE (Arbeitsgemeinschaft) in December 2019, comprised of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Nexter Systems, and Rheinmetall AG, which initiated the MGCS procurement program. The signing of a contract for the “System Architecture Definition Study - Part 1” (SADS Part 1) with the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) marks a critical step forward, initiating the MGCS Demonstration Phase.

The study aims to harmonize MGCS concepts developed in previous phases, analyze detailed specifications, and propose a unified multi-platform architecture. It will assess technical feasibility, operational efficacy, and compatibility with national systems like SCORPION (France) and Digitization of Land-Based Operations (D-LBO) (Germany).