Franco-German group unveils new battle tank at Eurosatory defence fair
A German chassis and a French gun: the new battle tank unveiled on Monday at the Eurosatory defence industry exhibition exemplifies the possibilities of strategic partnership between Paris and Berlin.
Franco-German defence group KNDS unveiled its tank in a stopgap move to replace the French army’s ageing Leclerc fleet as France and Germany’s joint project to develop a next-generation tank faces delays.
The growing threat from Russia, coupled with US President Donald Trump’s increasing reluctance to back Europe’s defence, has European governments scrambling to step up their military capacity.
European collaboration on defence production, however, is facing challenges.
KNDS’s launch of the new tank at the Eurosatory defence industry exhibition near Paris follows a decision by France and Germany last week to drop their joint FCAS fighter jet programme following months of disagreements between Airbus and Dassault Aviation.
Watch moreEnd of FCAS ‘flagship project’ marks setback for Franco-German cooperation and European defence
KNDS said the tank – named CAPINT for “intermediary capability” – combines a chassis produced by KNDS’s German division and a tank gun made by its French division.
It aims to strengthen French Army capabilities, the company said, and will “pave the way” for the Franco-German next-generation MGCS, or Main Ground Combat System.
Initiated in 2017, the MGCS is intended to replace Germany’s Leopard 2 and France’s Leclerc tanks, with entry into service initially targeted for 2040 to 2045.
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The Leclerc tanks are scheduled to be taken out of service by 2038. And in April, French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told parliament that Paris had decided to launch an “intermediate” tank programme to mitigate delays affecting MGCS, which she said was running about 10 years behind schedule.
The CEO of German group Rheinmetall, one of the MGCS initiative’s shareholders, was quoted over the weekend as saying France was considering drastic cuts to the project’s funding. A French government source said the project remains important for France and Germany as well as for KNDS.
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Germany started working on its own plans parallel to MGCS in 2025, with an intermediate tank developed by KNDS Germany and Rheinmetall called Leopard 2AX or Leopard 3 to succeed its Leopard 2 fleet.
KNDS is currently preparing an IPO for a dual-listing in Frankfurt and Paris expected this year.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)