The UK is considering participating in a program to develop a new generation tank that will replace such vehicles as the Leclerc and Leopard 2.
The British Ministry of Defense has begun negotiations with France and Germany to sign an agreement as an observer on the program for the creation of a new generation Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) main battle tank. Details about what kind of access the British will receive, did not provide.
The industry group, consisting of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Nexter and Rheinmetall, is in the early conceptual stages of developing a combat vehicle project that will replace the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc around 2035.
A KMW spokesperson told Defense News that the company is aware of ongoing negotiations to make the UK an observer. Questions related to this step were sent to the German Defense Ministry. "The attraction of new members to MCGS is in line with Germany's desire to promote the consolidation of the European defense industry," a representative of the German Ministry of Defense told Defense News.
Recall that France and Germany signed agreements on the creation of a new generation tank under the Main Ground Combat System [...] program last year. The parties agreed that future contracts involve parity financing from the German and French sides.
Tank of the future in the artist's view
Image Source: Marcel Adam
Obviously, many key parameters of the promising machine have yet to be determined. According to experts, although the tank will be a fundamentally new development, it will be based on proven technical solutions, tested, in particular, on the above-mentioned Leopard 2. One of the main differences between the perspective of a combat vehicle from existing models may be the use of a new, more powerful gun.
Earlier, the French defense giant Nexter began testing a modified Leclerc main battle tank equipped with a massive 140-millimeter gun. The upgraded combat vehicle made more than 200 successful shots: Nexter itself says that the new gun is 70 percent more effective than the existing 120-millimeter NATO tank guns.
Leclerc with 140 mm gun
Image source: army-news
For its part, Germany's Rheinmetall is working on a promising 130-millimeter tank gun. A distinctive feature of the gun is the use of an automatic loader. The gun's capabilities were demonstrated last year by mounting it on the chassis of the British Challenger 2 main battle tank.