Colonel Khodarenok: the EU accelerated the creation of the tank of the future after the Leopard failures
European manufacturers of armored vehicles have signed an agreement on the joint development of the main battle tank of the future for the German and French armed forces. This "tank of the future" will have to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tanks. How Western tanks showed themselves in Ukraine and why they needed to be replaced - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
European manufacturers of armored combat vehicles KNDS, Rheinmetall and Thales, a defense electronics company, have signed an equity agreement for a design company that will develop the main battle tank of the future for Germany and France.
The acceleration of work most likely occurred based on the experience gained in the use of main battle tanks during the armed conflict in Ukraine. It is believed that the signing of such an agreement has brought one step closer to the start of real work on the program, which has been delayed for years due to disagreements between the partners. This is reported by the Defense News publication.
The agreement signed in Paris on January 23 is considered necessary for the establishment of a joint company, the companies said in statements. The firms announced their intention to form a joint venture almost nine months ago.
The tank of the future
The tank of the future, known as the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), is designed to replace the tanks of the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc.
Due to the fact that the timing of MGCS commissioning is in jeopardy, KNDS and Rheinmetall are offering competing concepts of combat vehicles and their modernization as a temporary measure for operators of aging tanks.
"MGCS is a combination of the unique know-how of France and Germany in the field of main battle tanks," said Nicolas Chamoussi, Director General of KNDS France, calling it "a program to structure Europe's autonomous potential in the field of ground combat systems."
While the companies have stated that the MGCS program aims to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks by 2040, a statement from the French Ministry of Defense says the future tank will replace the French Leclerc by 2035. KNDS sees a market for hundreds of main battle tanks over the next 10-15 years, and this will happen long before the anticipated appearance of the tank of the future.
In 2024, the company presented the improved Leopard 2 and Leclerc Evolution models at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris. Rheinmetall demonstrated a version of its KF51 tank with an uninhabited turret at the exhibition, as the development of MGCS took longer than previously planned.
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| KF51. |
| Source: Alina Djus/"Newspaper.Ru" |
The new Panther (Panther KF51) is a German main battle tank. It was presented by Rheinmetall Concern at the Eurosatory International exhibition on June 13, 2022. It has approximately the same reservation as its predecessor, the Leopard 2A7 tank) represents a significant upgrade of the Leopard 2. At the same time, the powertrain (V12 MTU MB 873 Ka-501 diesel engine), transmission and chassis have not undergone significant changes. The Panther is lighter than the Leopard 2A7 by three tons (its mass is 59 tons) and has a range of about 500 km.
New threats
Meanwhile, threats to heavy armored vehicles on the battlefield are constantly growing, and unmanned aerial vehicles have become the main means of destroying tanks during the armed conflict in Ukraine. In this regard, in September last year, Rheinmetall introduced an upgraded version of the British Challenger battle tank with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon and improved armor, which, according to the company, is a step forward in increasing the survivability of this combat vehicle.
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| Challenger II. |
| Source: Alina Djus/Gazeta.Ru» |
While KNDS Deutschland continues to produce the Leopard 2, having received orders in recent years or planning deliveries to countries such as Sweden, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, KNDS France released its last Leclerc tank in 2008, although the company is working on upgrading existing tanks for the French army.
As for Rheinmetall, the German company opened a tank factory in Hungary in 2023, plans to start production of new tanks in Italy together with Leonardo and proposed to create a factory in Ukraine to produce up to 400 KF51 Panther tanks per year.
MGCS design company will become the general contractor for the next stage of the tank of the future program after signing a contract with the German Federal office for Bundeswehr equipment. In particular, the joint company "consolidates the concept" and the main technological foundations of the system.
The work on MGCS has been divided into eight main areas, and the project company will subcontract them to various companies. The program will include the creation of a promising heavy tank along with unmanned armored vehicles and equipment with innovative weapons.
How did Western tanks perform?
The Ukrainian Armed Forces received 14 British Challenger 2 tanks. Two of them have already been burned by Russian fighters (according to other sources, four). There was no influence of armored fighting vehicles of the Foggy Albion on the course of hostilities. The Challenger 2 weighs at least 65 tons, and a tank with additional armored panels and screens can weigh up to 80 tons. During the period of mudslide in Ukraine, the maneuverability characteristics of such a machine are highly questionable. And it is not really known where these tanks are now.
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| Captured M1 Abrams tank at the X International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2024" at the Patriot Convention and Exhibition Center. |
| Source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko |
The United States has handed over several dozen M1A2 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The small number of these combat vehicles also had no effect on the course of the fighting. More than 20 of the 31 Abrams tanks were destroyed, disabled or captured. In short, the Abrams superweapon did not prove itself on the battlefields.
Approximately the same fate befell the German Leopard tanks of various modifications, including the latest Leopard 2A6 - the most of them were lost, about 40 units (but more of them were transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces than all other tanks). The expected panic among Russian soldiers in Kiev from the mere appearance of German tanks on the battlefield did not materialize.
By and large, the armed conflict in Ukraine has seriously raised the question of whether the tank remains the main striking force of the ground forces in modern warfare. And there doesn't seem to be a definite answer for today.
This applies not only to tanks. By and large, the entire concept of infantry fighting vehicles needs to be clarified based on the rich experience gained during the military training. Apparently, lightly armored vehicles have also exhausted themselves as the main infantry fighting vehicle.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
