First FCAS. Now potentially MGCS.
Europe's challenge isn't technology. It's governance.
Building a next-generation tank or fighter is difficult.
Getting multiple nations and defense industries to agree on who gets the workshare may be even harder.
Strategic autonomy requires more than ambition. It requires alignment.
🇩🇪🇫🇷 France may withdraw from the joint French-German tank development project MGCS (Main Ground Combat System). This was stated by Rheinmetall's CEO, Armin Papperger, who noted that a final decision has not yet been made, but such a risk exists.
According to Papperger, France is considering a significant budget cut, which could reduce expenses to less than half of what was originally planned.
He also added that the companies involved in the project — Rheinmetall, KNDS, and Thales — have received only 25 million euros in funding since the project's inception.
The MGCS program, launched in 2017 to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tanks, has been postponed multiple times. This uncertainty arose shortly after the collapse of the joint fighter project, FCAS, which further strains French-German defense cooperation.