Main Ground Combat System Information

Main Ground Combat System (also called Leopard 3) is a project by France and Germany since 2012 to replace their currently deployed AMX Leclerc and Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs). In 2016, the program was in the concept phase which was projected to be completed by 2017.

A precondition for the new tank is the development of a new main cannon with better performance. German defence company Rheinmetall joined the program and will develop a new cannon with better performance than the Rheinmetall L/55 cannon which was introduced on the Leopard 2A6. Rheinmetall demonstrated a 130mm L51 at Eurosatory military trade fair in 2016.

At Eurosatory fair in June 2018 in Paris, France, KMW+Nexter Defense Systems unveiled the "European Main Battle Tank" (EMBT), a technology demonstrator main battle tank that combines the hull of a Leopard 2A7 with the lighter, two-man turret of a Leclerc.

Deployment of the new tank is scheduled for 2035.

The first step in the MGCS program was a Franco-German technology demonstrator, to show that the two countries can jointly develop a next generation tank.

At Eurosatory military trade fair, June 11-15 2018 in Paris, France, KMW+Nexter Defense Systems unveiled the "European Main Battle Tank" (EMBT), main battle tank that combines the hull of a Leopard 2A7 with the lighter, two-man turret of a Leclerc.The European Main Battle Tank or Enhanced Main Battle Tank is a main battle tank which combines the hull of a Leopard 2A7 with the turret of a Leclerc. It is the first product of KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS), which is a merger between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Germany and Nexter Systems of France. The European Main Battle Tank or Eurotank was first unveiled at Eurosatory military trade fair, June 11-15 2018 in Paris, France.

The hull, engine and entire chassis comes from the Leopard 2A7, which can carry 68 tons, were modified to host the compact and light turret with automatic loading from the Leclerc.

According to Nexter’s head of tracked and armor programs, Francois Groshany, the benefit of the tank is the combination of the "very high capability" Leopard 2 chassis with the lighter Leclerc turret. The turret features an autoloader. This helps insulate the crew from ammunition storage in the event of a fire. The 2-man Leclerc turret is approximately 6 tons lighter than the 3-man Leopard 2 turret. The lower weight of the vehicle enables it to traverse bridges that might not be able to support heavier tanks.

The French media has reported Italy has expressed an interest in acquiring the EMBT. Additionally, the Polish ministry of defence voiced its interest in joining the project and hoped to see its inclusion in the EUs PESCO program and other forms of EU defence funding.

The Spanish Army announced its interest in replacing its fleet of Leopard 2E MBTs with the MGCS once available.

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