“Empowering Unity: The Partnership Agreement of MGCS Project Company”
KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Thales officially established the founding documents for MGCS Project Company GmbH in Cologne on Thursday, January 23, 2025. The event was graced by the presence of French Defence Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, and German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius.
MGCS, denoting the Main Ground Combat System, is a joint German-French defense project designed to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks with a multifunctional combat solution by the year 2040.
The execution of the shareholder agreement represents a significant milestone in the formation of the MGCS Project Company. Following the finalization of a contract with the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), acting on behalf of both countries through a German-French Combined Project Team (CPT), this project company will take on the role of the industrial lead contractor for the subsequent phase of the MGCS initiative. It will specifically focus on integrating the concept and core technological elements of the system. Each party will hold a 25% stake, with an equal national distribution of 50% for Germany and 50% for France, based in Cologne, Germany.
The industrial partners involved in the MGCS project have conveyed their contentment regarding this arrangement, which follows the support initiated by the French and German governments in the spring of 2024 through the signing of a Letter Of Intent (LOI).
