Krauss-Maffei Wegman - Meta-Defense.fr

The Czech Republic negotiates the acquisition of 50 Leopard 2A7+ heavy tanks

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the Czech Republic has been one of the countries most involved in providing military support to Ukrainian fighters. Despite a reduced armed force of only 25.000 soldiers and reservists, and a defense budget capped at €4 billion per year, Prague did not hesitate to transfer part of its stock of T-72M1 tanks to Kyiv. reserves, but also artillery, anti-aircraft defense and ammunition systems, and intends to continue this effort until the end of the conflict. The country obtained, in this perspective, the support of Berlin, which announced the transfer of…

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Greece ready to spend €2 billion to modernize its Leopard 1 and 2 heavy tanks

May 11thMay 11th

If the United States and some of the Europeans tend to soften their positions vis-à-vis Turkey, the Greek authorities and military, for their part, are far from sharing this hope about a possible change of method. and objectives on the part of the Turkish President, R. T Erdogan, and a normalization of relations with Ankara. While Greece can rely on solid growth of 8,1% in 2021 and more than 7% expected in 2022, and its public finances are again in the green, Athens can now focus on modernizing its its ground forces, after devoting…

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MGCS: Italy, Poland, Norway and Great Britain could join the program from 2023

April 11thApril 11th

Resulting from a preliminary study launched jointly by France and Germany in 2012, the Main Ground Combat System program, or MGCS, was officially launched in 2017 by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel to replace in 2035 the French Leclerc tanks and the German Leopard 2s, alongside 3 other emblematic programs of Franco-German cooperation in the defense industry, the Future Air Combat System or SCAF to replace the Rafale and Typhoon in 2040, the Common Indect Fire System or CIFS to replacing self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers in 2035, and the Maritime Airborne Warfare System or MAWS to…

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Israeli Trophy active protection system proves its worth on German Leopard 2s

November 4, 2021November 8, 2021

Last February, Berlin announced that it had ordered from the Israeli Rafael the active protection system Trophy to equip the equivalent of a company of Leopard 2A7 tanks. This Hard-Kill system, which notably equips Merkava tanks and Namer Infantry Combat Vehicles, had already largely demonstrated its operational effectiveness during Israeli engagements in the Middle East since 2011, by displaying an exceptional capacity to intercept rockets and anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli tanks. This system was also meticulously tested by the US Army, which decided to equip some of its M1A2 Abrams heavy tanks with it as an interim solution, in…

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New partners, new capabilities: Berlin has big ambitions for the MGCS program

May 17thMay 17th

If the first discussions around the Main Ground Combat System program, or MGCS, date from 2012, this program intended to replace the heavy armored component in France (Char Leclerc) and Germany (Leopard 2 tank) has come to the fore. from 2017 and the election of French President Emmanuel Macron, when he integrated it with a set of other Franco-German programs including the SCAF intended to replace the Rafale and Typhoon aircraft, and the MAWS intended to replace the aircraft Maritime Patrol Atlantic 2 and P3C Orion. The Franco-German couple, stimulated by tensions between Berlin and Washington following the arrival of Donald…

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Nexter challenges Rheinmetall with its ASCALON cannon for the MGCS program

April 15thApril 15th

For the German Rheinmetall, the case was understood: the experience and the reputation acquired by the designer of the Rh-120 L44 120 mm gun which equips the Leopard 2 justified, according to the Düsseldorf group, on their own, that the design of the main gun of the Franco-German MGCS program is attributed to him. For this, Rheinmetall intended to rely on its new 130 mm L/51 gun, presented 5 years ago, despite the tests carried out by the French Nexter, who had experimented with a new 140 mm gun. on Leclerc chassis in 2019, as part of the Future Tank Main Armament program,…

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KNDS EMBT tank will be much more than an industrial demonstrator

February 1 2021February 3 2021

The E-MBT tank from the Franco-German company KNDS caused a sensation at the EuroSatory 2018 exhibition, proudly enthroned at the heart of the exhibition as the symbol of Franco-German cooperation in the field of defense equipment, established in 2015 when the German armor specialist Krauss Maffei Wegman and the French Nexter, respectively at the origin of the Leopard 2 tank and the Leclerc, created the KNDS joint venture with equal power. And the E-MBT, for Enhanced Main Battle Tank, reflected this balance perfectly, with a Leclerc turret perched on a Leopard 2 body.

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British Army takes an interest in Franco-German MGCS tank program

January 14 2021January 18 2021

European cooperation programs seem to be at the heart of Defense news at the start of the year. Indeed, after Italy and Poland, it is Great Britain's turn to take an interest in the Franco-German MGCS program, which is to design and manufacture a new heavy combat tank by 2035 to replace the Leopards. 2 of the Bundeswehr and the Leclerc of the Army. According to the Defensenews.com site, the British authorities have indeed opened discussions with their German and French counterparts on this subject, in order to find a replacement for its Challenger 2 tanks which will remain in service within the British…

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Qatar turn to KMW's German Boxer and drop Nexter's VBCI

December 16, 2020December 18, 2020

Exactly 3 years ago, Doha announced two major contracts for the French Defense industry: the exercise of an option to acquire 12 additional Rafale aircraft to the 24 already ordered, as well as a €2 billion contract to acquire 490 Armored Infantry Combat, or VBCI, manufactured by Nexter. If the Rafale order went perfectly, and is almost finished today, the VBCI file has, for its part, experienced many delays, with the process of selecting the turret which was to equip the armored vehicle, then because of the increasingly strong tensions between Paris and Doha opponents on issues without any…

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Is France sacrificing part of its Defense Industry on the altar of cooperation with Germany?

December 15, 2020December 17, 2020

It's official, the KNDS company, which brings together the French Nexter and the German Krauss-Maffei Wegman, and which was until now piloted by a two-headed structure made up of the CEO of Nexter Stephan Mayer and his counterpart from KMW, will see its structure evolve, and will now be steered by a 9-person board of directors chaired by Philippe Petitcolin, the CEO of the French engine manufacturer Safran, while the company will pass under the direction of Frank Haun, hitherto boss of KMW, who will be replaced in this position by the vice-president of the company, Ralf Ketzel, while for his part, Stéphane Mayer will leave Nexter, without his successor having been named so far.…

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