The German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius maintained that European international locations stay dedicated to a number of subsequent era defence tasks, notably the Future Fight Air System (FCAS) and the Foremost Floor Fight System (MGCS).
Throughout a go to from his French counterpart, Sébastian Lecornu, to Osnabrück, Pistorius’ hometown, after visiting Rheinmetall’s web site in Unterlüß.
“We should transfer Europe ahead to make it safer,” Pistorius mentioned, after the go to this week. This assurance comes at a time when sure tasks are going through hurdles.
FCAS bother
Particularly, FCAS – during which France, Germany, and Spain work collectively to develop a fight aerial system-of-systems – face inside disputes amongst main contractors.
Throughout the Paris Air Present in June 2025, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air energy at Airbus Defence and Area, briefly referred to competition over management with the French contractor, Dassault.
“There are of course roles for all of us within the discussion board”, he mentioned, including that Airbus will “reveal our main contribution”.
FCAS and different such tasks symbolize Franco-German cooperation and partnership. “They don’t symbolize nationwide egoism,” hinted a launch issued by the German Ministry of Defence.
Dumont additionally addressed “difficulties in execution” proper now, at “the start of the tip” of Section 1B, in growing and testing demonstrators.
“We’ve got to speed up… as a result of there’s conflict in all places. “We’ve got to contemplate that some areas of this main programme need to ship merchandise earlier” to satisfy the 2040 deadline.
MGCS confusion
Rheinmetall, along with different German-French industrial companions, is enjoying an necessary function within the growth of modern applied sciences for the MGCS. The mission can be scheduled to launch in 2040.
Pistorius equally emphasised that everybody concerned stays dedicated to the programme’s ambition. Nonetheless, there’s a lack of readability, if not outright duplication, between MGCS and the more moderen MARTE tank development programme.
Each tasks seem like operating aspect by aspect, with each led by Rheinmetall (alongside KNDS for MARTE).
Furthermore, it’s unclear whether or not MGCS will develop a essential battle tank (MBTs) or an armoured car. Though, Hensoldt, a German defence provider, has recognized MGCS as a key strategic programme meant to develop a successor to the Leopard 2 and Leclerc MBTs, a spot that MARTE claims to fill.
Critically, this lack of readability could impede fiscal commitments in Europe, resulting in an unclear imaginative and prescient for the longer term drive construction in Europe.
