On January 24, after resolving all legal and bureaucratic hurdles, the MGCS Project Company consortium was officially established. This entity is tasked with developing and producing a next-generation tank to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc. But this raises an important question: why? The idea that tanks are obsolete in a battlefield dominated by drones has gained traction in recent years.
Despite this, the defense ministries of France and Germany have revived what many considered a defunct project, committing substantial financial and technological resources. As of now, the MGCS is the only active Western program focused on developing a next-generation tank.
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This initiative brings together industry giants such as Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Nexter (now operating as KNDS Germany and KNDS France), Rheinmetall, and Thales. Given the expertise and reputation of these companies, their involvement lends credibility to the continuation of a project often dismissed as unfeasible.

To understand the significance of this, we need to look back 109 years—to September 15, 1916—when tanks were first deployed during the Battle of the Somme. The British Mark I and the French Renault FT were vastly different from the tanks that dominated World War II battlefields just 25 years later. Despite the emergence of anti-tank artillery, tanks not only survived but evolved into both anti-tank platforms and the primary means of direct fire support for infantry.

Fast forward another 25 years to the mid-1960s, and we see the transition from first-generation post-war tanks like the Centurion, M48 Patton, and T-54 to second-generation designs such as the Leopard 1, M60, and T-64. By the 1980s, third-generation tanks like the Abrams and Leopard 2 had become the new standard.

However, by the mid-2010s, instead of entirely new designs, we still had upgraded versions of the Abrams and Leopard 2. No true replacements emerged, and now it’s clear that no new tank will arrive before the 2040s—extending the cycle by another 25 years.
Predictably, neither the Abrams nor the Leopard 2 has fully met the demands of modern warfare. Meanwhile, even heavily modernized Soviet-era tanks have proven largely ineffective in traditional roles. Persisting with existing designs today would be like fighting the Gulf War in 1991 with T-34s and expecting them to compete against M60s—an outdated concept at best.
For further perspective, consider the timeline: the T-34 was introduced in 1940, and the Leopard 2 entered service in 1979—a 39-year gap. Yet by the time the MGCS arrives in 2040, at least 61 years will have passed since the Leopard 2's debut. It is doubtful that the technological leap from the Leopard 2 to the MGCS will match the radical transformation seen between the Renault FT and the Leopard 2—a span of 62 years.
Nonetheless, a combat vehicle that combines high firepower, mobility, and protection is unlikely to become obsolete. Instead, it will evolve to meet the changing demands of the battlefield. The MGCS will not just be another tank—it will be a response to the challenges of 21st-century warfare.
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