France has acknowledged the failure of the modern battle tank program developed jointly with Germany

Fabien Mandon, Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, acknowledged that the joint project with Germany on the new-generation MGCS battle tank had encountered serious difficulties and that the German side had withdrawn from the initiative. At the same time, the French general emphasized that he does not consider the project a complete failure.

This is one of the first instances in which a French official has publicly acknowledged problems with the Franco-German Main Combat Ground System (MGCS) program. For several months, the project’s fate had been the subject of speculation.

“The outcome is not encouraging. We had hoped to create the tank of the future in cooperation with the Germans, but, unfortunately, we must acknowledge that the Germans have withdrawn from the project,” the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces told lawmakers.

The MGCS program involves the defense companies KNDS France, KNDS Germany, Rheinmetall, and Thales. The project was intended to create a new-generation main battle tank, which was to be the result of cooperation between France and Germany.

However, its implementation has faced years of delays, labor disputes, and political tensions. As early as June, it was reported that the prospects for creating the new tank were becoming increasingly uncertain, and the program itself risked ending in failure.

Despite acknowledging the problems, Fabien Mandon urged that the previous collaboration not be viewed as a waste of time.

Responding to a question from a member of the far-right National Rally party, the general disputed that the word “failure” best describes the situation surrounding the MGCS.

“This is not a complete defeat; it is an important decision by Germany, but our ground forces have been working together for several years to determine what the future main battle tank should look like. It was not a waste of time. But from an industrial standpoint, this is not good news,” Mandon said.

A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the French general’s statement.

Fabien Mandon’s statement came just a few months after the conclusion of another large-scale Franco-German defense initiative—the FCAS (Future Combat Air System)—which aimed to develop a new-generation fighter jet.

Thus, the issues surrounding the MGCS have become yet another challenge for joint defense projects between the two European countries.

Fabien Mandon made this statement to French lawmakers during hearings on next year’s budget, according to Politico.