The next milestone in the Franco-German armaments initiative, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), has been reached. Following approval by the German Federal Cartel Office, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Thales officially established the ‘MGCS Project Company GmbH’ on 10 April 2025 in Cologne. Dipl.-Ing., Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing., and Colonel (G.S., German Army Reserve) Stefan Gramolla has been appointed as the company’s Managing Director.
The founding of the company marks a further significant step in the MGCS project. After the upcoming negotiation of a contract with the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), which is acting on behalf of the two nations through a Franco-German Combined Project Team (CPT), this project company will be responsible for implementing the next phase of the MGCS programme as the industrial prime contractor. In particular, it will consolidate the concept and the main technological pillars of the system.
Launched at the initiative of the French and German governments, the MGCS project aims to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks with a multi-platform ground combat system by 2040.
