If the MGCS drags on, Rheinmetall offers the Unmanned Turret Concept as a short-term alternative

World Ground War

EUROSATORY 2024 — If the future of Europe The main ground combat system drags on too long, German company Rheinmetall is offering a shorter-term option called “Concept Unmanned Turret” (CUT) for its Panther KF51 main battle tank.

“The experiences of recent crises and wars, in addition to the obvious postponement of the main program of the land combat system [MGCS]creates the need to put in place an additional solution in the medium term,” said Bjoern Bernhard, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Landsysteme, today at the inauguration here at Eurosatory in Paris.

“We see that the MGCS is not progressing as we thought,” he later told reporters. “So I can tell you right from the start that the MGCS was due to be introduced in 2035 and with a quick glance at the calendar I can tell you that there are only 10 years left for an extremely complex system.”

When the Panther's turret and chassis are combined, the vehicle weighs approximately 50 tons and requires three soldiers to operate. But to better protect the crew from top-down attacks like those prevalent in Ukraine, the soldiers are inside the chassis and not physically practical with the turret.

As for the turret's features, it can be equipped with a future 130mm gun system or the company's 120mm smoothbore gun and includes a 25-round autoloader, Rheinmetall says.

Soldiers inside will also have access to a .50-caliber coaxial machine gun, a “fully digital” target engagement system, and a 360-degree multi-sensor array. Rheinmetall also included the Hensoldt Muss 2.0 soft-kill active protection system for the new turret and Elbit's Iron Fist APS as a kinetic solution.

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Today, Bernhard said the CUT is still in the “early” stages of development, but if a customer is interested and ready to invest, the company could have it ready for commissioning in the early 2030s.

Rheinmetall's announcement comes as questions persist about the health of the MGCS program. The Franco-German project was first launched in 2017 to develop a jointly designed next-generation European main battle tank, intended to succeed the French Leclerc army vehicles and the German Leopard 2, with entry into service initially planned for 2035. Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of Defense, has since suggested between 2040 and 2045, this constitutes a more realistic timetable.

In April, France and Germany signed the MGCS “phase 1a” agreement, following extensive political discussions, paving the way for industry to officially begin the development phase of the program. The future tank is expected to be integrated with cutting-edge technologies, ranging from new fires and artificial intelligence to advanced electronic warfare capabilities.

Shortly after the 1a announcement, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France and Thales decided to develop a four-party joint venture MGCS, with a firm contract to be implemented next year. The new industrial consortium is also committed to a 50/50 Franco-German distribution of work.

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More generally, the MGCS industrial plan is structured around eight pillars: platform, traditional firepower, innovative firepower, connectivity, sensors, simulation, protection and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, last week, the Franco-German KNDS (a joint venture between the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the French Nexter) unveiled two new main battle tank concepts, based on the Leopard 2 and Leclerc vehicles.

A Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 tank, equipped with an unmanned and remotely controlled turret, was presented and exhibited, also here at Eurosatory, alongside the Leclerc Evolution vehicle, equipped with a manned turret and integrated with an Ascalon cannon of 120mm.

KNDS specifically referred to the Leopard 2 A-RC 3.0 platform also as a “transitional solution” to the MGCS tank and considers it a “decisive technological precursor” for the multinational program. The manufacturer also touts the Ascalon cannon as the best choice for an MGCS main gun. A firing campaign of Ascalon main battle tanks is expected to take place next year, while live-firing tests of 120mm and 140mm guns took place successfully last month.