Pistorius and Lecornu Tour Rheinmetall Manufacturing Facility
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu will visit the Rheinmetall plant in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, on Thursday at 11:30 AM. The visit to the plant, which is a key player in the German-French tank project MGCS ("Main Ground Combat System"), will focus on the production of armored vehicles and the expansion of ammunition production.
The visit to the Rheinmetall plant underscores the ongoing collaboration between German and French defense sectors, with both nations working together to develop a modern and interconnected land combat system. The MGCS project aims to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks with a next-generation cross-platform combat system by 2040.
The project company, MGCS Project Company GmbH, was formally established in January 2025 with equal French-German ownership. This company, headquartered in Cologne, Germany, will act as the prime industrial contractor to advance the MGCS program. Rheinmetall, as a major industrial partner, supports this project alongside a wider European initiative called MARTE (Main Armoured Tank of Europe).
The MGCS project signifies strong Franco-German collaboration and supports interoperability within European armed forces. For example, Belgium, while not an immediate MGCS participant, is modernizing its forces with vehicles interoperable with French forces and closely monitoring MGCS developments, potentially indicating broader European integration in heavy armored capabilities.
Following the visit to the Rheinmetall plant, the defense ministers will travel to the city of Osnabrück. Discussions on military cooperation and the current situation in Ukraine are planned during the visit to Osnabrück. The focus of these discussions is expected to be on military cooperation and the current situation in Ukraine. The signing of the Golden Book by Sébastien Lecornu is a traditional ceremony in the city of Osnabrück and will conclude the visit.
The visit to Osnabrück is another instance of the ongoing collaboration between the German and French defense sectors. The discussions in Osnabrück are not directly related to the production aspects of the MGCS project, but rather serve to strengthen the strategic drive to maintain advanced armored capabilities relevant for high-intensity conflicts akin to those witnessed in Ukraine.
The latest major update on the MGCS tank project was the formal signing of the shareholder agreement for the MGCS Project Company GmbH on January 23, 2025, in Paris. This company, equally owned by German and French partners including KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Thales, will act as the prime industrial contractor to advance the MGCS program.
In summary, the visit by the German and French defense ministers to the Rheinmetall plant in Unterlüß and the city of Osnabrück underscores the ongoing collaboration between German and French defense sectors and the strategic drive to maintain advanced armored capabilities relevant for high-intensity conflicts. The discussions in Osnabrück are expected to focus on military cooperation and the current situation in Ukraine, while the visit to the Rheinmetall plant is intended to discuss and advance the production aspects of the MGCS project.
- The collaboration between German and French defense sectors is evident in their joint efforts to develop the modern land combat system, the MGCS project, which also includes partnerships with other European nations like Belgium for potential integration in heavy armored capabilities.
- The focus of the discussions between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu during the visit to Osnabrück, after their tour of the Rheinmetall plant, will be on military cooperation, particularly concerning the current situation in Ukraine.
- The MGCS project, aiming to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks with a next-generation cross-platform combat system by 2040, has already attracted attention from sectors such as finance, as demonstrated by the MGCS Project Company GmbH's formation in January 2025, with Rheinmetall serving as a major industrial partner.
