According to multiple foreign media reports, defense companies from Germany and France have signed an agreement to establish a dedicated project company to accelerate the development of the European Future Ground Combat System (MGCS) and create the next generation of high-tech main combat vehicles. This marks new progress in the years long weapons research and development cooperation project between Germany and France, which will enable the two countries to have armored units with strong combat capabilities around 2040. The cooperation has been full of twists and turns. The main participating companies in Germany and France - Rheinmetall, Thales, KNDS Defense Group's German and French subsidiaries - will each invest 25% to establish a new company responsible for research and development tasks. The new company will closely coordinate with the Equipment, Information Technology and Active Support Office of the German Federal Defense Forces and the French Defense Procurement Agency to integrate the ground equipment technology and performance requirements of Germany and France. It plans to gradually replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc series main battle tanks that have been in service for many years with the next generation of ground main battle vehicles between 2035 and 2040. The MGCS project can be traced back to 2013, when the German company Klaus Maffei Wiegmann and the French company Naxster Systems jointly launched the pre research work of a new tank. In 2015, the two companies merged to form KNDS Defense Group. In 2017, the MGCS project was officially launched, and in 2019, Rheinmetall of Germany joined in. The cooperation between defense companies of the two countries in research and development has its own advantages, such as integrating advanced technologies from all parties and reducing research and production costs. However, this model also brings many problems, mainly because the military of the two countries have different requirements for equipment positioning and technical and tactical indicators, the position and responsibility division of each military enterprise in cooperation are not clear enough, and the two countries are competing openly and secretly for project leadership, resulting in project delays and even difficulties. Over the years, the German and French defense departments have conducted multiple rounds of negotiations on the MGCS project. In order to leverage their respective advantages and reduce internal friction, in June 2018, Germany and France signed a package of intergovernmental agreements for the joint development of new equipment, establishing the general direction of "Germany led, France fully supported"; As an exchange and balance, the next generation fighter jet project will be led by France. However, each participating enterprise still adheres to its own philosophy and has launched many competing design solutions. In April 2024, the defense ministers of Germany and France signed a memorandum of understanding in Paris, clarifying the disputed division of tasks and dividing the MGCS project into 8 pillars, with Germany and France leading 2 each, and the remaining 4 being coordinated and promoted by both parties, providing direction for the establishment of a new project company and subsequent research and development. Reflecting strategic considerations, as the two major military powers of the European Union, Germany and France have cooperated multiple times in the field of weapon and equipment development, successively launching well-known military products such as the "Alpha" trainer/attack aircraft, the "Milan" anti tank missile, and the "Tiger" armed helicopter. In recent years, with the support of EU defense integration, especially the "permanent structural cooperation" framework, the momentum of Germany and France leading joint research and development of future equipment has become more apparent. The comments suggest that the joint development of the main combat vehicle by the two countries aims to demonstrate to the United States and even the world that "Old Europe" still has the ability to independently develop and produce advanced weapons, and will continue to play an important role in future international politics and military trade. Germany and France intend to use the MGCS project as a starting point to build the EU into a defense alliance based on self-developed equipment. The officials of Germany and France have repeatedly stated that they welcome other partner countries to apply for membership in order to further share the costs. Due to the continuous increase in research and development costs of new main battle vehicles, most European countries have given up on developing their own next-generation main battle tanks. Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Poland and other countries have shown interest and even intentions to join the MGCS project. The UK, which has already left the EU, has expressed its desire to become an observer for the project while upgrading its current Challenger tank as a transitional solution. However, in order to monopolize the project and even the dominant position in the European armored vehicle manufacturing industry, Germany and France are cautious about expanding their "circle of friends" and have clearly refused Poland's joining. Both countries believe that although Poland has certain capabilities in developing main battle tanks, its close relationship with the United States is not conducive to ensuring the "European quality" of future main battle vehicles. The current disclosure of some research and development details also reflects the intention of Germany and France to seize the forefront of technology in related fields. The defense ministers of Germany and France claimed that the project "is not about further developing main battle tanks, but involves a completely new thing - interconnected tanks". At the European Defense Exhibition in July 2024, German and French companies participating in the project showcased several technology validation vehicles, demonstrating the project's technological development in unmanned turrets, new artillery, and anti drone operations. According to reports, the next generation of main combat vehicles designed and built under the MGCS project will adopt artificial intelligence and laser technology, and be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles to protect the vehicles, which may accelerate the upgrading of European land combat vehicles. The coexistence of opportunities and challenges has led to new progress in the German French MGCS project, sparking heated discussions from the outside world. Some comments suggest that as the next generation main combat vehicle program independently developed by Europe, if the MGCS project is successfully promoted, it is expected to drive Europe to achieve a leap in related technological fields. The project is also expected to generate spillover effects, stimulating rapid development in Europe in areas such as high-power engines, laser defense, stealth, and integrated power systems. Some comments also suggest that many related technologies of the MGCS project still need to be developed or improved, and some bottlenecks are difficult to overcome. For this reason, Germany and France are still upgrading their active main battle tanks as a means of protection. For example, the French Defense Procurement Agency recently announced the upgrade of 100 Leclerc tanks to the XLR version, continuing to expand the number and scale of this type of main battle tank. In addition to technical limitations and internal coordination issues, the MGCS project may also encounter interference and constraints from the United States. For the United States, which has always wanted to intervene in European defense, the development of the next generation of main combat vehicles in Europe led by France and Germany will touch the "cheese" of American arms giants. Considering that the United States does not have significant technological advantages in tank research and development, it may resort to forced buying and selling to pressure NATO European allies to purchase American made M1A2 main battle tanks, which will affect the promotion of the next generation of main battle vehicles in Europe. (New Society)