‘Tank of the future’: German and French defence ministers sign billion euro arms project

France's defence minister received his German counterpart on Friday to ink a deal between the two countries to build a next-generation battle tank.

Transcript

00:00After years of negotiations, France and Germany have signed a multi-billion euro deal to build

00:06a next generation battle tank. The joint project is called the Main Ground Combat System. The

00:14tank will replace Germany's Leopard 2 and France's Leclerc and feature artificial intelligence

00:20and automated systems. Both countries will equally share the cost.

00:25The heart of the agreement is to say that in 2040 we will have the same tank, because there is no

00:30scheme in which the two armies are not engaged globally against the same adversaries, or in any

00:37case in the same training conditions in common. And it is then that, in view of our needs,

00:43we find an agreement of distribution for our industrialists, so that obviously there is a

00:50balance. Politically it is important, economically also. The system is the second major joint arms

00:56industry project between the two countries. It was delayed by a series of political differences.

01:01But I would also like to say it clearly, it is also an expression of what the French President

01:06put into expression in his recently held speech. We need a European understanding

01:12of the armaments industry, for the development of armaments in Europe. We must, in view of the

01:19developments in the world, certainly not in the short term, that will not succeed, but in the medium and

01:24long term, how should I put it, develop the best solutions in the armaments sector in Europe,

01:32i.e. the best solutions, the best from Europe.

01:35Spain will work with France and Germany on the second project, a next generation fighter jet or

01:42future combat air system. Germany will take the lead role on the battle tank project,

01:48which is expected to be finished by 2040.