The Franco-German FCAS initiative to create a new-generation military aircraft was cancelled last week due to tensions between the participating companies, dealing a blow to European defence cooperation efforts. Now concerns are growing about another joint project – the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), which aims to replace the battle tanks currently used by France and Germany.
"The risk is always there, but nothing has been decided yet," Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
Rheinmetall is one of the companies involved in the project, together with the French and German arms manufacturer KNDS and the French company Thales. However, Papperger said that France is already planning to drastically cut the budget, with the amount under consideration being less than half of what was previously planned.
He added that the budget cut could further delay the programme's implementation.
"If you have less money, you won't speed up, and we are already very slow," the Rheinmetall CEO said.
The companies involved in the project have so far received only 25 million euros, which Papperger described as "very little money."
The MGCS is intended to replace Germany's Leopard 2 and France's Leclerc tanks around 2040. However, the project is already behind schedule.
The financial daily Handelsblatt also reported on Friday that a joint project to develop an advanced European drone is also facing difficulties. France's Dassault is demanding compensation from Airbus for the Eurodrone initiative, as it will receive a smaller share of the project's work, the article said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The drone is being developed by France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
