France and Germany agreed to begin joint development of a new main battle tank. On Thursday, April 30, said the Minister of the Armed Forces of France Florence Parley in her Twitter account.
The corresponding agreement was signed remotely with the participation of the German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. According to Parley, as a result of cooperation, the armies of both countries from 2035 will be able to get a modern European tank with wide communication capabilities. Thus, the minister believes, Europe will be able to build its own defense on the basis of “specific projects and mutual trust.”
With a reference to the French edition of La Tribune, the signing of the agreement on the creation of the “tank of the future” was to take place four years ago, however, the parties all this time could not agree on how orders would be distributed between their industrial enterprises. In addition, Germany opposed the supply of a promising combat vehicle to the Middle East.
It is expected that the new joint production tank will replace the AMX-56 Leclerc heavy tank in service in France, as well as the German Leopard 2.
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