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Rheinmetall future MBT main battle tank MGCS Main Ground Combat System with 130mm cannon 11802161.
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Defence & Security Industry News - Rheinmetall
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Rheinmetall future MBT main battle tank MGCS Main Ground Combat System with 130mm cannon | |||
During the presentation of Rheinmetall's Capital Markets Day 2015, the Company has presented a new project for the development of future MBT (Main Battle Tank) with an upgraded 120mm high-pressure gun and then a new 130mm gun under the project name MGCS 2030+ (Main Ground Combat System).
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New concept MGCS Main Ground Combat System with 130mm gun
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The modernization of the new Leopard proposed by Rheinmetall seems to be based on the MBT Technologieträger and its new technologies. According some military sources, the new 120mm high-pressure canon could increase performance by 20%
There is lot of speculations about the new gun. One possibility could be that the "new" gun is referring to the already existing 120 mm L55 gun. Another possibility is an increase in barrel length of 1meter. A third option would be upgrading the L55 gun, but only by using more modern components instead of lengthening the barrel. |
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Rheinmetall MBT Technologieträger
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The new 130 mm gun is a precondition for the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS). The Main Ground Combat System is currently being developed by Germany and France as replacement for the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks, although Rheinmetall is expected other nations to join into the MGCS development.
The contract between Germany and France for the development of the MGCS was signed originally in 2012, despite becoming only wider known after the new Russian T-14 Armata MBT was revealed in May of 2015. It is understood that the MGCS is currently in the conception phase; different concepts are being made and evaluated, while new technology is being researched and tested. The conception phase is expected to last at least until 2017. Rheinmetall offer new tanks modernization in three phases until 2030, with modernization of existing main battle tank with new high-pressure 120mm cannon and ammunition to increase performance of +20%, digital turret core system, situational awareness system and active Defence System (ADS). The step 2 is to fit future tank with new 130mm cannon which increases performance of penetration and effectiveness by 50% with marketing phase starting in 2016. The third step is the modernization in medium and long term with a new concept of main battle tank with the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) concept , currently in concept phase until 2017 with cooperation of defense industry including Germany and several nations for a future replacement of the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc MBT.
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Modernization program for main battle tank |
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