Germany has reportedly signed agreements with Italy, Spain and Sweden on the development of a successor to the Leopard 2 tank. The tank will be build under the leadership of German defence manufacturers Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall.
The German-led tank coalition is hoping to receive more than €100 million in funding from the EU’s European Defence Fund, as per the Handelsblatt. The joint project would also involve Sweden's Saab and Italy's Leonardo, the German newspaper reported.
The deal could signal the end to a Franco-German effort signed in 2017 to develop their own tank to replace the Leopard 2 and France’s Leclerc.
The Franco-German project was reportedly beset by disagreements over specifications and delays. Paris was said to favour a lighter tank with greater manoeuvrability which would be easier to airlift overseas.
Source: Crux - YouTube