France is weighing an “interim” solution as delays to a next-generation tank programme raise concerns that the current Leclerc fleet could become obsolete in the coming decades.

The next-generation tank, developed together with Germany, is currently not projected to become available until the 2040s, leaving France without an up-to-date capability for a couple of years as the Leclerc tank is meant to be decommissioned in the late 2030s.

“So we’ve incorporated an interim tank capability into the schedule,” Catherine Vautrin, France’s defence minister said when presenting an update to the country’s military planning law on Wednesday.

The Franco-German tank manufacturer KNDS could be called up for this task, according to Vautrin.

In its proposed update, the French government now plans to spend an additional €36 billion on defence over the remainder of the decade, on top of the €413 billion already allocated. This would bring the 2030 annual budget to €76.3 billion – roughly 2.5% of GDP.

The decision to develop a joint Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) was signed between Paris and Berlin in 2018, with the final product envisioned to come online in 2035.

However, the two parties agreed only two years ago on the division of labour between KNDS, Germany’s Rheinmetall and France’s Thales.

According to Vautrin, the project is now delayed by over a decade, which she blamed on Germany’s recent decision to develop a new Leopard 3 tank. France is therefore considering a similar path.

The European tank project was launched alongside another cross-border project, Europe’s next-generation fighter jet system. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) – involving France, Germany, and Spain – is currently on the brink of failure.

KNDS has previously expressed concern that the breakdown of the fighter jet project could, in turn, hinder the development of its tank equivalent.