Shifting allegiances – what Eurosatory 2024 told us about Europe’s defence sector
After walking the halls at Eurosatory last month, and many interesting chats with industry insiders, several things struck me about what was present (and absent!) at the show.
One perhaps obvious point to begin with: in the past Belarus and Russia had expansive stands but understandably were absent owing to the ongoing Ukraine conflict. No proxies were spotted, at least not by this visitor!... Continues below
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Above: Arquus Defense’s Hornet RWS is standard across the French Army’s new wheeled vehicle fleet and will form part of a wider range of turrets under the John Cockerill banner. (Photo: author)
This time, Israel was also excluded (even at individual visitor level, although this was overthrown by a French court) due to the ongoing operations by the IDF in Gaza. Was this related to attempts to broker a ceasefire, avoid noisy public demonstrations, or head off some kind of security risk? Take your pick…
Nonetheless, several items of Israeli-developed equipment were on show due to work already long since in progress with European defence contractors. To my mind this shows how integral a part of the West’s defence industrial base Israeli tech is – you can’t simply ‘cancel’ it or your weapon system won’t work!
These examples included a GDELS Steyr Pandur Evo 6x6 APC platform fitted with an Elbit 120mm mortar turret, which has already been ordered by the Austrian Army as part of a deal to supply 222 new Pandurs.
One vehicle absent from the GDELS stand was the Santa Barbara Sistemas Dragon 8x8 IFV, which is the replacement for the BMR-600 series first deployed by the Spanish Army some 45 years ago. This may reflect the seeming increase in purely ‘national’ trade shows such as last year’s FEINDEF in Madrid that are cropping up around Europe as defence rises up the agenda.
There was no presence on the GDELS stand either from General Dynamics Land Systems UK, which could have shown a member of the much-delayed Ajax family of tracked vehicles or the Foxhound 4x4 protected vehicle, 400 of which have already been supplied to the British Army. Export sales of Ajax seem unlikely at this point, but you never know…
Returning to Israel, its industry has already established numerous JV companies in Europe which were well represented in Paris (and so evidently exempt from the blacklist).
These included Eurospike, whose eponymous antitank guided weapon (ATGW) is already in service with the German Army in the dismounted role and will be fitted to its upgraded Puma IFVs.
In addition there was the EuroTrophy active protection system (APS) which has been selected by Germany for installation on some of its latest Leopard 2A8 MBTs and by the UK for part of its Challenger 3 fleet.
The Elbit Iron First APS was also shown integrated on the latest BAE Systems Hagglunds CV9035NL Mid Life Update IFV for the Royal Netherlands Army and this has been in service with the IDF for several years.
On the absentee side, another with UK connections was the Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 (RCH 155), which comprises the KMW PzH 2000’s ordnance installed on the ARTEC Boxer MRAV 8x8 platform. This combination is already in production for Ukraine with an initial batch of 18 funded by Berlin and has also been selected by Germany and for the British Army’s Royal Artillery requirement for a Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) to replace the AS90 155mm/39cal SP system.
It remains to be seen if the MFP decision remains firm after the UK General Election on 4 July as the South Korean K9 Team Thunder with the latest tracked K9 155mm/52cal system offered not only a greater long-term stretch potential but would also help firm up the UK’s land industrial policy as little capacity remains compared even to just ten years ago.
Above: Despite a ban on attendance, some Israeli tech made it to the show floor, such as this Elbit 120mm mortar turret integrated on a GDELS Pandur 6x6. (Photo: author)
One decidedly firm development is that Volvo has finally completed the sale of France’s Renault Trucks Defense to John Cockerill Defense of Belgium.
John Cockerill has sold large numbers of its C3000 series of two-person turrets to other platform suppliers including FNSS in Turkey (Kaplan medium tanks for Indonesia) and GDLS Canada (LAV 8x8s for Saudi Arabia).
Renault Trucks Defense meanwhile supplies the Hornet family of RWS for the three wheeled AFVs currently in volume production for the French Army, the Jaguar, Griffon and Serval, and the systems are also marketed independently for other platforms.
The Hornet series complements the existing range of John Cockerill turrets, enabling the combined business to supply customers with a much wider range of products to meet almost all user requirements.
Belgium has already ordered the Griffon APC and Jaguar reconnaissance vehicle and will work together with France on a long-term replacement for Renault Trucks Defense’s VBL light armoured 4x4, known as the Vehicule Blindé d’Aide a l’Engagement (VBAE) programme.
John Cockerill has already completed a demonstrator called the i-X which is a lightweight 4x4 fitted with a retractable weapon station armed with a 25mm Bushmaster dual-feed cannon and 7.62mm co-axial machine gun.
The VBAE programme will be run by OCCAR and includes not only John Cockerill for lethality but the former Arquus Defense for mobility and KNDS-France for vehicle integration.
It is said that the VBAE effort is consistent with the FAMOUS (Future highly mobile Augmented ArMOUred Systems) project sustained by the European Defence Fund (EDF) and financed by the European Commission. Where this sits with the (tracked) FAMOUS demonstrator vehicle shown by Patria at Eurosatory will doubtless be revealed in due course!
KNDS-Germany and KNDS-France are now firmly established as a merged entity and this has brought advantages to both, but in some areas they are in direct competition!
One good example is SP artillery systems with Germany marketing the tracked PzH 2000 (now back in production for the fourth time) and RCH-155 wheeled solution while France can offer the combat-proven and best-selling CAESAR 155mm/52cal in both 6x6 (Renault chassis) and 8x8 (Tatra) versions.
Arguably, these systems could be seen as complementary and meeting different needs but there will doubtless be requirements where both could be in the frame – so politics may decide the winner there!
One of the big talking points in Paris was the future of the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) with an industrial grouping consisting of KNDS-Germany, KNDS-France, Rheinmetall and Thales set to be established to run this programme through its development and subsequent production phases.
Above: Rheinmetall’s Lynx IFV fitted with a Leonardo HITFACT turret. Could these two companies eventually join forces to create a new European AFV powerhouse? (Photo: author)
Whether the MGCS concept will survive in the longer term is questionable, especially if one looks at the French and German Army’s force structures, which are quite different.
Germany is clearly a heavy force with upgraded and new Leopard 2 MBTs, tracked Puma IFVs, some legacy tracked Marders and an increasing number of Boxer MRAV 8x8s used for a range of battlefield missions
The French Army is much ‘lighter’ with Leclerc MBTs, VBCI 8x8 IFVs, a large number of VAB 4x4s (still), plus increasing numbers of Jaguar, Griffon and Serval wheeled vehicles. France has continuing commitments in Africa where these latter have clear advantages over tracked counterparts as they can be self-deployed over long distances.
Apart from the Leclerc, the only tracked platforms deployed by France are some combat engineer and armoured recovery vehicles based on the AMX-30 chassis and one regiment still equipped with 1970s-vintage AUF1 155mm SP artillery systems.
In the past the main armament of MGCS was assumed to be a French 140mm smoothbore gun but during Eurosatory it became apparent that Germany wanted the Rheinmetall 130mm option which was first revealed some eight years ago and leverages the company’s considerable experience in design, development and production of 120mm guns and their extensive suites of ammunition.
Most observers believe that something else will have to happen, such as the procurement of more interim MBTs, or upgrading older ones to bridge the gap until MGCS achieves its full operational capability. Then there is still the risk that MCGS will be a compromised design that pleases neither party, and Germany at least seems to have its own alternatives from Rheinmetall.
Indeed, with the potential initial operating capability of MGCS touted as 2040, positive action is needed to ensure there is a production base still in existence by that point!
Just after Eurosatory, Rheinmetall announced that it had teamed with Leonardo to offer a ‘new MBT’ plus the Lynx IFV to meet the requirements of the Italian Army and stated that 60% of the work would be carried out in Italy. This will doubtless have an impact on MGCS as Italy was seen as a potential partner (or at least a major customer).
Now that the CIO Centauro II 8x8 Mobile Gun System is in quantity production for the Italian Army, which has now firmed up its contract for a total of 150, Leonardo itself is now increasing marketing of the HITFACT 105mm/120mm turret fitted to this for other platforms and at Eurosatory it was shown installed on Otokar’s Tulpar tracked vehicle and the Rheinmetall Lynx.
This last combination might be a harbinger of things to come. If the tie-up between Leonardo and Rheinmetall works out, the pairing could even emerge as a bi-national counterbalance (and competitor) to KNDS, further muddying the MGCS waters.
Who will partnering with whom by DSEI in 2025, never mind Eurosatory 2026?
Other articles in this newsletter:
Albania joins the ranks of COTS-based light AFV suppliers
KNDS completes first Boxer Tracked, but who will buy it?
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