- US halts bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns
- Global car giants seek tech allies in China's cutthroat EV market
- Mbappe denied dream PSG farewell after Champions League exit
- Celtics rout Cavs to take playoff series opener
- Kim Jong Un mourns death of North Korea's former propaganda chief
- US centenarian to marry at Normandy, 80 years after Allied landing
- Ritacuba Blanco: death of a Colombian glacier
- US restorationist solves 60-million-year-old dinosaur fossil 'puzzles'
- US touts action on irregular migration at Guatemala gathering
- China's Xi in Serbia for talks to boost economic ties
- Boeing Starliner crewed mission postponed to May 17
- NBA fines Denver's Murray $100,000 for heating pad toss
- Reus and Hummels 'close the circle' with Champions League return to Wembley
- Rudy Gobert named 2024 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- PSG coach Luis Enrique proud despite 'unfair' Champions League exit
- 'No one expected us' says Reus as Dortmund return to Wembley
- Florida judge indefinitely postpones Trump documents trial
- Blinken says US targeting those 'preying' on migrants
- Porzingis out but 'better than we thought' says Celtics coach
- Hummels stuns Mbappe and PSG to take Dortmund to Champions League final
- Sideways day on Wall Street as London notches another record
- China's Xi lands in Serbia after talking Ukraine, trade in France
- OpenAI unveils tool to detect DALL-E images
- Argentina introduces 10,000-peso banknote
- Security guard shot outside Drake's home in Toronto
- Cappuccino-fuelled Kane must 'deliver' against Madrid: Bayern coach Tuchel
- Delhi down Rajasthan to stay in IPL play-off race
- ArcelorMittal hit by Olympic flame greenwashing accusations
- Tiger and world's top 100 named in PGA Championship field
- Brazilians queue for precious water as flood damage intensifies
- TikTok challenges potential US ban in court
- Israel seizes Rafah crossing as Gaza truce talks resume
- Ukraine says thwarted Russian-led plot to kill Zelensky
- US repatriates two dozen Westerners from Syria IS camp
- Penske bans team president, three more over cheating scandal
- Europe student Gaza protests spread, sparking clashes, arrests
- Disney reports small loss but sees improvement in streaming
- Brazil's football giants rally to help victims of deadly flooding
- Thiago Silva to return to hometown club Fluminense at end of season
- Biden slams 'ferocious' rise in anti-Semitism amid Gaza protests
- Green named coach of NHL Senators as Bannister to guide Blues
- French #MeToo icon Godreche to screen short film in Cannes
- Milan nets Giro 4th stage, Pogacar retains lead
- Ferrari confirms 2024 guidance after first quarter boost
- Stock markets climb on lower rates optimism
- US, allies sanction LockBit leader over ransomware attacks
- Israeli tanks roll into Rafah as army seizes key Gaza crossing
- Key Champions League battles as Real Madrid face Bayern Munich
- French ambassador attends Putin inauguration day after summons: France
- Eritrea's Girmay crashes out of Giro
France, Germany sign deal on 'tank of the future'
France and Germany on Friday firmed up plans to jointly develop a next-generation battle tank equipped with artificial intelligence and laser technology, billed as a game changer in modern warfare.
During a ceremony in Paris, the defence ministers of France and Germany, Sebastien Lecornu and Boris Pistorius, signed a memorandum of understanding that seals a 50-50 split in the industrial production of an advanced battle tank dubbed the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).
The push to move ahead with the project comes as Berlin and Paris are eager to show unity after a series of spats on how to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
In 2017, Germany and France agreed to jointly develop the next-generation battle tank as a successor to the French Leclerc and German Leopard tanks, starting in 2040.
But the tank plans have faced delays amid rivalry between French and German industrial companies, and different priorities in Berlin and Paris.
In March, the two ministers announced in Berlin they had managed to unblock the stalled project by agreeing how to split the work between the two countries.
"Today's signing is a real milestone", Pistorius told reporters.
"This is not the tank of the future but the future of the tank," Lecornu added.
The tank system will have cutting-edge technology that could usher in a new era in land warfare.
The MGCS will consist not just of one armoured fighting vehicle but a system of manned and unmanned vehicles. It will include drones to protect the tank as well as the use of artificial intelligence and laser technology.
Funded in equal parts by Paris and Berlin and run under German management, the project was originally led by defence industry firm KNDS, a tie-up between Nexter from France and Germany's KMW.
But the delicate balance was upset when Germany's Rheinmetall joined the project in 2019.
Friday's agreement designates manufacturers to be responsible for key components of the tank systems including platforms, turrets and guns.
Talks are beginning with manufacturers to develop an initial demonstrator, a sort of pre-prototype.
"The aim is to have the contracts in place by the end of the year, which is very ambitious," Pistorius said.
With countries like Italy keen to join, Pistorius said the project would be open to partners, "but we already need to draw up contracts" between French and German manufacturers.
W.Lapointe--BTB