Europe has launched the development of its future main combat car, an ambitious military project led by Germany and with an outstanding Spanish participation. The program, baptized as Mars (main armored tank), brings together 51 partners from eleven EU countries and Norway, including large manufacturers, research centers and SMEs specialized in defense.
With initial financing of 20 million euros from the European Defense Fund, The initiative seeks to strengthen the technological and strategic autonomy of the continent, especially in a context of growing geopolitical tension. The objective is clear: design a new generation tank capable of responding to the challenge of the modern battlefield.
The project is coordinated by Mars ARGE GBR, an alliance between the German giants Knds Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme, who lead the development with other key companies such as Leonardo (Italy), Indra (Spain) and Saab (Sweden). These companies lead five different technical areas within the program, while the rest of the entities provide specific knowledge.
Spain, through Indra, assumes a relevant role in the design of advanced technological capacities. The Spanish Ministry of Defense is also among the eleven governments that support the initiative as potential buyers of the future system, together To Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Sweden.
According to Rheinmetall, Mars is not limited to a conventional design, but aspires to integrate disruptive technologies that allow creating A robust, flexible system adapted to emerging threats. The vehicle will be conceived not only as a classic combat car, but as a central component of a broader system of connected land combat.
With the signing of the subsidy agreement and the official start of the project, the European defense industry takes a decisive step towards the consolidation of its technological sovereignty and its joint response capacity. MARS It is presented as the first big step towards a future generation of European armored vehicles Designed, developed and produced in the continent.
