The €45 million agreement represents the first step towards replacing Spain’s Leopard 2E tanks by around 2040. Madrid had previously sought to join the Franco-German MGCS programme but was unable to become part of that effort.
Under the contract, Indra is tasked with developing a next-generation combat vehicle intended to significantly outperform current systems. Spanish requirements include the integration of advanced technologies in propulsion, protection, firepower and situational awareness, alongside high tactical and strategic mobility.
The future tank is also expected to be fully interoperable with allied forces and based on an open and scalable electronic architecture. At the same time, the relatively limited scale of Spain’s land forces raises questions over the feasibility of developing a national main battle tank without foreign cooperation.
A partnership with an international partner cannot be ruled out, as similar cooperation was used for the Leopard 2E, which was produced in Spain using German technology. Those vehicles are also due to undergo a modernisation programme in cooperation with German industry.
