The European Main Battle Tank Development (FMBTech) project has been launched to develop the technologies behind the tank of the future

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The Technologies for Existing and Future Main Battle Tanks (FMBTech) project has been officially launched. This European project aims to revolutionise Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) for modern hybrid warfare. Coordinated by Thales, the initiative brings together a consortium of 26 companies from 13 European Union (EU) Member States and Norway.

Funded by the European Commission under the European Defence Fund (EDF, 2023 edition) and the consortium, this three-year initiative will develop modular and adaptable solutions to ensure readiness for diverse and complex battlefields. By using innovative technology bricks, the project aims to build a future of agile, intelligent, and cooperative MBTs to address the limitations of aging fleets in the EU and Norway.

FMBTech positions the EU at the forefront of advanced, cutting-edge defence technologies, reinforcing military innovation and collaboration within European defence. The project will enhance the effectiveness, safety, and cost-efficiency of both existing and future MBTs, ensuring they remain pivotal assets on the battlefield while bridging the gap to emerging 5th-generation capabilities.

About FMBTech

A European Consortium with 26 participating entities, FMBTech features 8 SMEs and 7 RTOs from 13 EU Member States and Norway.

The FMBTech project was selected by the European Commission for funding under the European Defence Fund (EDF) in 2023. The project has been allocated a total budget of 19 million.

The EDF is the Commission's instrument for supporting research and development actions in the defence sector. Its main objectives are to foster cooperation between companies, including SMEs, and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) throughout the Union, to promote the development of defence capabilities through investment, and to help EU companies develop advanced and interoperable defence technologies and equipment.

The partners are:

THALES SIX GTS FRANCE SAS France

ARQUUS France

C&V CONSULTING Belgium

CY4GATE SPA Italy

ENVIRONICS OY Finland

EIGHT BELLS HELLAS I.K.E Greece

GMV AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE SA Spain

GUARDIARIS RACUNALNISKE APLIKACIJE IN SIMULACIJE D.O.O Slovenia

HENSOLDT FRANCE SAS France

ISD AEROSPACE LIMITED Ireland

MBDA FRANCE France

MSM LAND SYSTEMS S.R.O Slovakia

KNDS France

O RODEK BADAWCZO-ROZWOJOWY URZ DZE MECHANICZNYCH OBRUM SP. Z O.O. Poland

POLITECNICO DI MILANO Italy

SAFRAN ELECTRONICS & DEFENSE France

SAVOX COMMUNICATIONS OY Finland

SCERTAS GMBH Germany

SKYLD SECURITY AND DEFENCE LIMITED Cyprus

SOPRA STERIA AS Norway

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY Finland

THALES ITALIA SPA Italy

VETRONICS RESEARCH CENTRE EU LTD Cyprus

VOJENSK V ZKUMN STAV SP Czech Republic

WOJSKOWA AKADEMIA TECHNICZNA IM. JAROSLAWA DABROWSKIEGO Poland

WOJSKOWY INSTYTUT TECHNIKI PANCERNEJ I SAMOCHODOWEJ Poland

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group invests more than 4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.

Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of 20.6 billion.

Documents

The European Main Battle Tank Development (FMBTech) project has been launched to develop the technologies behind the tank of.pdf

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