Military Vehicles, Ordnance, Munitions, Ammunition & Small Arms

BERLIN, Germany - The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), meant to be a collaboration between France and Germany to design and produce a common next generation main battle tank, is instead appearing to pivot to a joint technology development partnership. The MGCS was meant to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc main battle tanks (MBT) with full production expected by the 2040s.

The delays in the MGCS planning process can be attributed to different plans for next-generation armored forces between the two countries. As a result, KNDS, who has led the collaboration between France and Germany, will now act as the facilitator in the technology sharing effort as plans for a new MBT are now essentially scrapped.

Source: Defence Industry Europe
Associated URL: https://defence-industry.eu/franco-german-mgcs-battle-tank-plan-moves-toward-technology-pact-after-pistorius-questions-shared-future-platform/

Aschau am Inn, Germany - Rheinmetall is expanding its modern powder propellant plant in Aschau, Bavaria to accommodate a wider capacity push to produce a more robust ammunition supply chain for Germany, NATO, and other EU countries. The initiative is part of Rheinmetall’s Project Firepower, a larger push to address the urgent ammunition demand across the Western defense market.

The project will see the company invest approximately €350 million into their facility in Aschau with maximum capacity output expected to be reached by 2028. The facility produces propellants for artillery and other large-caliber weapon systems at approximately 1,700 tons of powder per year with Rheinmetall expecting the production to raise to around 4,200 per year after the expansion is completed.

Source: Defence Industry Europe
Associated URL: https://defence-industry.eu/rheinmetall-expands-aschau-powder-plant-to-increase-german-propellant-output-for-artillery-ammunition/
Author: J. Lopez, Analyst 

VICTORIA, B.C. - Canada has awarded a contract valued at nearly CAD 2 billion ($1.4 billion) to London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-Canada) to acquire 190 armored combat support vehicles (ACSVs) over four years. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the deal on July 16, noting that the purchase will expand the Canadian Army’s fleet of Light Armored Vehicle 6.0-based ACSVs from 360 to 550 units. Under the agreement, Canada will also fund the construction of an additional 35 ACSVs for Ukraine, adding to 89 vehicles previously donated. The ACSVs encompass eight operational variants, including ambulance, command post, and electronic warfare configurations.

The procurement marks the first designation of a strategic partner under Canada’s newly established Defense Industrial Strategy framework, which emphasizes purchasing defense equipment from Canadian-based suppliers. Designed to reduce Canada's reliance on U.S.-built military hardware following 2025 trade tensions and tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, the framework conditions government support on commitments to Canadian research and development, domestic hiring, and local supply chains. In return, the federal government will act as an anchor customer for participating companies, such as GDLS-Canada, which utilizes more than 600 Canadian suppliers for its armored vehicle production.

Source: Defense News
Associated URL: https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2026/07/17/canada-to-spend-14-billion-on-armored-combat-support-vehicles-built-locally