The CAPINT tank: a case where the Leclerc is inexorably aging, and the MGCS is a long way off
At the recently opened Eurosatory 2026 arms exhibition, the Franco-German company KNDS presented a sample tank CAPINT, which, unlike most similar exhibits, is intended primarily not for export, but to save France's armored forces from the obsolescence of the Leclerc.
An intermediate solution is needed
It's no secret that Germany and France have been working on the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) program for several years now, which plans to create a single tank for both countries to replace the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc. But, as has already happened in stories global tank building, the joint development of a new vehicle has become a long-term project with the prospect of complete cancellation.
France has already announced it is cutting funding for this project. And the decision is, in fact, entirely understandable. It's costing a considerable amount of money, yet there are no proven technological solutions or real developments. There's not even a basic consensus on what MGCS's brainchild should be.
For the French, the situation is far from ideal. If MGCS is completely shut down, they will have to create a similar program, but domestically, which will take years and billions of euros. If MGCS continues, they won't receive a new tank developed under this project until the 2040s.
In either case, France risks being stuck with its aging Leclerc tanks for a long time. Not only are they no longer in production, but the modernization project, called the Leclerc XLR, designed to extend their service life, promises to extend it only until the mid-2030s.
Of course, it's not that the Leclercs will be physically obsolete and fall apart by then. They will be obsolete, as their entire architecture (like that of any other 20th-century tank) will no longer meet the requirements for protection, firepower, communications, and so on. So, regardless of whether the French begin developing their own new tank or end up receiving one from MGCS, some kind of interim solution is required.
"Cart" from "Leopard 2"
This interim solution could be the CAPINT tank from the Franco-German company KNDS. Its very name is a combination of the French words "Capacité Intermédiaire" ("intermediate capability"), which itself highlights the product's target audience. And its most important feature is the chassis.
As mentioned earlier, the French have completely phased out Leclerc production, and there are virtually no tanks in storage. This means that if France decides to develop an Armata based on their tank (reworking the layout, etc.), they simply don't have the resources. Removing the tanks from active service is also not an option, as they would face the same headaches as the British with their conversion of the Challenger 2 into the Challenger 3.
KNDS's solution is to use the Leopard 2 chassis. Unlike the French, the Germans have maintained their tank production base. And while Germany can't produce as many vehicles as it did during the Cold War, it can still produce even a few dozen chassis per year for its ally. And with these "carts," you can do whatever you want.
And KNDS did it.
The CAPINT tank. The turret, which is unmanned, looks quite monstrous. Compared to it, the T-14 Armata's turret looks like a Thumbelina.
Layout and protection
Judging by the tank's marketing brochures' 1500-horsepower engine, KNDS apparently didn't bother and retained the MTU diesel engine from the Leopard 2. However, the hull layout was completely redesigned, incorporating an armored crew capsule in the forward section. It houses the entire crew—the gunner, commander, and driver (the loader was discarded as unnecessary).
Naturally, the KNDS decided not to retain the standard Leopard 2 turret. Instead, the CAPINT was equipped with an unmanned ASCALON ADT140 turret. And it must be said, the move was entirely logical: eliminating the traditional manned turret freed up a significant amount of combat weight, which the French and Germans used to strengthen the vehicle's armor and install defensive systems.
Technical description and advertising information for the CAPINT. The claimed engine power is 1500 horsepower, the range is approximately 450 kilometers, the highway speed is approximately 65 kilometers per hour, and the ground clearance is 500 millimeters.
Of course, they don't give specific millimeters of the KNDS's steel equivalent, but they do promise that in addition to passive armor, the vehicle will have three-layer protection, which will include:
— An active protection system designed to destroy attacking ammunition as it approaches the tank;
— "Reactive" armor. This term can refer to both explosive dynamic protection and non-explosive protection. However, it's entirely possible that the tank will have explosive armor, as it's the most effective;
— "Soft-kill" protection. Essentially, an optical-electronic countermeasure system with laser radiation detectors and optical-electronic detection sensors. missiles, attacking the upper hemisphere.
By today's standards, this is a necessary "gentleman's kit" for a tank. However, there is information that protection against drones will also be provided.
weaponry
The CAPINT demonstration vehicle is equipped with a 120mm ASCALON smoothbore cannon with a 55-caliber barrel. This cannon fires standard NATO ammunition, ranging from fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds to even the American M830A1 anti-helicopter shaped-charge fragmentation round.
The gun is loaded using an automatic loader with a capacity of 22 rounds.
Today, it must be said, the capabilities of this 120mm cannon are more than sufficient, so to speak. However, the main feature of the ASCALON unmanned turret is that it was designed from the outset to be "expandable," allowing for the installation of a 140mm cannon with a 48-caliber barrel without much fuss.
Whether such integration will be considered in the future, if the CAPINT does eventually reach serial production, remains to be seen. But the gamble could well be worth it, as switching to a 140mm barrel represents a dramatic increase in the tank's firepower. The increased caliber guarantees a radical increase in the effectiveness of armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds, as well as high-explosive fragmentation and specialized anti-personnel ammunition.
As for the secondary/auxiliary armament, KNDS engineers also decided to get creative. They paired the main gun with a large-caliber 12,7mm machine gun, equipped with a modest 300-round ready-to-fire ammunition supply, as a coaxial mount. At first glance, this solution is quite odd and questionable. According to classic gunnery standards, a 7,62mm machine gun with a much larger ammunition supply would have been far more logical and appropriate for this purpose. But here, it's simply not possible.
The fact is that the roof of the unmanned turret is equipped with a remote-controlled ARX 30 mount, capable of mounting a 30mm automatic cannon using controlled-detonation ammunition. This is a very useful feature in today's environment, as it allows for combating drones, that's why the large-caliber machine gun was made paired with the cannon.
Sights, combat information and control systems, and open architecture
Unlike the Americans, who are considering two panoramic sights for their future M1E3—one for the commander and one for the gunner, which greatly increases the tank's ability to find and engage targets—the Germans and French have gone the traditional route. The tank has one panoramic sight/observation device for the commander (the gunner can also switch to it) and a gunner's sight.
Apparently, they decided to save money—panoramic sights are very expensive. But they didn't skimp on the sight's internals. According to KNDS, the gunner's sight and commander's panoramic sight will feature state-of-the-art thermal imaging matrices and will be equipped with high-resolution television channels for observation/targeting, allowing for combat operations in good visibility conditions.
The crew's situational awareness is also promised to be highly improved. In addition to the all-round cameras planned to be installed around the tank's hull and turret, the vehicle will be equipped with acoustic sensors (to help the crew understand the direction of fire) and the ability to control an unmanned aerial vehicle for reconnaissance and fire adjustment.
The idea of a drone is certainly controversial. At the very least, it would be an additional and useless burden for the crew: the gunner and driver wouldn't be able to control it, and the commander already has plenty of tasks. But according to statements from Western tank experts and the manufacturer, this problem could be solved with a combat information and control system with elements of artificial intelligence (neural networks).
It will collect data from all the tank's sensors—optical, thermal, laser, radar, and acoustic—as well as from external sources, including UAVs, reconnaissance vehicles, command posts, and satellite systems. This data will be aggregated, analyzed, and presented to the crew in a user-friendly format, enabling the commander and gunner to make informed and informed decisions in combat, and the driver to better navigate the terrain.
Notably, the tank may also be capable of controlling unmanned ground combat vehicles, similar to a personal tracked combat robot. Whether this will be practical is a big question, but anything goes for publicity.
And all this wealth is based on open architecture. In our country, this concept is often perceived as some ephemeral quality of a combat vehicle, the purpose of which is not entirely clear. But in reality, a modern tank, or even an aircraft, would be indispensable without it.
An open architecture means that the tank's key subsystems—the fire control system, the information and control system, the communications suite, the active protection system, electronic warfare systems, counter-drone systems, etc.—will be connected via standardized interfaces and data buses, allowing for the connection of new modules without completely replacing the core electronics.
This allows, for example, the relatively quick integration of a new type of sensor or a new sight without changing a bunch of electronic components on the vehicle. So it's a useful feature.
Conclusions
What can be said about this Franco-German product?
If the French agree to mass production of this vehicle, then, of course, many of its "bells and whistles" may disappear - cost optimization, the difficulty of implementing certain technological solutions, and other "obstacles" often make the tank too different from the original designs.
But overall, the CAPINT is quite an interesting contraption. And not even thanks to the newfangled unmanned turret, the ability to increase firepower by installing a 140mm cannon, or electronics. France simply doesn't have much of a choice: domestic tank production has been curtailed, and here's such a tempting offer to buy a tank that already outperforms the Leclerc XLR in every respect, and will eventually replace those aging tanks.
Information