Europe Launches MARTE Project to Develop Future Main Battle Tank

The European defense sector has launched the MARTE (Main Armoured Tank of Europe) project, a new multinational initiative focused on designing a next-generation main battle tank (MBT) system.

Supported by the European Defence Fund with approximately €20 million and backed by eleven Ministries of Defence, the project aims to boost Europe's strategic autonomy and develop an advanced MBT platform for future conflicts.

The MARTE project is led by MARTE ARGE GbR, a joint venture between KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG and Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH. It brings together 51 legal entities from 12 countries — including 11 EU Member States and Norway — forming a wide industrial and research consortium. Key defense companies such as Leonardo (Italy), Indra Sistemas (Spain), and SAAB (Sweden) are part of the core leadership team, each managing one of the five technical work packages covering mobility, firepower, protection, command systems, and situational awareness.

According to KNDS, the consortium is designed to foster cross-border collaboration among large defense companies, research institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The objective is to produce a future-proof battle tank system incorporating lessons learned from current high-intensity conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.

The German Ministry of Defence is leading governmental participation, joined by the Ministries of Defence from Belgium, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden. These nations are expected to be the future users of the platform under development.

As many European countries prepare to replace aging MBT fleets — such as the Leopard 2, Challenger 2, and Soviet-era tanks — MARTE seeks to address operational gaps. The envisioned tank will be digitally integrated, highly mobile, and built to withstand modern threats such as precision-guided weapons, drones, and electronic warfare systems.

Although the MARTE grant agreement was signed in December 2024, the formal kick-off meeting took place in Stockholm on December 5–6, 2024. During the meeting, representatives from all consortium members met to align their strategic and technical goals.

The project's organizational structure includes the consulting firm Erdyn, which supports coordination across the work packages. These efforts are expected to shape the next phase of European land warfare capability development and lay the foundation for common armored doctrine and interoperability among EU and NATO forces.