Nordic defence industry shapes early phase of European tank programme

The EU-funded MARTE programme to develop a future European main battle tank has completed its initial phase and is moving into system design. 

The project brings together 11 countries, including Sweden, Finland and Norway, to define a common framework for a next-generation armoured platform.

Work to date has focused on how the system is expected to operate and the capabilities it should deliver. According to project material, this includes a concept of operations and a set of agreed requirements developed in cooperation with national ministries of defence.

The programme is coordinated by MARTE ARGE GbR, a joint venture between KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme, which together lead the overall project structure.

Nordic input into requirements

Swedish defence company Saab is responsible for coordinating the development of operational requirements. This includes collecting and structuring input from participating countries and translating it into a shared system baseline.

The involvement of Sweden, Finland and Norway reflects a broader pattern of Nordic participation in EU defence initiatives, particularly in land systems and interoperability. At this stage, these countries are contributing to requirement-setting rather than platform development.

In parallel, the consortium has analysed available technologies and subsystems across the European defence sector. This mapping is intended to identify what can be integrated into the future system and where further development will be required.

Transition to system design

With the initial deliverables approved by the European Commission, the project is entering a phase focused on system architecture and design, including how subsystems will be integrated into a complete platform.

This phase is led by Rheinmetall, KNDS Deutschland and Leonardo, the Italian defence and aerospace group, which will develop the system’s technical architecture based on the requirements defined in the first phase.

A project assembly held in Spain in late 2025 reviewed progress and aligned participating organisations on next steps. The stated objective is to reach a preliminary design review within 24 months, marking a shift from concept work to more detailed system development.