The European Union has allocated nearly €20 million under the European Defence Fund (EDF) to support the MARTE (Main ARmoured Tank of Europe) programme, a multinational research initiative exploring the architecture of a future European main battle tank system.
According to a press release published by Rheinmetall on 23 March 2026, the MARTE programme has reached a mid-term milestone one year after its launch in December 2024. Several technical work packages have been completed and key deliverables approved by the European Commission, allowing the programme to move further into the system architecture and design phase.
Among the initial outputs of the programme is a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) defining how future European armoured forces may employ next-generation main battle tank systems on the battlefield. The consortium has also produced a consolidated baseline of operational requirements agreed by participating Ministries of Defence, aligning the expectations of multiple European armed forces.
According to official project documentation, the MARTE programme carries a total estimated budget of €20.225 million, with the European Union contributing up to €19.978 million. The funding supports a 24-month research and design phase intended to examine future armoured warfare requirements, enabling technologies and the possible system architecture of a European main battle tank.
MARTE is coordinated by the MARTE ARGE consortium, jointly led by KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall Landsysteme. The project brings together a broad industrial and research network comprising 51 organisations from across Europe.
Core industry partners include Leonardo of Italy, Indra of Spain and Saab of Sweden, alongside a wider group of defence companies, research institutes and universities participating in different technical work packages.
Government support for the project spans a wide range of European countries, including Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
The programme aims to reach a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) within its 24-month timeline, marking a key step toward defining the architecture of a future European main battle tank system.
The initiative runs in parallel with the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) programme, which is intended to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks in the 2030s and represents Europe’s primary effort to field a next-generation armoured combat system. The existence of parallel initiatives such as MGCS and MARTE also highlights the persistent fragmentation of Europe’s defence industrial landscape, where multiple programmes sometimes evolve simultaneously instead of converging into a single consolidated project.
The relatively modest funding level also illustrates the early stage of the programme. Developing a new main battle tank typically requires billions of euros and long-term commitments from participating states.