The German Federal Cartel Office has authorised the establishment of a joint venture between Rheinmetall and Leonardo within the one-month preliminary examination phase (‘Phase 1’).
The German-Italian joint venture between Rheinmetall and Leonardo, Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, based in Rome, is to act as prime contractor and system integrator for the expected orders of military armoured vehicles, in particular new combat and infantry fighting vehicles for the Italian military, if awarded by the Italian Ministry of Defence.
The German Federal Cartel Office has authorised the establishment of a further joint venture between Rheinmetall, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France and Thales within the one-month preliminary examination phase (‘Phase 1’).
The object of the Franco-German joint venture between Rheinmetall, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France and Thales, MGCS-Projekt Company GmbH, based in Germany, is the development of a ‘Main Ground Combat System’ (MGCS). The MGCS is not a traditional main battle tank, but a modular platform designed to fulfil various capability requirements as a complete system. The only customers of the joint venture will be the governments of Germany and France. The MGCS is intended to replace the German LEOPARD 2 main battle tank and the French LECLERC main battle tank in the early 2040s.
Hengeler Mueller's Brussels office advised Rheinmetall comprehensively on antitrust aspects.
Hengeler Mueller-Team for Rheinmetall
Antitrust: Christoph Wilken, Markus Röhrig (both partner, both lead), Christian Dankerl (FSR, Counsel), Christoph Sielmann, Daniel Higer (both associate, all Brussels).