France Discusses Return of Medium Tanks Based on Experience of War in Ukraine

France is discussing a return to the concept of medium-tracked armored vehicles to enhance the capabilities of its armored cavalry in high-intensity combat operations.

Opex360 publication reported on this, citing French military sources.

This reflects a conceptual shift toward a structure in which armored cavalry combines light maneuverable platforms with more heavily protected tracked vehicles capable of operating in areas of dense defenses.

The French command is assessing experience from modern conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, where mine threats, drones, and anti-tank weapons have significantly complicated the use of traditional heavy tank formations without tactical adaptation.

In this context, the Ministry of Defense is considering tracked medium vehicles as a compromise between the protection of heavy tanks and the mobility of wheeled vehicles, which are widely used by modern French units.

Particular attention is being given to the ability of such vehicles to operate within integrated combat networks, where armored vehicles interact with drones, artillery, and reconnaissance assets in real time.

The French military is also taking into account the upcoming transition period between upgraded Leclerc tanks and the planned Franco-German MGCS combat system, whose development has been delayed.

Due to these delays, military leadership is considering interim solutions to avoid capability gaps in the heavy ground forces segment in the 2030s.

Meanwhile, the defense industry is already proposing concepts for an “intermediate tank” that could fill the gap between existing platforms and next-generation systems.

This includes the CAPINT tank, based on the Leopard 2A8 chassis and equipped with an ASCALON turret with a 120 mm gun and an automatic loader for 22 rounds. At the exhibition, the tank was additionally fitted with an ARX30 turret with a 30 mm cannon using airburst munitions to counter drones.

In addition, at Eurosatory 2026, a combat vehicle based on the EBRC Jaguar armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle was shown, fitted with a John Cockerill Defense turret with a 105 mm cannon.

However, the vehicle is based on a wheeled chassis rather than a tracked configuration. The vehicle, named FENRIS, is based on the 6×6 wheeled architecture of the EBRC Jaguar, developed under the French SCORPION program, which forms a unified digital combat network for ground forces. Its design focuses on high survivability, mobility, and integration into digital command-and-control systems from the outset.

The vehicle can operate in a 6×4 or 6×6 configuration, has a combat weight of about 26 tons, a crew of three, and a 500-hp diesel engine with an automatic transmission. The main armament of FENRIS is the John Cockerill Defense Cockerill 3105 turret with a 105 mm NATO-standard high-pressure rifled gun and a 12-round automatic loader, bringing the total ammunition load to 36 rounds.

Automated loading reduces crew workload and allows the crew to remain at three personnel without reducing the rate of fire. The increased gun elevation angle of +42° enables indirect fire at ranges of up to 10–11 km.