Rheinmetall and Leonardo Join Forces For Italian Tank and IFVs

Twin European defence giants Leonardo and Rheinmetall are linking up to establishing a joint venture which will produce Italy's new Main Battle Tank (MBT) and a family of Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

The two firms, which had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Rome back at the start of July, will each hold a 50% share in the new Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV), which will be be based in Rome and La Spezia. Assuming the project is rubber-stamped by the relevant regulatory authorities the new company is expected to be launched at the turn of the new year.

As per today's (Tuesday's) press statement, LRMV will be developing the new Main Battle Tank (MBT) to replace the Italian army's Ariete platform; it will be based on Rheinmetall's Panther KF51. LRMV will also be focusing on the development of the new IFV platform for the Italian Army's Armoured Infantry Combat System (AICS) programme.

AICS is seeking to procure more than 1,000 armored combat systems in 16 variants. In addition to the classic infantry fighting vehicle, there will also be anti-aircraft (Skyranger), reconnaissance and anti-tank versions. All will be based on Rheinmetall's Lynx IFV platform.

Other AICS variants planned include bridge-laying, engineering and recovery vehicles. Both partners also hope to market their new vehicles to other prospective international customers.

The Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall AG Armin Papperger commented: "We are creating a new heavyweight in European tank construction. With Leonardo and Rheinmetall, two leading European providers of defense technology are joining forces to realize ambitious projects.

"We are primarily addressing the Italian market, but in the future we will also be addressing other partner states that need to modernize their combat systems. Rheinmetall is bringing the perfect technologies to meet Italian needs."

And CEO of Leonardo Roberto Cingolani added: "This is a significant step towards the creation of a European defence system based on specialised common platforms. Rheinmetall and Leonardo want to develop cutting-edge technologies that are competitive at an international level."

Mission systems, electronic equipment and weapon integration on both projects will be developed and produced by Leonardo and roughly 60% of the development works are likely to be carried out in Italy, according to the joint press statement.

• You can read more details on the Rheinmetall website and the Leonardo website