Leonardo and Rheinmetall have introduced a three way partnership geared toward creating and producing superior army fight automobiles.
The partnership, named Leonardo Rheinmetall Army Automobiles (LRMV), will deal with creating new important battle tanks (MBTs) and infantry combating automobiles for the Italian Military, whereas additionally pursuing worldwide markets.
The three way partnership, cut up evenly between Leonardo S.p.A. and Rheinmetall AG, may have its authorized headquarters in Rome and operational headquarters in La Spezia, Italy. The formal institution of the corporate is predicted by the primary quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
– ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW –
The first focus of LRMV shall be on creating Italy’s next-generation MBT, primarily based on Rheinmetall’s Panther KF51, which is about to interchange the Italian Military’s growing older Ariete tanks. Moreover, the three way partnership will work on the Armoured Infantry Fight System (AICS) program, which can embrace over 1,000 armored automobiles in 16 completely different configurations. This platform shall be primarily based on the Rheinmetall Lynx infantry combating car, which can function the muse for numerous roles, together with anti-aircraft, reconnaissance, and anti-tank operations.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, highlighted the importance of the partnership: “We’re creating a brand new heavyweight in European tank manufacturing. Leonardo and Rheinmetall, two main European suppliers of protection know-how, are becoming a member of forces to hold out formidable tasks. We’re primarily addressing the Italian market, however we may even be focusing on different accomplice nations that are in want of modernizing their fight methods sooner or later. Rheinmetall has the right applied sciences for Italy’s necessities.”
Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, additionally expressed optimism for the enterprise: “It is a vital step in direction of the creation of a European protection system primarily based on specialised shared platforms. Rheinmetall and Leonardo intention at creating state-of-the-art applied sciences capable of compete on the worldwide degree.”
The event of the Italian AICS program, in addition to the brand new MBT, is a part of a broader modernization effort throughout the Italian army. The automobiles will characteristic a modular design, providing flexibility in battlefield roles, whereas sustaining a excessive degree of technological sophistication. For the three way partnership, labor shall be cut up 50:50, with 60% of the work carried out in Italy, together with closing meeting, testing, and logistics.
With this partnership, Leonardo and Rheinmetall are positioning themselves to grow to be key gamers within the European and international protection markets. Rheinmetall already has a robust presence in Italy, using 1,500 personnel throughout 5 websites with annual gross sales totaling €1 billion.
