Leonardo and Rheinmetall have secured their first contract to supply armored vehicles to the Italian Army through the Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV) joint venture, shared equally between the two companies. The temporary grouping has been awarded an initial order for 21 tracked armored vehicles under the A2CS (Army Armoured Combat System) program. The first vehicle is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025.
David Hoeder, Executive Chairman of LRMV, said: “This first joint order following the decision to establish a joint venture between Rheinmetall and Leonardo is an important milestone. It brings the two companies, as well as two of Europe's largest countries, closer together. Cooperation is not optional anymore – it is the very essence of our European strategic sovereignity.”
Laurent Sissmann, CEO of LRMV, stated: “We are pleased to announce this first step of the industrial synergy between Leonardo and Rheinmetall. We will work side by side to provide cutting-edge armoured vehicles, able to operate in modern operational scenarios.”
The order includes five Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41 vehicles equipped with the Lance turret, followed by 16 newly configured vehicles using the same chassis fitted with Leonardo’s Hitfist 30 mm turret. The contract provides for upgrading the entire fleet to the Hitfist turret configuration and includes options for an additional 30 vehicles. Training and simulation systems are also part of the package.
The vehicles will feature a fully digital architecture intended for interoperability in multi-domain environments. Production and integration activities will be shared on a 50:50 basis, with around 60% of the work, including integration, testing, delivery support, and part of the development and manufacturing, planned to take place in Italy.
The A2CS program, initially known as AICS, covers a planned total acquisition of 1,050 armored combat vehicles. Alongside the upcoming Main Battle Tank program, it will contribute to the renewal of the Italian Army’s heavy vehicle fleet.