Leonardo and Rheinmetall secure first armoured vehicle contract for Italian Army
Leonardo and Rheinmetall have been awarded their first contract to supply armoured combat vehicles to the Italian Army through their joint venture Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, owned equally by the two companies.
The order covers 21 tracked vehicles under the A2CS – Army Armoured Combat System programme, which is intended to modernise Italy’s heavy land systems.
The contract includes five Lynx KF-41 vehicles equipped with Rheinmetall’s Lance turret and 16 vehicles built on the same chassis but configured with Leonardo’s Hitfist 30 mm turret. Deliveries are expected to begin before the end of 2025.
The agreement also includes an upgrade of the entire fleet to the Hitfist configuration and options for an additional 30 vehicles, along with training and simulation systems for operators.
"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," says David Hoeder, Executive Chairman of JV Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, in a press release
Laurent Sissmann, CEO of the joint venture, said the deal marks “the first step of the industrial synergy between Leonardo and Rheinmetall” and that the companies will work together to provide vehicles suited for modern operational environments.
The A2CS programme covers a planned total acquisition of 1,050 armoured combat vehicles.
