Italy has ordered 30 Panther-based main battle tanks and 48 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles from Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, according to Milano Finanza. The Italian financial daily reported on 22 October that the two contracts are worth a combined €3.7 billion.
If confirmed, the tank deal would be the first production order for any version of Rheinmetall’s Panther KF51. Neither the joint venture, its parent companies Leonardo and Rheinmetall, nor the Italian authorities have confirmed the report.
The tanks would be built to an Italian configuration under the New Main Battle Tank programme. No delivery dates have been given, and it is not clear how much development work is covered by the reported price.
The 48 Lynx would add to 21 already ordered by the Italian defence ministry. Five of those were bought in an interim configuration based on Hungary’s Hiúz variant, and the other 16 were adapted to Italian requirements.
The new batch falls under the Army Armoured Combat System (A2CS) programme. There is no word yet on when the vehicles will be delivered or whether they will differ from the Italian configuration already on order.
Italy ultimately plans to buy around 1,050 Lynx ITA/A2CS vehicles in more than a dozen variants. The tank programme covers 132 main battle tanks and 140 support vehicles.
Together, the two programmes are expected to cost around €23 billion. A2CS is due to run until 2040 and the tank programme until 2037.
The Lynx will replace the Italian Army’s VCC-80 Dardo infantry fighting vehicles, while the Panther-based tanks will serve alongside its upgraded C2 Ariete fleet.
