Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, a 50:50 joint venture between Leonardo and Rheinmetall, announced on 5 November 2025 that it has received an initial contract covering 21 vehicles for the Italian Army under its Army Armoured Combat System (A2CS) programme.
Under the contract Leonardo and Rheinmetall will supply five Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41 infantry fighting vehicles equipped with the Lance turret along with 16 newly configured vehicles featuring the same chassis but equipped with Leonardo’s Hitfist 30 mm turret. Delivery of the first vehicle is expected by the end of 2025.
The agreement also includes upgrading the whole fleet to the latter configuration, as well as including another 30 optional vehicles in addition to training and simulation systems to better train crews.
The vehicles are fully digitalised latest-generation vehicles based on a “merger of the best technologies on the market and capable of acting interoperably in a multi-domain context”, the companies stated in a press release.
David Hoeder, executive chairman of Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, was quoted in a Leonardo press release as saying, “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. Co-operation is not optional anymore; it is the very essence of our European strategic sovereignity.”
Laurent Sissmann, CEO of Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles, added, “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 A2CS programme, originally called the Armoured Infantry Combat System (AICS) programe, involves the total acquisition of 1,050 armoured combat vehicles. Together with a programme to procure a new main battle tank, this will renew the Italian Army’s heavy armoured vehicle fleet.
