Italien: Sistema di Combattimento per la Fanteria
Verfasst: Fr 2. Jul 2021, 22:54
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann: increasing the group industrial base and designing a new IFV
https://www.edrmagazine.eu/krauss-maffe ... -a-new-ifvA new tracked infantry fighting vehicle
Although not much is said on that subject at the KMW HQ, a new product is in full development; considering the number of Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) that have to be replaced in the coming years in Europe and worldwide, the company has launched a programme aimed at a new IFV based on innovative concepts. EDR On-Line understood that the secrecy around the project is mostly due to the fact that a key element in the programme is its openness towards collaborations with foreign parties in order to ease customers nations industries participation. At least two nations in Europe are seeking a new IFV. One of them is Italy, which in December 2020 organised an industry day on “A new generation armoured combat infantry system for infantry”. Beside typical considerations, the service stressed the importance of modularity, the mission module concept being a key issue, as well as unmanned systems integration, multinational cooperation and growth potential. Currently equipped with the Dardo in the combat and antitank versions, no further specialised versions were acquired although prototypes were developed, the Italian Army wants to provide its mechanised infantry battalions with a family of vehicles based on the same chassis, combat, antitank, mortar-carrier, command post, engineer, SHORAD, medical evacuation, recovery and ammunition carrier versions being part of the requirement. Some of the versions, i.e. the engineer, SHORAD and ammunition carrier, will be provided to combat support (artillery, engineers) and combat service support units part of the two heavy brigades, the “Ariete” armoured and the “Garibaldi” mechanised.
What EDR On-Line understood in the talks in Munich is that KMW aims at a fully open architecture, modularity being not only aimed at mission modules rapid replacement, something the company has learned well with the Boxer programme. The experience acquired with the Boxer programme, as well as that obtained with the German Puma IFV programme, the two systems being developed respectively as part of the ARTEC and the Puma joint ventures, is of course a key factor in the new IFV development.