Italy’s Leonardo and Germany’s Rheinmetall have reportedly won two contracts worth a combined $4.16 billion from the Italian Army for armoured vehicles through their joint venture, according to Italian financial newspaper MF on Thursday.
The contracts cover the delivery of A2CS combat vehicles and next-generation main battle tanks (MBTs), forming part of Italy’s broader military modernisation programme, the newspaper reported.
Rheinmetall declined to comment on the reported agreements. Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani also stopped short of confirming whether the contracts had been formally signed, saying that any announcement would need to be coordinated with the company’s customers.
Leonardo and Rheinmetall established their 50:50 joint venture in 2024 to pursue armoured vehicle programmes.
“The programme is ready to enter production from our side. We are actively working on both the tank programme and the Future Combat System (FCS), and are progressing on both in close cooperation with Rheinmetall,” Mariani said in Rome.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the state-backed Fondo Italiano d’Investimento, Mariani highlighted the role of tanks in modernising Italy’s armed forces. He also pointed to their export potential and the wider strategic importance of the partnership with Rheinmetall.
