A new battle tank to be built for the
Italian armed forces in a new Italo-German joint venture between
defence giants Leonardo and Rheinmetall must be made quickly
because time is a key variable in the project, Defence Minister
Guodo Crosetto said Friday.
"The time we need is what's left: time is a relevant variable to
overcome the challenges, which pit us against national actors
who believe that democracies are a problem", he said.
"The defence industry must come down from the pedestal on which
it has been for too many years and start producing like other
companies on the market, therefore with the lowest possible
costs and with timing compatible with needs", said Crosetto, who
chaired the federation of Italian defence companies before
becoming minister.
Leonardo and Rheinmetall signed their equal-parts joint venture,
announced in July, on Tuesday in Rome.
The JV will have its legal domicile in Rome and operational HQ
in La Spezia.
It is an Italian-German alliance for tanks that came to life as
a "primary objective" for mega-orders of over 20 billion in 10
years of the Italian Army to renew the old fleet of Arietes and
Dardos, with 280 tanks, partly in combat version and partly in
support version, and more than a thousand light tracked
vehicles.
But it also focuses on exports and, above all, looks ahead to
the opportunities of the future program for a new European heavy
tank, the 'Main Ground Combat System'.
Overall, it is a market that has been estimated to be worth over
50 billion.
The division of work will be 50-50 between Leonardo and
Rheinmetall, with 60% of the activities to be carried out in
Italy.
Leonardo Managing Director Roberto Cingolani said: "This is a
significant step towards the creation of a European defence
system based on shared specialised platforms.
"Rheinmetall and Leonardo aim to develop cutting-edge
technologies capable of competing at an international level".
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said: "We are creating a new
heavyweight in European tank production.
"Leonardo and Rheinmetall, two leading European defense
technology providers, are joining forces to realize ambitious
projects.
"We are targeting the Italian market first, but we will also
address other partner countries that will need to modernize
their combat systems in the future. "Rheinmetall has the perfect
technologies for Italy's needs."
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