The Italian Army has taken delivery of a Lynx KF41 armoured fighting vehicle on loan from Rheinmetall for the purpose of conducting verification, testing, and technical evaluation to assess its mobility, protection, firepower, and interoperability.
The Lynx KF41 was delivered to the Italian Army’s Multipurpose Testing Centre (Cepolispe) for verification, testing, and preliminary technical evaluation. Army engineers will engage in familiarization activities with the Lynx and conduct a series of assessments aimed at evaluating the vehicle’s mobility, protection, firepower, and interoperability capabilities.
Designed by Rheinmetall in 2015, the Lynx KF41 represents a state-of-the-art platform distinguished by its modular design and considerable versatility, enabling it to serve various roles, including infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), troop transport, mobile command post, or ambulance.
The Army Cepolispe is tasked with testing, technological innovation, and technical evaluation of the most advanced land platforms and operates under the Army Logistics Command through the Technical Command.
Italy intends to procure 1,050 Lynx-based vehicles as part of a EUR 15 billion initiative. Additionally, the program encompasses the acquisition of 280 Panther KF51-based main battle tanks under an EUR 8 billion plan. The assessment of the Lynx highlights the pressing nature of Italy’s modernization objectives, with initial deliveries anticipated within two years, contingent upon the finalization of contracts by mid-2025.
Lynx KF41
The Lynx KF41 represents a comprehensive family of vehicles that employs a shared drive module and a versatile mission kit configuration, enabling any base vehicle to be transformed into an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, a command vehicle, a recovery vehicle, or an ambulance. The transition from one configuration to another can be accomplished within an eight-hour timeframe. This system offers substantial lifecycle cost savings due to the commonality of the base vehicle, which permits customers to modify force structures or develop new capabilities in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Further enhancing the vehicle’s adaptability, the Lynx KF41’s subsystems are designed to be highly modular and flexible. It incorporates a digital backbone with a generic open architecture that facilitates the seamless integration of new mission systems, while its entire survivability system is modular and upgradable, enabling the vehicle to address the evolving threats encountered on the battlefield. Various survivability kits are available for peacekeeping missions, counter-insurgency operations in urban settings, and mounted combat against peer adversaries. No other vehicle matches the Lynx KF41’s ability to adapt to a wide range of environments and operational challenges.
The Lynx KF41 is equipped with advanced propulsion technology, featuring an 850 kW (1140 hp) Liebherr engine paired with a reliable Renk transmission. The vehicle incorporates a versatile suspension system developed by Supashock, an Australian firm, allowing for the adaptation to various mission kits and survivability enhancements without sacrificing mobility. When outfitted for mounted combat operations with the Lance 2.0 turret and a survivability package designed for peer-on-peer engagements, the Lynx KF41 has an approximate weight of 44 tonnes. This configuration ensures exceptional mobility, boasting a high power-to-weight ratio of 26 hp/t, while still accommodating up to six tonnes of reserve payload for future enhancements.
The Lynx’s modular survivability systems offer exceptional adaptability for clients to address the diverse range of threats encountered in various conflict scenarios. The ballistic and mine protection modules can be swiftly swapped out, even in operational environments if necessary. Comprehensive consideration has been given to all potential threats, including overhead protection against cluster munitions. The Lynx KF41, equipped with Lance 2.0, has been engineered to incorporate not only passive and reactive defense mechanisms but also an active protection system designed to neutralize rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.
The Lance 2.0 turret represents the latest advancement in the Lance family currently in service, specifically designed to enhance its effectiveness for an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). This upgraded version incorporates a range of improvements that equip a troop of Lynx KF41 vehicles with a significantly elevated level of inherent capability, thereby enabling the troop to exert a substantial influence on the battlefield.
The Lance 2.0 is equipped with enhanced protection for vital subsystems against both kinetic and fragmentation threats, thereby increasing the system’s survivability in close combat scenarios. Additionally, it features the new Wotan 35 electrically driven cannon, which utilizes Rheinmetall’s established and operational 35x228mm ammunition.
Furthermore, the Lance 2.0 includes two adaptable mission pods positioned on either side of the turret, facilitating the installation of various subsystems to provide specialized capabilities. Potential options for these customer-selectable mission pods include dual Rafael Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles, non-line-of-sight strike loitering munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, or an electronic warfare system.
