Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, and Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, discuss the new partnership
The agreement, aimed at the development and subsequent commercialisation of the new Main Battle Tank (MBT) and the new Lynx platform for the Armoured Infantry Combat System (AICS), is being widely reported in major international newspapers. Among them, The Wall Street Journal, Les Echos, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore and la Repubblica outline the current geopolitical context and describe the strategic objectives shared by the two partners.
The joint venture, based in Italy, will manage the production of new heavy tanks and armoured infantry vehicles for the Italian Army. The manufacturing will take place also in Italy with an Italian participation of 60 per cent and Leonardo will play a significant role in the production, especially for the electronics and tank turrets.
As Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani explains, "We see this agreement as a fundamental contribution towards the creation of a European Defense Space." The joint venture will be the Lead System Integrator, prime-contractor and system integrator, in both the Italian programmes (MBT and AICS) and will define the roadmap for the participation in the future European Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).
