Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV) joint venture unveiled the New Main Battle Tank (NMBT) for the Italian Army during the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition.
The new main battle tank of the Italian Army to succeed Ariete C2, NBMT based on KF51 with a heavy load of modifications, was officially unveiled at Eurosatory 2026 held in France.
The new MBT was unveiled jointly by Leonardo and Rheinmetall through the LRMV JV, in which Rheinmetall is responsible for the platform, and Leonardo is responsible for electronics and weaponry.
Armament
The armament of NMBT includes a 120 mm L55 smoothbore gun, 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun, 30x113 mm RCWS with airburst/proximity ammunition, and launchers for small loitering munitions.
The 120 mm main gun is a subject worth expanding due to the inclusion of VULCANO 120 guided ammunition, which will allow precise indirect fire at ranges beyond conventional ammunition, thanks to VULCANO’s GNSS/INS guidance and provision for seekers. This represents a standoff card against the advancing ATGM threats that can be launched by helicopters and land vehicles.
Sensors
NMBT’s onboard sensors include 360-degree day and thermal sights. In addition to this, the scout UAV and loitering munitions will act as off-board sensors to provide observation from safety.
Leonardo also envisions a coupled concept with VULCANO 120, where a scouting UAV deployed by NMBT provides targeting while the tank remains behind cover.
Survivability
In addition to composite armour against KE penetrators and anti-tank missiles, with a considerable armour share in the turret’s front section, NBMT also has MUSS and StrikeShield soft-kill active protection systems against guided missiles.
In addition to direct protection, the tank has a silent watch mode that runs entirely on electricity and has an endurance of eight hours.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
