Italy Interested in Franco-German Euro Main Battle Tank

Italy has shown interest in the future Franco-German battle tank by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter Defence Systems (KNDS).

The Italian military is interested in the future Franco-German battle tank KNDS, according to our information, La Tribune reported Thursday.

KNDS presented the Euro Main Battle Tank (EMBT) demonstrator at the ongoing Eurosatory 2018 in Paris. France, in its future military program 2019-2025, plans to replace the French tank Leclerc and German Leopard with the EMBT. Both French and German Chiefs of Staff of the Army have planned to converge the operational needs of the two armies and define the characteristics of the future combat system.

According to the news daily, just in case Italy is interested in being part of the program, Leonardo subsidiary, Oto Melara might find its way in the KNDS merger. The in the EMBT, engine and the entire chassis come from Leopard 2 A7 while the light turret with automatic loading comes from Leclerc. 

According to KNDS, EMBT is "a short-term response to the operational need of the market for high-intensity battle tanks". By assembling a chassis, certified MLC70, and a light turret operated by only two crew members instead of three, EMBT brings together the best in battle tank, with an exceptional growth potential (about 6 tons) that allows integrating many changes.