Italian Hero Buys German Armoured Dream
Italian Defence and Automotive Industries Take a Step Towards an International Prestige Project. War has knocked on Europe's door, and military needs have entered a period of radical change.
Spot: Modular design is one of the most well-known trends in industrial design. However, modularity is a magical word that has consigned many defence and aviation projects of the last half-century to the dusty shelves of history. This time, a project on the horizon appears to be approaching success.
Let's consider a classic military concept: an armoured unit. The primary objective is to overcome enemy obstacles and break through their lines. The essential asset for this mission is the main battle tank (MBT). By nature, this platform is mobile and heavily armed. As a result, it often needs to penetrate deep into enemy lines, where it may require infantry support. The platform that transports infantry within armoured protection behind AMTs is the armoured personnel carrier (APC). The primary target of AMTs is enemy tanks and fortified positions. However, the battlefield also contains many other types of targets. To engage these targets, armoured vehicles with lighter weaponry are required. This is known as an armoured combat vehicle (ZMA), and many countries prefer to meet this need by adding a weapon turret to the ZPT. This ensures logistical compatibility and ease of use while simplifying production processes.
In addition to these three main components (AMT, ZMA, ZPT), numerous other vehicles must be included in the unit formation. For example, armoured engineering vehicles/rescue vehicles, air defence systems, fire support vehicles, lighter and more mobile armoured platforms (such as STA), reconnaissance vehicles, electronic warfare/support vehicles, command and control vehicles, etc. If you create an armoured/mechanised unit configuration using all the necessary vehicles, you will realise that you have a complex, demanding organism that requires constant attention and expense, both in terms of machinery and personnel.
The reasons you have read about have long driven armies to seek easier, more producible, and sustainable solutions. The concept of ‘modularity’ is emerging as a practical and applicable method with the advancement of technology. However, while shaping this concept to suit the purpose, it should not be forgotten that it has a rather troubled recent history. The memories of previous trial and error attempts, discarded or forgotten projects are still fresh. This legacy pushes us toward a new and, this time, proper pursuit of modularity; yet, it also demands a bold visionary capable of embracing the high risks inherent in every new project that begins at the drawing board. The European defence and aerospace industry appears to have found such a visionary.
Italian Defence and Automotive Industries Take a Step Toward an International Prestige Project
As the old saying goes: The horse is known by its rider. This saying also applies to the concept of modularity. Every army and the military industry that supports it has followed its own unique path. During the days when Europe perceived a unipolar world without threats, the German army planned to develop a truly modular family of armoured vehicles, starting with wheeled vehicles. For this reason, it began working on the Boxer vehicle family. This programme, which faced numerous challenges and problems in its first decade, now seems to be on track. Thus, the envisioned platform began to emerge alongside the planned modularity... War knocked on Europe's door, and military needs entered a period of radical change.
It was already anticipated that this ‘technology and understanding development process,’ which began with wheeled vehicles, would continue with tracked vehicles. The KF31 and KF41 vehicles were designed for this purpose. The goal was to create a modular family that could accommodate all desired modules and meet all armoured vehicle needs, including AMT. However, this family had one essential requirement: a force that could place orders and wait patiently. Even in Germany, the birthplace of new-generation modularity, most needs were urgent. It was easier to meet this urgency by placing orders with different platforms that already had production lines open.
It appears that the customer with the required patience and technology was found in Italy, far from the front lines. Germany and Italy signed an agreement worth over 20 billion dollars to invest in this project. This would allow the Germans to incorporate the desired modularity into wheeled vehicles as well. The Italians, on the other hand, would be able to establish an armoured unit composition consisting of the most modern vehicles from top to bottom. This initiative could also benefit the advanced defence industries of the two European countries. Additionally, the necessary time and groundwork would be established to resolve any issues, develop the operational concept, and perfect the logistics infrastructure.
Let's Reveal the True Identity of the Project
If you follow developments in the defence and aviation industries, you have surely read about the German-Italian cooperation agreement we mentioned. The purpose of this article is not to examine the process and results of the agreement. It is to reveal the true identity of this agreement. Yes, Germany has some prototypes in working order. However, what Italy has purchased is actually an idea and a scientifically supported concept. This concept can only be transformed into a concrete system through the joint efforts of the two industries.
The agreement aims to provide everything needed, from AMT's heavy artillery to a stabilised version of the machine gun that can be carried by infantry, from a common infrastructure. If this is achieved, it will provide a significant cost advantage and logistical ease. An armoured family optimised for cost and logistics would be accepted and in demand by many armies around the world.
As the German-Italian partnership gets underway, it may decide that some platforms should serve multiple purposes. For example, they could plan to add a 30x117 independent turret alongside the tank turret to combat drones. However, what will likely emerge by the middle and end of the project is this: For each new threat or purpose type, a dedicated module will be developed, added to the platform, and integrated into the system. In other words, for a different type of drone threat than those we face today, an additional vehicle (along with its counter-module) will need to be procured. In short, a system design with a different starting point and a different path is highly likely. In this design, the provision of more purpose-specific tools is a feature that soldiers will appreciate and quickly adopt.
This Project's Scope Includes Turkey
Turkey is one of the countries furthest from such an armoured unit configuration. This is because it has a large number of armoured vehicle manufacturers, is surrounded by structures focused on meeting short-term needs, and its focus is distracted by exports, which strengthen its position. However, it is clear that we possess a sector that will be most significantly and long-term impacted by the success of such a project. Therefore, it is essential to closely monitor this initiative and consider this aspect when planning the sector's future.
Germany and France have a joint AMT production plan. The German industry is also pursuing numerous projects outside of France. However, among all these projects, the real insurance (fail-safe) is the agreement with Italy. This situation will ease the Germans' minds and increase the risk of other projects carried out jointly with France being cancelled. For this reason, I would like to express the following prediction:
The Italian Marriage will break the French Engagement.
In recent years, numerous tank and armoured vehicle projects have caught the eye in the old continent. Many countries have entered an arms race with renewed enthusiasm and ambition, aiming at an uncertain future. In this regard, the most striking innovation hub will undoubtedly be the Italian-German cooperation we have mentioned. This is because the reputation and influence of this duo in the export markets are high. However, the infamous and expensive French collaboration products can only secure a market in politically close European countries. (Greece?..) Of course, if they can be brought to life...
Another Possibility
On the other hand, older-generation platforms that could incorporate some of the advantages of modernisation and modularisation are also worth considering. For example, the CV90 ZMA can be converted into a medium-class tank by equipping it with a 120 mm gun. Or, by being equipped with both horizontal and vertical firing tubes (NEMO), it could perform most of the tasks that an AMT could undertake. While there are platforms capable of accommodating such modernisations, there are also platforms whose design is problematic and cannot accommodate them.
One of the key factors directly influencing the future of such projects is the development of armoured units with enhanced effectiveness through the use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). This field remains largely untapped and is highly open to being filled by agile and dynamic players like Turkey. However, to integrate manned and unmanned systems seamlessly, it is essential to establish interoperable infrastructures or develop new interaction methods and protocols. The chosen method must be simple and effective enough for infantry to use in the chaos of a battlefield.
