22 January 2021 in the 82nd infantry regiment "Torino" (82° Reggimento Fanteria "Torino") mechanized brigade "Pinerolo" (Brigata meccanizzata "Pinerolo") of the Italian army, stationed in Barletta, was first demonstrated first received in parts of the Italian army light armoured vehicles LMV 2 (Italian military designation VTLM Lince 2 NEC or 2) with the wheel formula 4x4 production Iveco Defence Vehicles (military branch of the Iveco group) representing the new generation of the popular in the world of light armored vehicles Iveco LMV (Lince). The Chief of the General Staff (Commander) of the Italian Land Forces, Corps General Salvatore Farina, took part in the ceremony of adopting the vehicles for the "Pinerolo" brigade.
The first light armored vehicles received by the Italian army were the LMV 2 (Italian military designations VTLM 2 NEC, or Lince 2) produced by Iveco Defense Vehicles (a military unit of the Iveco Group). Barletta, 22.01.2021 (c) www.reportdifesa.it
The 82nd infantry regiment "Torino" received the first 12 vehicles of the LMV 2, and at the end of January, four more vehicles are to be transferred to the 82nd regiment, but will be used there for training the personnel of the other two regiments of the mechanized brigade "Pinerolo" - the 9th infantry "Bari" and the 7th Bersaglieri, which are also to receive the LMV 2 in the future.
The vehicles were delivered under a contract issued by the Italian Ministry of Defense in 2017 for 34 first production LMV 2s worth 53 million euros and are made in the NEC (Networked Enabled Capability) configuration under the Forza NEZ program, equipped with new network-centric control systems at the squad, platoon and company levels. In fact, the first vehicles under this contract were delivered to the Italian Ministry of Defense in November 2018, but their equipment with NEC systems and their fine-tuning delayed the delivery to the combat units for another two years.
Recall that the presentation of the armored vehicle LMV 2 by the Iveco group took place at the Eurosatory 2016 exhibition in Paris in June 2016. The company produced four prototypes of the LMV 2 for factory testing, and in June 2017, it delivered two more prototypes in the Lince 2 NEC configuration to the Italian Ministry of Defense for state testing, which resulted in the contract for the first 34 production Lince 2 NEC vehicles at the end of 2017. The general plans of the Italian army provide for the purchase of 2000 units of the LMV 2 by 2034, with a partial replacement of the fleet of LMV vehicles. It is reported that the cost of the serial LMV 2 in purchases, excluding the cost of weapons and special equipment, will be 500 thousand euros (the cost of the latest LMV releases for the Italian army is 400 thousand euros).
At the beginning of 2021, it was reported that the Italian army approved the purchase of a new batch of 650 Lince 2 NEC vehicles, of which 165 units were allocated for the purchase of the 2021 budget and a contract will be concluded for them in the near future.
The LMV 2 has only a small increase in the basic geometric dimensions of the previous LMV, but has a total combat weight of 8100 kg (instead of 7000 kg) and a payload weight of 1500 kg, which is 40% more than the LMV. The LMV 2 is equipped with a new 220 hp Iveco F1C diesel engine (the LMV is normally equipped with a 182 hp Iveco F1D engine), a new eight-speed ZF 8 HP 90S automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case. The automatic transmission control system ADMS and the new electronic stability control system ESP are applied. The maximum speed on the highway is 110 km/h. The LMV 2 has a completely new reinforced suspension and can use larger diameter tires. Increased the power of the machine's electrical system to power additional equipment.
Due to some increase in the size and redesign of the combat compartment of the LMV 2, the ergonomics and accommodation of military personnel have been improved (the capacity is now five people), and the number of sunroofs has been increased. The height of the habitable compartment is increased by 100 mm, the roof of the vehicle is reinforced and made of armored steel to accommodate a manual or remotely controlled turret with a larger mass of weapons.
The armored hull of the LMV 2 is made of Swedish SSAB Domex 700 armored steel with a higher level of strength and fluidity than the FeE490 armored steel of the LMV armored hull. To strengthen the mine protection, a double bottom is introduced. The LMV 2 vehicles supplied to the Italian army are normally equipped with a remote-controlled Leonardo Oto HITROLE Light combat module (with a 7.62-mm or 12.7-mm machine gun or a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher) and eight smoke grenade launchers above the windshield. Manage combat unit carries out the remote control arrows located at the "middle" position in the center of the fighting compartment, duplicating remote control combat unit is the commander (seated front right).
The delivered vehicles in the NEC (Networked Enabled Capability) configuration are made in accordance with the implementation of the so-called segment 4.9 of the Italian army's Forza NEZ program for the implementation of a network-centric command and control system, including at the level of lower units. The main developer and supplier of Forza NEZ equipment is Leonardo. In accordance with the requirements of segment 4.9 of the Forza NEC program, each Lince 2 NEC machine acts as a network-centric control unit at the level of the squad (T2 configuration option), platoon (TZ) and company (T4). Accordingly, the Lince 2 NEC machines are equipped with a four-channel digital secure radio (SDR) equipment, a multi-service switch-router (MSR 165 EVO), a satellite communication station operating in motion (SOTM) and an intra-talk device UIS 379/D. The vehicles are also equipped with the Guardian H3 radio suppression system for IED fuses. The equipment configuration varies slightly depending on the level of the machine (T2, T3 or T4), and, according to some sources, the T4 variant also includes the BIC.
In accordance with the requirements of segment 4.4 of the Forza NEC program, a reconnaissance version of the vehicle, called the Lince 2 ISTAR, is being developed. The Italian army expects to purchase up to 200 reconnaissance vehicles. It is believed that the Lince 2 ISTAR machine will be close in configuration to the Lince 2 NEC version of the T4, but will be additionally equipped with a set of Janus reconnaissance equipment on a light lifting-mast device. Work was also underway to create a variant of the Lince 2 as a radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance vehicle, but there are no plans to purchase them yet.
