Details are still murky, but this is likely our first look at the IMBT from LRMV (Leonardo-Rheinmetall Military Vehicles). The prototype is going to be showcased at Eurosatory. The first 2 prototypes which will be delivered to the Italian Army in the future will mainly have ⬇️
Regarding the new tank-building novelty – the IMBT from LRMV (Leonardo-Rheinmetall Military Vehicles).The sight isn’t particularly impressive. In essence, this isn’t a new tank at all – it’s a business product without any real ideology or concept behind it.
Rheinmetall’s recipe is simple and reliable: just improve the specs. Armor was one meter thick — now it’s one and a half. Gun was 120 mm – here, have a 130 mm. And pile on as much expensive electronics as possible. All of this will be extremely costly and produced in tiny numbers.
In the end, it’s just a Leopard 2 on steroids. At its core, the concept is still straight out of World War II and the Cold War.
Everything about this project is obvious: the sides are unprotected, the roof and hatches are exposed too (except for four Strike Shield modules). There’s a massive gaping gap between the turret armor and the hull front – a perfect trap for shells and drones that don’t even need to penetrate the huge thickness of this fake “super armor.” They don’t seem particularly concerned about the weight either – the heavier it is, the more expensive (and therefore “better”) it is.
The whole thing reminds me of a shining knight in full plate armor in the age of machine guns – except they only bothered to reinforce one small section of the cuirass. It’s nothing more than a formal upgrade in performance without any fundamental rethinking of what a tank should be in the 21st century.
Details are still murky, but this is likely our first look at the IMBT from LRMV (Leonardo-Rheinmetall Military Vehicles). The prototype is going to be showcased at Eurosatory. The first 2 prototypes which will be delivered to the Italian Army in the future will mainly have ⬇️