Eurosatory 2026: Leonardo and Rheinmetall display Italian MBT concept demonstration

A The Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles New Main Battle Tank (NMBT) concept demonstrator, marrying a new turret design to a Leopard 2A4 hull, was displayed at Eurosatory 2026. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)

The Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV) joint venture (JV), set up to provide the Italian Army with a new main battle tank (MBT) and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), revealed new details of its MBT concept for the project at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition held in Paris from 15-19 June.

Representatives from both the Leonardo and Rheinmetall told Janes that the NMBT remains in development; however, the concept demonstrator model displayed at the exhibition provides insights into the potential configuration of the final platform. The demonstrator used a Leopard 2A4 hull fitted with a model turret integrating subsystems from both parent companies.

An LRMV representative said that mobility and situational awareness are among the principal focus areas for the vechicle. He told Janes that although the concept currently uses a Leopard 2A4 hull, this configuration is not intended for the production variant. This is due in part to perceived limitations inherent in the Leopard 2A4 design in the context of upgrades. The representative added that one objective is to increase engine output to approximately 1,800 hp. While this would improve acceleration and the vehicle's power-to-weight ratio, this ambition is constrained by the Leopard 2A4's engine compartment volume, as a higher-output powerpack would require increased cooling capacity which may be hard to integrate without expanding the volume of the engine compartment. LRMV representatives said that a new hull design would address additional factors, including enhanced underbelly mine protection compared with the Leopard 2A4.