KF51 MBTs are to be acquired by Italy to succeed Ariete tanks, which will use Rheinmetall’s 120 mm L55A1 unmanned turret instead of the 130 mm turret from the debut.
Italy’s KF51-based IMBTs will use the 120 mm L55A1 unmanned turret developed by Rheinmetall for an emergency solution, a recent presentation by Leonardo-Rheinmetall JV revealed. While the tank was debuted and advertised with the 130 mm gun, Italy has put it on hold with a provision for conversion.
This is not the only instance of the transition to a larger calibre being postponed in European armies. Logistical concerns and the need to rework tactics can be credited as the primary reasons for this. France also moved towards the ASCALON 120 mm L58 smoothbore gun for a possible Leclerc MBT upgrade instead of a 140 mm gun for a short-term solution. However, as reported by Army Recognition, the manufacturer underlined that the 120 mm L58 gun can be swapped with the 140 mm gun.
The 120 mm turret will be capable of firing the Vulcano 120-guided ammunition capable of reaching a range of 20 km with indirect fire. Vulcano 120 is being studied with either one of the laser or IIR seeker options in addition to INS for guidance (Special thanks to @Mister_K957 from X for providing detailed information regarding Vulcano 120). Conventional HE and HEAT ammunition for modern-day MBTs is limited to only a few kilometres in range, and guided ammunition could allow IMBT to play more active roles in stand-off fire support. So far, Leonardo has developed 127 mm and 76 mm variants of Vulcano-guided ammunition for warship naval guns.
