Franco-German KNDS and Italian Leonardo have abandoned negotiations for cooperation on Leopard 2A8 MBTs intended for the Italian Army. KNDS CEO Frank Haun commented regarding the abandonment of talks: “ The parties did not manage to agree on configuration, and consequently, talks about Leonardo’s strategic participation in KNDS have also fallen short. Yet KNDS continues to be committed to supporting the Italian Army.”.
Leonardo was set to manufacture various sub-systems for Leopard 2A8 MBTs to be used by the Italian Army. A senior Leonardo official told Defense News that Italy would make electro-optical systems, communication systems and possibly gun barrels for the new model of Leopard 2 line.
The letter of intent also covered Italy joining the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) programme, led by France and Germany, to develop a new MBT. With Leonardo and KNDS breaking up from negotiations for Leopard 2A8, MGCS cooperation is likely to suffer setbacks.
