Iveco LMV
VTLM2-NEC in 2020
TypeInfantry mobility vehicle
Place of originItaly
Service history
WarsWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designed1990s
Manufacturer
  • Iveco
  • BAE Systems (UK only)
  • MVPS (Russia only)
Unit cost€405,000[1]
Produced2001-present
No. built10,000+
Specifications
Mass6.5 tons (STANAG 4569 Level 3)
Length5,504 mm (18 ft 0.7 in) (4,704 mm (15 ft 5.2 in))
Width2,050 mm (6 ft 8.7 in)
Height1,950 mm (6 ft 4.8 in)
Crew
  • 1+4[1]
  • 1+3 (Panther)
  • 1+6 (Stretched Variant)
ArmorSTANAG 4569 Level 1-4[1]
Main
armament
Remote controlled weapon station
EngineIveco F1D Common Rail EURO 3
136 kW (182 hp)
Payload capacity1,200 kg (2,600 lb)
Transmission6 speed automatic[2]
SuspensionIndependent, Double A-Arm
Ground clearance473 mm (18.6 in)
Operational
range
500 km (310 mi)+
Maximum speed > 130 km/h (81 mph)

The Iveco LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle) is a 4WD tactical vehicle developed by Iveco, and in service with several countries. After its adoption by the Italian Army as the Veicolo-Tattico-Leggero-Multiruolo (VTLM) Lince ("Light tactical multirole vehicle Lynx"),[3] it won the Future Command and Liaison Vehicle (FCLV) competition of the British Army as the Panther, but the fleet was put up for sale in 2018.

It has been adopted by the armies of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Norway, Russia and Spain. The Italian Army took vehicles to both Afghanistan and Lebanon. In Afghanistan, Lince vehicles have saved passengers' lives in several attacks with IEDs.

Design

Italian Army 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment VTLM Lince
Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi" during exercise Allied Spirit IV at the Hohenfels Training Area
Norwegian Iveco LMV.
Panther CLV.
Russian Iveco LMV Rys'.

The LMV uses modular armour packs to adjust its level of protection to its mission requirements.[2] In regards to mine protection, the vehicle's ground clearance has been increased to 493 mm without increasing the overall height (less than 2 meters); it also uses suspended seats of aeronautical derivation, v-hull under body, and a collapsible sandwich structure in the floor to deflect and absorb mine blasts. Its exhaust is piped through its C-pillars, and its turbocharger is located underneath the engine to reduce its thermal signature. Mobility is helped by a run-flat system, allowing the vehicle to move even with completely deflated tires. It is related to the Fiat Oltre concept car unveiled in 2005.[4]

The LMV was designed in the 1990s and the first LMVs were produced in 2001[5] while the UK's Panthers were produced between 2006 and 2009.[6]

Variants

British Panther CLV

The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle or Panther CLV was the British Army variant of the Iveco LMV. The Panther CLV came from the "Future Command and Liaison Vehicle" (FCLV) project. Design modifications were made by BAE Systems to allow assembly at BAE Systems Land Systems' factory in Newcastle upon Tyne. Over 300 Panthers were assembled at BAE Systems factory in Newcastle upon Tyne under a £160 million contract. It was intended that the Panther would replace vehicles including Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (tracked) (CVRT) family, FV 432, Saxon and Land Rover Truck Utility Medium (TUM).[7]

The Panther seated four people. They were equipped with Enforcer RCWS weapons stations which were developed by SELEX Galileo. This weapons station could be armed with a 7.62mm general purpose machine gun, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Panther was reduced to a 3 seat vehicle when a large amount of communication equipment was placed in the right rear seat. This reduced its utility as, because it was classed as an armoured vehicle, the Commander and driver were always required to stay in the vehicle.

The first Panthers were delivered to the 1st Mechanised Brigade and a small number underwent hot weather trials in Afghanistan.[7] At end of April 2018, the UK Defence Equipment Sales Authority put the entire Panther 4x4 fleet up for sale with 395 vehicles available. The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (tracked) (CVRT) family, FV 432, and Land Rover Truck Utility Medium (TUM) remain in service.[8]

Russian Rys LMV

The Rys is the Russian variant of the Iveco LMV, manufactured by MVPS, an Iveco Russia and Oboronservis LLC joint venture company,[9] with complete knockdown assembly[10] on the premises of the 127th Wheeled Vehicle Repair Plant in Voronezh. The Rys' supply chain is from different plants around Russia.

Other variants

The LMV is available in two different wheelbases, 3.2 m (126.0 in) and 3.5 m (137.8 in).[2] A two-door, two seater is also available.[2]

Since 2015, LMV production has featured a host of improvements: these include a more powerful 220 horsepower (164 kW; 223 PS) diesel engine coupled to a new eight-speed automatic transmission, an upgraded drive line for higher performance and a new air filtration system. The payload of the LMV has been increased by some 40 per cent and it is now fitted with new specially designed suspension units and recently developed all-terrain tyres for a higher level of cross-country mobility. A key feature of the latest LMV batch of improvements is that they can be backfitted to the entire legacy LMV fleet to enhance their capabilities. The internal layout of the LMV has also been redesigned for greater crew comfort, with new seats, a next-generation dashboard and an upgraded hardtop. The internal cab height has been increased by 100mm to create more internal volume and an electronic architecture has been fitted for easier upgrading in the future.

Marketing

As of September 2015, Iveco Defence Vehicles had achieved sales of more than 4,000 LMVs Lince 4X4. Iveco LMV was authorized by the Italian government to sell to Ukraine for 41 million Euros on 14 September 2014, but never confirmed delivery.

Operators

Map of Iveco LMV operators in blue

Current

 Albania
 Austria
 Belgium
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Brazil
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Indonesia
 Italy
 Lebanon
  • Internal security forces bought 25 Iveco LMV in 2014 and 20 Iveco LBTP in 2015,[22][11] more donated in late 2021.
 Norway
 Qatar
 Russia
  • Russian Army received 67 Iveco LMV Rys' delivered in 2012. Additional 358 were locally assembled between 2013 and 2014.[24][11]
 Slovakia
  • Slovak Army bought 40 Iveco M65E 4x4 LMV for Special Forces.
 Spain
 Syria
 Somaliland
 Tunisia
 Turkmenistan
 Ukraine
  • Ukrainian Ground Forces — at least 5 machines captured from Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[27] Italy will also donate some vehicles as military aid.[28] In January 2023 Belgium announced it will send 80 Iveco LMVs. 42 to be delivered in February and 38 have to first undergo major maintenance and are expected to be delivered in August.[29]

Former

 United Kingdom

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Multi-Role Light Vehicle (MLV/FCLV)". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Army Technology - British Army - FCLV (Future Command and Liaison Vehicle)". Archived from the original on 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  3. ↑ "Veicolo Tattico Leggero Multiruolo (VTLM) "Lince" - Esercito Italiano".
  4. ↑ "Autoruote 4x4 - Web magazine sulla mobilità 4x4 e sull'offroad: Fiat Oltre: l'Hummer Made in Italy (2005)". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  5. ↑ "Iveco LMV". Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2007-08-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. 1 2 "Defence News : mod.uk". Archived from the original on July 14, 2008.
  8. 1 2 Christopher, Foss (30 April 2018). "UK sells Panther fleet". Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  9. ↑ "Italian IVECO Rys 4x4 light multirole vehicle will enter in service with Russian army military police 11009162 | September 2016 Global Defense Security news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2016 | Archive News year". Archived from the original on 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  10. ↑ "Russia continues to buy Iveco LMV armored cars from Italy". 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Foss, Christopher (16 September 2015). "LMV is much improved [DSEI15, D2]". IHS Jane's. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Albanian military buys new equipment for air and land forces PHOTOS". 2 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  13. ↑ Bozinovski, Igor (4 October 2017). "Italy to gift rifles to Albania". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "16 blindados Iveco Lince para a Intervenção Federal no Rio" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "VBMT-LSR - Exército Brasileiro oficializa a compra da LMV com a IVECO Veículos de Defesa" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Barreira, Victor (15 April 2016). "Brazilian Army selects Iveco LMV as its new 4x4 vehicle". IHS Jane's. Archived from the original on 2016-05-19. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Barreira, Victor (1 September 2016). "Brazil to acquire 1,464 LMV protected vehicles". IHS Jane's. Archived from the original on 2016-09-04. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  18. ↑ Kominek, Jimi (2 March 2017). "Czech MoD announces plans to buy about 700 new light vehicles". IHS Jane's 360. Prague, Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  19. ↑ Pivoňka, Michal (28 January 2022). "Our chemists have received the first pieces of S-LOV-CBRN and LOV-CBRN II light armoured reconnaissance vehicles". CZ Defence. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  20. 1 2 "IVECO showcases its LMV 2 at Eurosatory 2018 | Eurosatory 2018 Official News Online | Defence security military exhibition 2018 daily news category". Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  21. ↑ "Error" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  22. ↑ Kington, Tom (24 December 2014). "Iveco Cuts 80-Vehicle Deal With Lebanon". DefenseNews. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Giorgi, Francesco (7 February 2018). "Veicoli blindati leggeri LAV di Iveco: preferiti anche dalle forze armate norvegesi". Motori.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  24. ↑ Soper, Karl (13 November 2014). "Russia completes assembly of Iveco armoured vehicles". IHS Jane's. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  25. ↑ "Syrian Army Equips IVECO Vehicles with Russian-Made Automatic Weapons | Farsnews Agency". Archived from the original on 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  26. ↑ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (3 October 2021). "Turkmenistan's Parade Analysis: What's New?". Oryx Blog.
  27. ↑ "Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  28. ↑ Oliemans, Joost; Mitzer, Stijn. "Answering The Call: Heavy Weaponry Supplied To Ukraine". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Coppens, Marc (2023-01-26). "Ons land stuurt 230 legervoertuigen naar Oekraïne die ongeschikt en te gevaarlijk worden geacht voor Belgische militairen". Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  30. ↑ Official British Army page UK Ministry of Defence (army.mod.uk), retrieved 20 November 2019
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