With the support of the European Union, a program is “running” for the construction of a common platform for an infantry fighting vehicle, an amphibious assault vehicle and a light armored vehicle with a horizon of 2030.
As armored vehicles (TOMAs) come to light in the midst of the war in Ukraine, Italy, Greece and Slovenia are working on an agreement providing for the use of a common platform for tracked, wheeled and amphibious vehicles through the EU.
The project involves the development of a prototype European Infantry Armored Vehicle / Amphibious Assault Vehicle and a light Armored Vehicle.
The new TOMA will be based on a common platform and will support rapid development, reconnaissance, combat support, logistical support, command and control, and medical support maneuvers.
These new vehicles will also strengthen the EU defense industry, while ensuring interoperability between European armies.
With the support of the European Union, the program to build a common platform for an infantry fighting vehicle, an amphibious assault vehicle and a light armored vehicle will have results in 2030.
“The end of this decade is an ambitious but achievable timetable,” said Italian Lt. Col. Roberto Forlani, head of the Italian Army’s planning and policy department.
The program launched in 2018 as part of the EU initiative for Permanent Structured Cooperation in the field of defense and security, during this period received a tremendous boost due to the war in Ukraine.
“Under the leadership of Italy, with the support of Greece and Slovakia, the plan envisages the creation of a family of new state-of-the-art infantry fighting vehicles, weighing 35-50 tons, depending on the configuration, capable of carrying a crew of three plus a standard “A group of infantry (about six to nine people) who will have a 25-30mm cannon,” Forlani said.
Thanks to the modular design and the new architecture, the Italians have compiled an ambitious list of missions to which the new TOMA infantry will respond, with versions of anti-tank vehicle, mortar vehicle, reconnaissance vehicle, combat vehicle, command vehicle, ambulance, ambulance, ARVHP of war, equipped with a short-range air defense system, due to the dominance in the new battlefield of drones now, and this really is a new awesome innovation.
The Italian Officer warned that the development of a single framework for tracks, wheels and amphibious use could prove very ambitious.
“We are considering either a standard platform or different platforms that will share the maximum possible commonality of the new subsystems, payload and shipping units.
This means common turrets, fire systems, sensors, engines, protection systems and communications, which means lower costs
[έρευνας και ανάπτυξης]”, uniform supply, greater availability of spare parts and affordable maintenance”, he stressed.
“If similarities between a family of vehicles help save money”, the conversion of the program into a multinational, through the PESCO initiative, is necessary to ensure the economic and technical “dispersion” of investment, increase production and ensure common standards between allies to enable better cooperation on the battlefield.
“The use of ‘modality’ also means that every army (including the Greek one) will be able to adapt to its own version of the vehicle continuous development,” Forlani explained, noting that the future of armored vehicles must be multinational, for reduce market fragmentation through what he called “design interoperability”.
“The TOMA Boxer program, launched in Germany and commissioned by the EDs of Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Slovenia, is a good example,” Forlani said.
Boxer was a team effort between nations on a joint procurement plan. “We can continue this approach to the development of armored capabilities,” he said.
One challenge facing the Italian-led TOMA program is the number of nations now rushing to procure new vehicles from various sources due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Even before the war, Italy was working to renew its Army fleet, upgrading aged Ariete tanks, supplying new Freccia vehicles, new Centauro wheeled tanks and new amphibious vehicles, while working on an aircraft carrier. replacement of Dardo vehicles.
Forlani predicts the possibility of converging with new Italian programs.
“We look forward to harmonizing the standards and aligning the objectives between the PESCO program and the requirements of the Italian Army for the renewal of our national fleet. And we are ready to share our ideas with the other Member States and see if they can to be a good solution for them too, “he said.
If completed, it could also give a valuable boost to the Franco-German program for a main battle tank called the Main Ground Combat System, which is currently stagnant.
“I think that a joint effort to create this new family of TOMA-type vehicles could help unite nations to work in a next-generation battle tank,” he said, adding that the news directly concerns Greece and the ED. as we are known to suffer in the field of these vehicles, especially in the heavy-duty version with a gun, as the 100 TOMA Marder we will get, is a “drop in the ocean”, since the American M-1117 we receive are TOMA light type.
