Antsy about its aging tanks, Italy is mulling a rush purchase

ROME — Italy is considering the quick procurement of 125 tanks as well as infantry fighting vehicles to serve as gap fillers before long-term projects take shape, Italian defense officials and sources have said.

As the Ukraine conflict gives new importance to ground warfare capabilities, concerns are growing in Italy about its aging and depleted stock of Ariete tanks and Dardo fighting vehicles.

Addressing an Italian parliamentary defense committee on Thursday, Italian National Armaments Director Gen. Luciano Portolano said gap fillers were being mulled for new tanks and fighting vehicles.

“The defense ministry is evaluating all options, with a main focus on rapidly filling gaps,” he said.

An Italian defense source told Defense News that planners envisage a current need for 250 main battle tanks, of which 125 could be upgraded Ariete tanks, leaving a need for 125 gap fillers.

Giorgio Mulè, a former junior defense minister and a member of parliament with the Italian government coalition party Forza Italia, said leasing, rather than purchasing, gap filler tanks was the practical solution.

“Italy will need a gap filler which is already in use in NATO and Europe, which is reliable and comes with logistics provided, which likely means leasing from another state,” he told Defense News.

Such a move could entail a lease of Leopard tanks from allied nations.

“We need urgent modernization – the last time we introduced new tanks and fighting vehicles was in the 1980s with the Ariete and Dardo vehicles,” said Mulè.

At the same time, as gap fillers are chosen, Partolano told parliament the defense ministry was working on requirements for “next generation” tanks and fighting vehicles that could be developed with Italian industrial input.

In the case of the tank requirement, he cited the embryonic European Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), which was launched in 2012 by France and Germany and set to be developed by Germany’s Rheinmetall and KNDS, a joint venture between Germany’s KMW and France’s Nexter.

Meanwhile, Rheinmetall has said that if Italy buys its new Lynx fighting vehicle to replace aging Dardos, it could build the vehicle in Italy .

Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 13 to clarify Gen. Portolano’s title as national armaments director.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——意大利国防官员和消息人士称，意大利正在考虑快速采购 125 辆坦克以及步兵战车，以填补长期项目成形之前的空白。

随着乌克兰冲突使地面作战能力变得尤为重要，意大利越来越担心其老旧且数量不足的阿里埃特坦克和达尔多战车。

意大利国家军备局局长卢西亚诺·波托拉诺将军周四在意大利议会国防委员会上表示，正在考虑用其他装备填补新坦克和战车的缺口。

他说：“国防部正在评估所有方案，重点是迅速填补空缺。”

一位意大利国防消息人士告诉《防务新闻》，规划人员预计目前需要 250 辆主战坦克，其中 125 辆可能是升级后的 Ariete 坦克，还剩下 125 辆需要填补空缺。

意大利执政联盟党意大利力量党议员、前国防部副部长乔治·穆莱表示，租赁而不是购买间隙填充罐才是切实可行的解决方案。

“意大利需要一种已经在北约和欧洲使用的、可靠的、并附带后勤保障的装备来填补空缺，这很可能意味着从其他国家租赁，”他告诉《防务新闻》。

这样的举措可能意味着从盟国租赁豹式坦克。

“我们迫切需要现代化——我们上一次引进新型坦克和战车还是在上世纪 80 年代，当时引进了阿里埃特和达尔多战车，”穆莱说道。

与此同时，在选择填补空缺的方案时，帕托拉诺告诉议会，国防部正在制定“下一代”坦克和战车的需求，这些坦克和战车可以利用意大利工业的投入进行开发。

关于坦克需求，他提到了尚处于萌芽阶段的欧洲主地面作战系统（MGCS），该系统由法国和德国于 2012 年启动，并计划由德国莱茵金属公司和 KNDS 公司（德国 KMW 公司和法国奈克斯特公司的合资企业）进行开发。

与此同时，莱茵金属公司表示，如果意大利购买其新型“山猫”战车来取代老旧的“达尔多斯”战车，那么意大利就可以在意大利生产这种战车。

编者按：本文于 3 月 13 日更新，以澄清波托拉诺将军的头衔是国家军备主管。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。