Place of origin Italy Height 1,950 mm (76.8 in) | Width 2,050 mm (80.7 in) | |
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Type Infantry mobility vehicle Weight 6.5 tons (STANAG 4569 Level 3) Length 5,504 mm (216.7 in) (4,704 mm (185.2 in)) | ||
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 under the name VTLM Lince (Lynx)(Veicolo-Tattico-Leggero-Multiruolo), it won the FCLV (Future Command and Liaison Vehicle) competition of the British Army as the Panther and has been adopted by the armies of Albania, Austria, Belgium, 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.
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Design
The LMV uses modular armor packs to adjust its level of protection to its mission requirements. 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.
Panther CLV
The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle or Panther CLV is 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. While the Panther seats four people, the VTLM Lince seats five.
Over 400 Panthers are now being assembled at BAE Systems factory in Newcastle upon Tyne under a £160 million contract. It is intended that the Panther will replace vehicles including Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (tracked) (CVRT), FV 432, Saxon and Land Rover Truck Utility Medium (TUM).
The armour protection is tuneable by the replacement of armour packs within the vehicle's external skin. The basic add-on armour pack provides ballistic protection against small arms fire and a heavier kit provides protection against heavy weapons to including mines.
Panther Command and Liaison Vehicles (CLV) are equipped with Enforcer RCWS weapons stations which were developed by SELEX Galileo. The weapons station can be armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher.
The first Panthers were delivered to the 1st Mechanised Brigade (United Kingdom) and a small number underwent hot weather trials in Afghanistan.
Other variants
The LMV is available in two different wheelbases, 3.2 m (126.0 in) and 3.5 m (137.8 in). A two door, two seater is also available.
Since 2015, LMV production has featured a host of improvements: these include a more powerful 220hp (164 kW) 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.
The Russian LMV is named Rys' by MVPS, an Iveco Russia and Oboronservis LLC joint venture company, and launched complete knockdown assembly of Ryses on the premises of the 127th Wheeled Vehicle Repair Plant in Voronezh, Rys' supply chain by different plants firms provided around Russia.
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 the Ukraine for 41 million Euros on 14 September 2014, but never confirmed delivery.