An Italian Navy and Land Armaments Directorate delegation visited the IDV plant in Bolzano and viewed the first Veicolo Blindato Anfibio or VBA.
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Press Release, Bolzano, 18 October 2024: [auto-translated] On 15 and 16 October, a delegation from the Navy and the Land Armaments Directorate visited the IDV plant in Bolzano and viewed the first Veicolo Blindato Anfibio (Armoured Amphibious Vehicle), destined for the San Marco Marine Brigade, to come off the production line.
In December 2022, the Land Armaments Directorate signed the contract with IDV for the supply of 36 VBAs for the Navy, as part of the programme to expand and renew the fleet of Defence vehicles, to increase its national operational capacity for sea projection.
During this week’s visit, personnel from the Navy General Staff, the San Marco Marine Brigade and the Land Armaments Directorate, led respectively by CA Massimiliano Grazioso and Brig. Gen. Raffaele Zorzi, were able to view the first Veicolo Blindato Anfibio (VBA) to come off the IDV Bolzano production line and appreciate the company’s industrial and technological capabilities.
The VBA is an 8×8 vehicle capable of operating on all types of terrain and able to be launched and recovered from an amphibious vessel in open sea, while offering excellent mobility and high ballistic, anti-mine and anti-IED (improvised explosive device) protection. The 700HP FPT Cursor 16 engine, combined with the 7-speed automatic transmission and the H-shaped driveline, derived from the Centauro and the VBM Freccia, allow the VBA to reach 105 km/h on the road, while the two propellers located at the rear, driven by hydraulic motors, guarantee navigation beyond Sea State 3 and a speed of 6 knots. The platform is equipped with a remote HITROLE Light turret, supplied by Leonardo, with a 12.7mm calibre weapon and latest generation C4 systems.
The amphibious vehicle intended for the Navy is based on the SUPERAV 8×8 amphibious platform, the same on which the ACV, the amphibious vehicle for the US Marine Corps, was built in partnership with BAE Systems.
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