Warzone wonder
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Iveco has a division most of our readers will be unaware of – manufacturing military vehicles. CM visited it in Italy to learn more
Words: Roger Brown To most readers the Iveco marque means truck and van models such as the Stralis, Eurocargo or Daily.
However, there is another arm to the company that many are probably not so familiar with: Iveco Defence Vehicles.
Based in a former Lancia truck plant at Bolzano, in the South Tyrol province of northern Italy, the military vehicle factory was built in 1937 as part of dictator Benito Mussolini’s economic plans.
It was later acquired by Fiat and subsequently passed to its subsidiary company Iveco.
CM paid a visit to see the latest and most up-to-date war machine from the manufacturer – the Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) – called the Lynx by the Italian army.
Iveco claims the LMV, which was designed in the late 1990s, with the first prototypes running in 2001, is one of the most modern vehicles of its type in the world. The tough and versatile In the words of the manufacturer, the LMV is a vehicle LMV has proved itself for tactical missions with the mobility of an off-road and found favour with a vehicle and the protection of an armoured one. number of armies At 7.1 tonnes it can carry out a variety of jobs, including escort and patrol work, as well as casualty evacuation and command and liaison duties.
The Italian Army took the Lynx to Lebanon and Afghanistan. In the latter conflict, they have proved decisive in saving the lives of patrol soldiers and personnel escorting convoys of humanitarian aid, in attacks from roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Versatile machine
Be it peacekeeping duties, fighting guerrillas, terrorist or insurgent campaigns or attacks by unseen enemies using anti-tank mines, the LMV has proved its toughness in a range of situations.
And it is not only the Italian armed forces that are happy with it – the permanent four-wheel-drive vehicle has been bought by the armies of the UK (see box), Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Norway, Spain and Slovakia.
To demonstrate the capabilities and incredible versatility of the vehicle, an Iveco test driver took CM for a spin, out of the gates of the Bolzano plant and the short distance to its test track.
At the end of the route was a test hill with a steep 60% gradient, but our driver was able to crawl up it by engaging a low ratio and locking the differentials. Nor did reversing back down pose any problems for the LMV.
Thankfully we did not experience it ourselves, but the vehicle can also wade through water up to 1.5m deep.
Composite armour
Anna Anesi, external relations and communications manager at Iveco, says the LMV’s five-seat passenger safety cell is protected by ceramic composite armour, which deflects the path and reduces the speed of highvelocity rounds.
She adds: “If there is an explosion, unsecured items of kit and occupants can be thrown around the cabin, and impacts can cause serious spinal injuries if the protect the occupants, and there is a collapsible sandwich structure in the floor to deflect and absorb mine blasts.
The LMV concept is modular, which means ballistic protection can be added depending on each customer’s requirements, therefore making it suitable for many different uses such as passenger transport or as an ambulance.
In terms of power, the LMV is equipped with a diesel common-rail engine, carrying it to a top speed of 81mph.
Excellent performance
The engine is connected to an automatic six-speed gearbox with hydrodynamic torque converter and a two-speed transfer box fitted with the differential on the rear axle.
Hydro-pneumatic disc brakes are fitted at the front and rear.
CM was impressed with the power, excellent off-road performance, good manoeuvrability, modern protection systems, and ease of driving and comfortable ride of the vehicle.
The independent front and rear suspension, combined with the load distribution per axle and optimised torque distribution, results in excellent off-road mobility.
All the requirements you need for a warzone... n