In 2019, Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) has signed a contract with the Dutch COMMIT to provide 1,185 medium multirole protected vehicles within the ’12kN & RCWS’ project. The delivery ceremony of the first unit was held on November 30th, 2023, at the NEDS exhibition in Rotterdam in presence of Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, Commander of the Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT) and National Armaments Director. IDV, a company of Iveco Group, delivered the first 12kN vehicle to the Dutch Armed Forces. The handover ceremony of the Manticore, which is the name given to the 12kN vehicles by the Dutch Armed Forces, was held during this year’s edition of the NIDV Exhibition for Defence and Security (NEDS) in presence of Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, Commander of the Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT) and National Armaments Director. The delivery of the first vehicle represents an important milestone in the consolidation of the strategic partnership between the Dutch MoD and IDV, further emphasising the company’s commitment to playing an important role in the multirole vehicle segment for defence and homeland security missions.
IDV’s MTV (Multirole Tactical Vehicle) is designed to combine high tactical 4×4 mobility, optimal off-road performance, outstanding modularity, advanced system integration capabilities as well as high crew protection paired with excellent payload capability. This high-performance vehicle with its range of several configurations such as Hard Top, Soft Top, Pick-up, Casualty Transport, Personnel Transport and Command Post can efficiently be adapted to meet the needs of all military users including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Military Police. The 12 kN Program requires Iveco Defence Vehicles to initially provide 918 MTV vehicles in several configurations, protected and unprotected, including RCWS and other attachments and add-ons. In December 2020, an additional batch of 267 vehicles has been ordered by the DMO, increasing the fleet to a total of 1185 units. The 12 kN contract consists of a family of 4×4 vehicles, based on Iveco Defence Vehicles’ brand-new MTV platform.
This high-performance vehicle can be efficiently adapted to meet the needs of all military users, from the Army to the Marines, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Units and Military Police. The elements common to all variants include the 6-cylinder 6.7 litre Diesel engine, capable of producing 207kW power and 1000Nm torque, the automated transmission and permanent 4×4 wheel-drive with 3 fully lockable differentials, and the high and low ratio gears. Protection is a fundamental feature as well: Iveco Defence Vehicles has made great use of the extensive experience gained with LMV and MPV platforms. All MTV variants, short and long cab and monocoque, are made from ballistic steel and benefit from an add-on steel armour kit that increases ballistic and blast protection levels. In terms of personnel transport, the Soft-Top and Hard-Top versions can accommodate a team of 2+2, the Pick-up a crew of 2 and the Medevac transport a crew of 2+2 lying or 2+4 sitting casualties, while the Military Police / Air Force Security Vehicle can accommodate a crew of 2+6 and can be configured as an assault ladder.
The company headquarter is in Bolzano, Northern Italy, at the plant formerly owned by Lancia, a highly-regarded military vehicle manufacturer established in 1937 that became part of the Iveco Group in 1975. Iveco Defence Vehicles boasts an independent internal structure entirely dedicated to R&D located in Bolzano and Piacenza with full access to Iveco’s vast corporate engineering resources. Alongside the Engineering Department and prototyping workshop, the Bolzano facility houses all manufacturing, marketing and aftersales operations, while an additional facility based in Vittorio Veneto provides a centre of excellence for armour. Since 2012 the company has embraced the concept of World Class Manufacturing (or WCM), an integrated approach to achieving excellence through continuously improving all aspects of performance in all areas of the production system. The modular approach adopted by Iveco Defence Vehicles’ engineers in our commercial range offers direct advantages to our military customers. The approach is evident in all of our product lines, and means we can hone our solutions to meet all user requirements, without the need for costly re-engineering, and deliver.
