March1, 2007:
Italian firm Iveco has a produced a new Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV),
for the Italian army, and several foreign customers. The seven ton, 4x4 vehicle
is another design influenced by the success of armored hummers being used in
Iraq and Afghanistan. The Italian army has ordered 1,210 LMVs, and will receive
500 this year. A few have already been sent to Afghanistan. Belgium and Britain
have each ordered 400, and Norway has bought 25.
Like
the hummer, the LMV normally carries five people. The LMV can carry a remote
control gun turret on the roof, and there will be variants in which the rear of
the vehicle will be used for cargo or equipment. The LMV is similar in size to
the hummer (15.8 feet long and 7.3 feet wide), but is actually a few
percent larger, and weighs about a third more. Like the hummers built with
armor (rather than having it added), the LMV provides excellent protection from
bullets and roadside bombs. The V-shaped hull of the LMV improves protection
from explosions beneath the vehicle. The LMV costs about the same as an armored
hummer ($170,000 each).
