They are of the same type as those that the Leonardo-Rheinmetall joint venture will produce in Italy; waiting for the European allies for the operational confrontation against the Russian tanks
Germany will finance the delivery of five Lynx Kf-41 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, thus implementing the contract signed with Kiev last December. The manufacturer Rheinmetall announced this, specifying that the first units will leave by the end of the month or at the beginning of February at the latest. The contract, worth approximately two million euros, brings to Ukraine the first examples of new generation armored vehicles, equipped with a two-person Lance turret and configured specifically for the requirements of the nation’s Armed Forces at war with Russia.
The choice of Kiev after two years of evaluations
Kiev had chosen the Lynx after a selection that lasted almost two years, as the first test example was delivered to the Army in November 2024 for the purpose of evaluation. The delivery marks the second Kf-41 operator after Hungary, which received the new tanks in December. The latter, however, were built in the Szeged plant managed by Rheinmetall, with Hungarian staff. The same operation will be carried out once the current conflict is over, opening up Rheinmetall production in Ukrainian territory together with that of Fuchs and Panther vehicles, similar to a model implemented in Algeria.
Technical characteristics of the Lynx Kf-41
The Lynx Kf-41 is an infantry fighting vehicle designed to compete with platforms such as the American Bradley and the Swedish CV-90. It offers improved protection, mobility and firepower compared to older models, as well as the possibility of installing electronic systems that are the heart of military equipment today. Its engine is an 18,000 cc Liebherr D976 I-6 diesel that delivers from 750 to 1,140 horsepower depending on the version, downloading these powers to the Renk Hswl 256 automatic transmission.
Autonomy, speed and modular structure
The suspension is with wishbones with torsion bars and shock absorbers. The two on-board tanks contain just over 700 liters which allow an operational range of 500 km and a maximum speed of up to 70 km/h. It is defined as a modular vehicle, i.e. composed of a single frame on which variable equipment can be installed, very efficient from the point of view of robustness against attacks with rockets and RPG missiles (portable on shoulders), as well as impacts with Heat projectiles (anti-tank and highly explosive), as well as having anti-drone capabilities.
Strengths and limitations of the system
Its strengths include flexibility for different roles (troop transport, anti-aircraft, support), while its downsides are higher costs compared to competitors and complexity. According to the project, it can mount several turrets with 30 or 50 millimeter cannon and missiles, and house anti-tank missile launchers. All characteristics that raise the complexity of the construction and therefore the final cost, a fact for which, despite the interest, the Kf-41 is therefore a relatively new system, of which the first customer was Hungary in 2020, so its long-term performance in the field is still to be demonstrated on a large scale, although it is promising.
The operational field test
Testing on the battlefield will therefore be essential, not so much for performance but to evaluate it in operational actions in a configuration particularly designed for European territory. In addition to the threats posed by drones and artillery, these means will be able to contend with the tanks that the Russians are using, mainly Soviet-designed but modernized models such as the T-72B and B3, the more modern T-80 and some T-90M units that have recently entered service. However, the Russian Army is also using obsolete T-58s dating back to the late 1950s to quickly compensate for losses, sometimes transforming them into remotely operated vehicles.
German aid to Ukraine
Since 2022, military supplies to Ukraine have led Germany to be the second nation in terms of volumes delivered after the United States. As of October 31, 2025, Berlin had provided nearly twenty billion euros in military aid, to which a further five billion euros in financial and humanitarian assistance products and services were added.
Italy’s role in the program
Italy, through the Joint Venture Lrmv (Leonardo and Rheinmetall), will manage the development and production in Italy of the specimens intended for our Army at the La Spezia factories (formerly Oto Melara, now Leonardo). Our goal is to gradually replace the Dardo armored vehicles and modernize the entire tracked component by 2040 with a program that in total includes over a thousand vehicles.
