The Italian company Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV), which is a part of the Iveco group and is controlled by the CNH Industrial NV consortium, announced on November 30, 2023, at the NEDS-2023 defence-industry exhibition in Rotterdam, it officially handed over the first new wheeled armoured vehicle to the armed forces of the Netherlands following the 2019 contract. The vehicle in question is the MTV (Medium Tactical Vehicle) Manticore, which has the Dutch designation 12kN.
IDV signed a framework contract with the Dutch Ministry of Defense’s procurement agency DMO in September 2019 to supply the Netherlands Armed Forces with 1275 new armoured MTV (12kN) vehicles with a 4×4 wheel configuration. These vehicles are part of the Dutch DVOW (Defensiebrede Vervanging Operationele Wielvoertuigen) programme. The contract for the delivery of 918 MTV vehicles from 2022 to 2026 was awarded to IDV in November 2019, and the company was also given the option to provide an extra 357 vehicles. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMO) granted IDV a contract in December 2020 to supply an additional 267 vehicles, bringing the total number of vehicles under firm contract to 1185. The remaining ninety vehicles in the option were initially intended to be used by the Dutch Marine Corps; however, the plans for their technological equipment are presently being evaluated.
The Iveco site in Bolzano, Italy, which was originally the famous Lancia automotive plant, is where MTV vehicle production occurs. On October 1, 2023, the first serial automobiles were exhibited at this location. It is anticipated that the first 250 vehicles in the serial series will be delivered by the end of the year 2024.
Under the terms of the Dutch contract, IDV was responsible for developing the Iveco MTV vehicle. The remarks made by IDV indicate that it is intended to be a vehicle of intermediate weight in the market. This would place it between the well-known light-armoured vehicles such as the LMV (Lince) and the 18-ton VTTM (Orso) vehicles. Depending on the type, the MTV vehicle has a curb weight of roughly 10,000 kilogrammes and a payload of 2000 kilogrammes. The vehicle’s entire combat weight can reach between 12.8 and 13 tonnes. A ground clearance of 350 millimetres is provided for the MTV vehicle, which has a length of 5.76 metres, a wheelbase of 3.46 metres, a width of 2.43 metres, and a height of 2.76 metres.
Additionally, the vehicle is fitted with a NEF67 EUIII diesel engine with a power output of 276 horsepower and a specific power output of 23 horsepower per tonne, and it is paired with an automatic gearbox. The MTV has a maximum range of nearly 600 kilometres and can go at a maximum speed of 90 kilometres per hour on roads. The vehicle can overcome a side slope of thirty per cent and a gradient of sixty per cent.
A leaf spring suspension system that includes shock absorbers and stabilisers is included in the chassis, which is both simplified and cost-effective. The MTV has disc brakes, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), 365/85R20 Pirelli PS22 tyres, and a central pressure maintenance system. The Iveco Astra series of military trucks inspired the primary design of the vehicle’s equipment.
Basic (four-person armoured cabin with an additional cargo compartment), pickup (two-person armoured cabin and cargo bed), medical (transport of two stretchers or four seated wounded), special forces, and police (capacity up to eight people, ordered for military police and parts of the air force and navy security) are the five primary variants of the MTV that the Netherlands Armed Forces ordered after placing an order for it. The soft tops are included in the final two variations of the vehicle. All variations will be manufactured in unarmored and armoured versions, with an extra armour kit allowing for a speedy conversion to a protected configuration. For the duration of the war, it is anticipated that only the armoured variants will be sent into service. Moreover, the vehicle is equipped with anti-mine protection. It can be outfitted with NBC protection, engine dust filters, Rheinmetall ROSY smoke grenade launchers, and passive countermeasures as optional.
120 deFNder Light remote-controlled weapon modules, manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal, were contracted to arm certain MTV Manticore vehicles. Additionally, there was an option for ten additional modules to be purchased. The machine guns installed in these modules are either the FN Minimi or the FN MAG model. Most other vehicles in the basic model are anticipated to be equipped with hatch-mounted manually controlled armoured turrets. These turrets can mount FN Minimi, FN MAG, 12.7mm M2 machine guns, or 40mm automatic H&K GMG grenade launchers. Special forces and police variants may also be outfitted with side-mounted turrets for machine guns and Spike-LR anti-tank guided missile launchers according to the specific requirements of the situation.