As expected even before the tender was published, the Centaruo II armored vehicle of the CIO consortium, composed in equal parts by Iveco and Leonardo, has been selected by the Brazilian Army to become its new 8×8 wheeled combat vehicle.
In this way, the Italian vehicle prevails over the LAV 700 AG of General Dynamics Land Systems, which has finished in second place, and the ST1-BR of the Chinese firm Norinco, in third position.
The contract, which provides for the purchase of at least 98 units of the Centauro II and which may be extended to 221 in the coming years, introduces in the Brazilian Army120 mm ammunition, digital fire control systems, communications integrated by the combat C2, passive and active defenses, all digitized and integrated with a modern and functional battlefield management system. It will be the most sophisticated and complete combat vehicle in the history of the Brazilian Army.