The Iveco – Oto Melara Consortium, CIO in short, is formed between Iveco Defence Vehicles, an Iveco Group company, and Leonardo, and for over 30 years it has been the reference point for the Italian MoD in terms of ground vehicles. Its origins can be traced back to the early ‘80s when Italy, on the verge of launching a programme to fully renew its combat vehicles park, felt the need for a single industrial interface. This led in 1985 to join the two national land armaments prime companies, Iveco and OTO Melara, into a consortium with equal participation. Each company brought its capabilities to develop a brand new family of wheeled and tracked vehicles ranging from MBTs to light wheeled APCs. Iveco Defence Vehicles is responsible for engines, gears and all the automotive components, the hull and the final integration of wheeled armoured vehicles while Leonardo is responsible for weapon systems, sight and fire control systems of both wheeled and tracked vehicles, the hull and the final integration of tracked armoured vehicles. Both companies have excellent skills in the field of protection against direct fire, mines and IEDs.

Iveco Defence Vehicles is dedicated to delivering innovative automotive and protection solutions to meet the needs of military customers worldwide. The company manufactures specialist military logistic, protected and armoured vehicles in its facility in Bolzano in Northern Italy, as well as marketing Iveco’s full commercial range, adapted as necessary to meet the demands of the military user. In consequence, Iveco Defence Vehicles has a full range of vehicles to meet a broad spectrum of defence applications.

Leonardo is a leading global Aerospace, Defence and Security (AD&S) company. With 51,000 employees worldwide, it operates in the fields of Helicopters, Electronics, Aircraft, Cyber & Security and Space, and is a key partner in major international programmes including Eurofighter, NH-90, FREMM, GCAP and Eurodrone. Leonardo has significant industrial capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, the US and Israel and also operates through subsidiaries, joint ventures and stakes, including Leonardo DRS (80.9%), MBDA (25%), ATR (50%), Hensoldt (25.1%), Telespazio (67%), Thales Alenia Space (33%) and Avio (29.6%). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), Leonardo reported new orders of €17.3 billion in 2022, with an order backlog of €37.5 billion and consolidated revenues of €14.7 billion. The company is included in the MIB ESG index and has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010.