Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV)

IDV is the Italian land vehicle builder that grew out of a military truck plant opened in Bolzano in 1937, and it changed hands in March 2026 when Leonardo completed the purchase of Iveco Group's defence business for 1.6 billion euros. The acquired perimeter, reorganised under IDV Group S.r.l., carries both the IDV and ASTRA brands, around 2,000 staff, six manufacturing sites in Italy, Germany, Romania and Brazil, seven research centres and 2025 revenue of 1,368 million euros. Leonardo's stated logic was pairing its own turrets, electro-optics and command systems with a vehicle house that already had the platforms.

The multirole vehicle range covers protected and unprotected platforms from roughly 3.5 to 12 tonnes. Three families anchor it. The LMV2 is the latest turn of the Light Multirole Vehicle that has sold past 4,000 units, the MTV is a 4x4 medium tactical vehicle built around modularity and crew protection, and the MUV is a lighter logistics platform. Heavier armour sits above that. The Centauro II 8x8, built through the Iveco-Oto Melara Consortium and able to mount weapons from 7.62 mm up to a 120 mm gun, and the VBM Freccia 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle both came out of that partnership with the company now under the same parent. The amphibious SUPERAV 8x8 became the basis of the US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle produced with BAE Systems, and the 6x6 VBTP-MR Guarani is assembled for the Brazilian Army at Sete Lagoas.

Defence trucks remain the widest-selling part of the business. The range runs from van weight to heavy equipment transporters shifting loads beyond 75 tonnes, in 4x2, 4x4, 6x4, 6x6, 8x4, 8x8 and 10x10 drivelines, with a common chassis now merging the high mobility and military logistic lines under a choice of tactical, unprotected or protected cabs. The Trakker chassis underpins the Medium Protected Vehicle and accepts armoured cabs. ASTRA, based at Piacenza and folded into the same business unit, adds the HD9 and HHD9 heavy duty ranges used for military logistics, mining and quarry haulage. Those trucks are the volume that keeps the plants busy between armoured vehicle orders, and they reach markets across Africa and the Middle East that never buy an armoured platform at all.

Uncrewed platforms are the newest line. IDV showed the VIKING at DSEI 2025, a 6x6 plug-in series hybrid uncrewed ground vehicle rated at 50 kW per tonne and 45 km/h, carrying 750 kg and running about 30 km on battery alone, built for reconnaissance, last mile resupply and remotely operated weapon carriage under human control. That work sits with IDV Robotics, launched in 2023 with HORIBA MIRA, which develops both native uncrewed vehicles and conversion kits for platforms already in service. Support runs alongside all of it. Twelve commercial offices across Europe, the United States and Brazil handle spares, upgrades and fleet sustainment for armies that keep these vehicles running for decades.