DEFEA 2025: Greek company EODH upgrades Leonidas APC with Slovenian Valhalla turret to meet urgent mechanized infantry needs.

At the DEFEA 2025 defense exhibition in Athens, the Greek company EODH is displaying a modified Leonidas 1 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) equipped with the Slovenian Valhalla HWS Tyr 25/30 remote-controlled weapon station. This marks the continuation of EODH’s effort to upgrade the aging Leonidas platform. The installation of this turret on the vehicle was the only modification completed in time for the exhibition, but it aligns with the broader Leonidas 300 modernization concept, first presented by EODH in 2020. In parallel, EODH has submitted a proposal for the upgrade of the Hellenic Army’s M113A1/A2 fleet, which follows a prior study conducted by the company on the M113 platform.
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EODH is displaying a modified Leonidas 1 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) equipped with the Slovenian Valhalla HWS Tyr 25/30 remote-controlled weapon station, marking the continuation of EODH’s effort to upgrade the aging Leonidas platform. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The Leonidas 300 upgrade project was announced in 2020 with the goal of extending the operational life of the Leonidas II vehicles. The proposed configuration includes a replacement of the original STEYR 7FA diesel engine with a Caterpillar C7 engine providing 360 horsepower and 1,254 Nm of torque. It also includes the option to integrate a Remote Weapon Station (RWS) armed with either a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun or a Mauser MK30F 30 mm cannon sourced from retired Artemis 30 anti-aircraft systems. Additional enhancements include air conditioning, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection, and an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Armor upgrades consist of synthetic add-on panels, spall liners, and underbelly protection against mines.

The Leonidas 300 configuration also includes updates to mobility and crew systems. These include a new gearbox and transfer case, a modified directional system, an upgraded driving position featuring a front LCD screen linked to driving cameras, and the option to install a military-grade digital control panel. The electrical system is also redesigned, incorporating a digital backbone network connecting analog components through digital interfaces, LED lighting, and a battery management system. The stated design intent is to create a vehicle with increased firepower and survivability while maintaining mobility.

EODH previously presented the Leonidas 300 with the NIMROD 300/2 turret developed by Valhalla at DEFEA 2023. This turret includes an MK44 30 mm gun, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and an optional launcher for one or two Spike LR2 fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles or loitering munitions. A mockup of a loitering ammunition launcher was included in the exhibit. The NIMROD 300/2 turret carries 180 rounds for the main cannon and 750 rounds for the 7.62 mm machine gun. The NIMROD 300/1 version is configured as a self-propelled SHORAD platform, retaining the 30 mm gun while integrating two short-range surface-to-air missiles and an AESA radar.

Both turret variants offer a 360° azimuth range. Elevation ranges differ by model: -15° to +50° for the NIMROD 300/2, and -15° to +65° for the NIMROD 300/1. Engagement range reaches up to 3,000 meters. The modular electro-optical system includes a stabilized thermal camera, a day camera, a laser rangefinder, and a meteorological sensor. In terms of protection, the vehicle’s armor meets STANAG 4569 Level 2 on the sides and Level 5 on the front. The front armor is rated to withstand 25 mm APDS-T rounds, such as those fired by the Turkish ACV-AIFV, from a distance of 1,000 meters, and 155 mm artillery fragments from 25 meters across a 360° azimuth and elevation between 0° and 90°.

The Leonidas APC originated as a licensed version of the Austrian Saurer 4K 7FA. It was manufactured by Steyr Hellas S.A. (later renamed ELVO) from 1981 to 2001. Initial production involved 2 prototype vehicles delivered from Austria in 1981, followed by 100 assembled in Greece. The Leonidas I used a 320 hp Steyr 7FA engine and had a combat weight of 14.8 tons. The Leonidas II was introduced in 1987 with a 450 hp engine and a maximum speed of 70 km/h. Despite multiple turret proposals—including the Cockerill 90 mm and 105 mm, Mauser MK-30F 30 mm, and OTO Melara T-25 25 mm—no standard turret was adopted. About 700 units were produced, with some exported to Cyprus and donated to North Macedonia.

The vehicles in Greek and Cypriot service are equipped with the GRL-76-8 self-protection system using NM186 smoke grenades developed by PYRKAL. The system offers a 205° coverage arc with each 76 mm grenade forming a 15-meter radius smoke cloud approximately 60 meters from the vehicle. Plans for a Leonidas III variant were abandoned in 2002, and the Greek Army pursued the development of the Kentaurus Infantry Fighting Vehicle instead. ELVO also collaborated with Steyr-Daimler-Puch for the ASCOD program, though this cooperation was later discontinued due to cost concerns. ELVO then developed the Kentaurus IFV independently in 1998.

In 2020, EODH proposed further variants of the Leonidas 300, including IFVs, APCs, fire-control vehicles, ambulances, anti-UAV vehicles, and a 120 mm mortar carrier using the E-56 system with M53A1 or Swarovski A70-45 optics. This variant was intended to replace older M-106A1 and M-106A2 mortar carriers. In Cyprus, one Leonidas II was converted into the “Kerberos” combat vehicle, fitted with a triple M-55A2 anti-aircraft gun. This vehicle was displayed at a National Guard demonstration event in July 2023. Cyprus currently operates 196 Leonidas II and one Kerberos. Greece operates around 100 Leonidas I and 390 Leonidas II vehicles, though some Leonidas I with turret upgrades remain in long-term storage. North Macedonia operates 10 Leonidas II without the GRL-76-8 system.