Leonardo to equip Italian KF51 Panther tanks with new 120mm L55 gun to hit targets farther and harder.

As reported by RID on July 16, 2025, Leonardo presented its new 120 mm L55 tank gun and a new 120 mm guided Vulcano round at the Cottrau firing range near La Spezia. The new gun, entirely developed with internal company funding, was demonstrated with a six-round live fire session and is currently undergoing a 12-month qualification phase with five prototypes. The gun is designed exclusively for tracked platforms such as the KF-51 due to its recoil characteristics and cannot be mounted on wheeled vehicles.
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The Panther-IT is a local version of the KF-51 Panther developed by Rheinmetall and will be produced through the Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV) joint venture. (Picture source: Rheinmetall)

This new L55 tank gun incorporates a new autofrettaging process, an improved recoil brake system with dual hydraulic cylinders, and an oil-gas accumulator to handle higher internal pressures. The thermal sleeve consists of composite and aluminum materials, and the recoil stroke is approximately 550 mm. This gun, referred to as the 120/L55, is intended for use on Italy's Panther-IT MBTs and can also be installed on updated Ariete C2 tanks and the HITFACT MkII turret, seen on the KF41 Lynx. It is designed to fire all existing NATO-standard 120 mm rounds, including airburst munitions that require a programming interface. A modular architecture facilitates retrofitting on legacy turrets. Prior to firing, Leonardo tested the complete mechanical cycle, including breech actuation, ejection of spent cases, and recoil simulation. The gun’s barrel, weighing approximately 500 kg more than the previous 120 mm L45 model, offers a 5% increase in muzzle velocity. The barrel is manufactured from the same alloy used for the Centauro II’s L45 gun but features a different geometry and improved internal pressure resistance. Forecasted barrel life is 1,200 rounds, though this is highly dependent on the ammunition type used, with APFSDS causing greater wear.

The new Vulcano 120 mm round is based on the existing Vulcano family, which includes naval (76 mm and 127 mm) and artillery (155 mm) variants, and is designed for use with current and future 120 mm tank guns. It is a sub-caliber guided munition with a maximum range of approximately 30 kilometers and is designed for indirect fire beyond line-of-sight. Its targets may include armored vehicles, air defense systems, rocket launchers, and MBTs. The objective is to inflict functional rather than structural damage by disabling sensors, antennas, and optics. The round is compatible with both laser and infrared terminal guidance and is designed to operate in GNSS-denied environments. The modular design allows the reuse of components developed for other calibers, enabling economies of scale and reduced development timelines. The Vulcano 120 is part of the i-MBT program and can be guided by external systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles. It will be ITAR-free and is intended to increase the indirect fire capabilities of armored units, supporting distributed combat formations. The integration architecture includes cooperative engagement with remote targeting sources and allows for future upgrades, including infrared terminal homing. The system is developed at Leonardo's La Spezia facility, where the company has recently hired 300 new employees and added two autofrettaging machines to increase production capacity to 800 barrels per year by 2026, up from 170 in 2024 and 260 projected for 2025. Approximately half of these barrels will be for large-caliber land and naval systems.

The 120 mm L55 will equip 82 of the 132 Panther-IT main battle tanks Italy plans to acquire, while the remaining 50 tanks will be fitted with Rheinmetall’s 120 mm L55A1. These tanks will be part of Italy’s €10 billion armored forces modernization program, which includes support vehicles and over 1,000 tracked platforms. The Panther-IT is a local version of the KF-51 Panther developed by Rheinmetall and will be produced through the Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV) joint venture. Italy has opted to retain the 120 mm caliber, despite earlier presentations of the Panther with a 130 mm gun. According to Rivista Italiana Difesa, the 130 mm offers negligible operational advantages in terms of range, and adopting it would introduce interoperability and logistical complications, especially within NATO. The L55 barrels produced in Italy will no longer be under German license, although the gun's characteristics remain consistent between the German and Italian versions. During initial presentations, Leonardo and Rheinmetall indicated a production split of 82 barrels from Italy and 50 from Germany, plus 50 percent spare barrels, and this plan remains unchanged. The Panther-IT's turret will also be modified to accommodate the L55’s increased mass and altered center of gravity, requiring stronger electric actuators, particularly for elevation. While not yet confirmed, Leonardo has indicated that this same gun system might later be integrated into the upgraded Ariete C2, pending evaluation.

The Panther-IT will incorporate Rheinmetall’s StrikeShield active protection system, loitering munitions such as HERO 120, and digital C4I components. The platform is built on the Leopard 2A4 chassis and includes a V12 engine rated at 1,500 horsepower, with a maximum speed of 70 km/h and a range of 500 kilometers. In addition to improved protection and firepower, the tank features 360-degree situational awareness systems, thermal imaging, and provisions for integrating future technologies, including unmanned turrets. Since January 2024, Italy has launched multiple modernization programs for its land forces, including 21 M142 HIMARS launchers, 76 VBM PLUS armored vehicles, and the selection of the Skynex C-RAM system. The KF-41 Lynx IFV is being evaluated for the A2CS program, which aims to procure 1,050 vehicles in 16 variants. In 2024, Italy also expanded its F-35 program to 115 aircraft and ordered 24 new Eurofighters. In the naval domain, Italy commissioned the amphibious LHD Trieste and is investing in directed-energy weapons for counter-drone operations. The armored modernization is led by the LRMV joint venture, which began operations in 2024. Assembly, testing, and weapons integration will take place in La Spezia, while approximately 60% of all Panther and Lynx production will be based in Italy.

Initially introduced in the 1950s on heavy tanks like the British FV214 Conqueror and the American M103, the 120 mm L55 gun is part of a broader historical trend that has seen this caliber become the standard for Western MBTs. The breakthrough came in the 1970s when Rheinmetall developed the L/44 smoothbore gun, adopted for the Leopard 2 and later license-built as the M256 for the M1 Abrams. The shift from rifled to smoothbore designs allowed better compatibility with fin-stabilized penetrators and HEAT rounds, optimizing performance across a wider range of munitions. The British retained a 120 mm rifled gun for decades to support HESH rounds, but the Challenger 3 upgrade will convert to smoothbore for commonality. Smoothbore 120 mm guns can also support guided projectiles such as Israel’s LAHAT, and their compatibility with programmable fuses and smart munitions further extends battlefield versatility.

One of the main advantages of 120 mm tank guns lies in their balance between firepower and operational practicality. Compared to the older 105 mm systems, 120 mm guns offer superior kinetic energy and armor penetration while maintaining manageable ammunition weight and size. A 120 mm APFSDS round typically weighs around 20 kg and can achieve muzzle velocities over 1,700 m/s, significantly outperforming the 105 mm in both range and lethality. Although 130 mm and 140 mm calibers promise greater theoretical firepower, they introduce substantial complications related to recoil absorption, autoloader requirements, and logistics. The 120 mm remains light enough for manual handling or compact autoloaders and is already supported by a vast logistics and supply infrastructure across NATO. It also supports a wide variety of ammunition, from kinetic penetrators and programmable HE to canister and airburst rounds, making it the most versatile choice for modern MBTs.

The 120 mm smoothbore gun has been adopted by nearly all modern Western MBTs, including the M1A1/A2 Abrams, Leopard 2, Leclerc, Ariete, Merkava Mk III and IV, K1A1, K2 Black Panther, and Japan’s Type 10. Today’s 120 mm tank guns are universally smoothbore and built to fire an extensive range of NATO-standard munitions. These include the APFSDS kinetic rounds, HEAT rounds, programmable HE or AMP multi-purpose rounds, and in some cases, gun-launched missiles. Italy’s Vulcano 120 mm round, for example, represents an emerging category of extended-range, precision-guided tank projectiles with indirect fire capability. Non-Western platforms, such as India’s Arjun tank, use rifled 120 mm guns for specific doctrinal reasons, such as HESH employment. However, rifled guns have fallen out of favor due to compatibility issues and lower effectiveness with modern penetrators. Even countries exploring higher calibers often maintain 120 mm as a transitional or parallel capability, as the integration of guided, programmable, and multi-mode ammunition reinforces the 120 mm’s relevance in modern and future conflicts, especially as tank roles expand to include long-range support, indirect fire, and precision strike capabilities.