Leonardo X-Gun 30mm Makes Asia Debut on Terrex 8×8 IFV as New Counter-Drone Solution.

Leonardo and ST Engineering unveiled a Terrex 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle armed with the X-Gun 30 mm cannon at the 2026 Singapore Airshow. The pairing highlights how armies are prioritizing mobile, protected firepower optimized for counter-drone and high-tempo combat.

In a February 5, 2026, post on X, Leonardo Electronics flagged a fresh land-defence pairing unveiled at the Singapore Airshow: ST Engineering’s Terrex 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle fitted with a turret integrating Leonardo’s latest-generation X-Gun 30 mm automatic cannon. Marketed as the weapon’s first public appearance in Asia, the display is best read as a targeted answer to what procurement teams are now buying for: protected mobility that can still deliver precise, high-tempo fire while coping with the messy reality of modern battlefields dominated by small drones, loitering munitions, and fleeting targets that rarely present themselves twice.
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Terrex 8X8 IFV displayed at Singapore Airshow with ST Engineering's unmanned ADDER turret integrating Leonardo's ITAR-free, electric-powered X-Gun 30 mm cannon, delivering stabilized 360-degree direct fire with high elevation for counter-drone and close-in air-defense, plus rapid target tracking and protected crew operation for modern mechanized infantry missions (Picture source: Leonardo Electronics).

On the vehicle side, ST Engineering’s Terrex family is built around the company’s mobile, networked force concept, and the published technical baselines illustrate why it remains a credible host for a medium-calibre turret. In the Terrex 2 configuration, the platform is quoted at 8.5 m in length and 3.6 m in width with gross vehicle weight up to 30,000 kg, a 600 hp Caterpillar C9.3 engine, road range above 600 km, and amphibious capability rated to Sea State 3, while carrying a three-person crew plus 11 troops. For end users, that combination translates into an IFV that can self-deploy across theatre distances, sustain protected movement for a full infantry section, and still accept the mass, power, and recoil-management demands of a 30 mm class weapon without hollowing out payload for protection or sensors.

The turret architecture shown in Singapore aligns with ST Engineering’s ADDER Remote Weapon Station family, specifically the unmanned ADDER RWS 30, which is marketed as low-profile, stabilised, and platform-agnostic. In its published configuration, ADDER RWS 30 offers full 360-degree traverse and elevation from minus 20 to plus 60 degrees, with 250 ready rounds for the 30 mm main armament and 500 rounds for a 7.62 mm secondary weapon, at a stated combat weight below 2,000 kg. Beyond the mechanical envelope, its smart functions matter operationally: auto target detection and tracking, target classification, and video tracking are presented as integral features, with optional add-ons including counter-UAS and anti-tank guided missile integration. In practical terms, this is the turret logic armies are now demanding: keep crew under armor, shorten the sensor-to-shooter loop, and reduce cognitive load when threats appear at multiple elevations and in cluttered environments.

Leonardo’s X-Gun is the lethality lever that makes the whole package strategically interesting. Leonardo positions the weapon as ITAR-free and electrically powered, developed in-house using patented technologies, with the explicit design intent of countering asymmetric and aerial threats including drones. The cannon fires the NATO-standard 30x173 mm family, enabling the full spectrum from training rounds to high explosive, armor piercing and modern airburst natures, with burst modes configurable up to around 200 rounds per minute and an effective range figure of 3,500 m cited for the 30 mm installation. Industry reporting has highlighted that the gun’s safety logic is designed to default safe and only de-safe at the moment of firing, with provision for manual firing in a power-loss scenario, a detail that speaks to battlefield robustness rather than brochure aesthetics.

The configuration answers three why-now questions. First is counter-UAS at the maneuver edge: the high-elevation turret envelope combined with programmable airburst options gives mechanized infantry a hard-kill layer against drones that are often too close, too fast, or too numerous for missile-based defenses to handle economically. Second is overmatch against legacy APCs and IFVs: 30x173 mm remains the longer-range 30 mm family widely used for armored vehicle and air-defence applications, supporting both anti-armor and anti-personnel effects at tactically relevant distances. Third is export resilience: ITAR-free is not a slogan in today’s procurement politics but a market enabler, particularly for Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern customers seeking fewer third-party release constraints and more predictable supply continuity.

The partnership logic is equally direct: ST Engineering contributes the vehicle, turret integration, and the broader digital vehicle architecture, while Leonardo brings the cannon, know-how in remote and unmanned turret ecosystems, and a maturing catalogue that already spans land and naval 30 mm solutions. That cross-domain pedigree matters: it increases confidence that the gun is engineered for long duty cycles, remote operation, and the sensor-driven engagements that define modern close-in defence, whether on a fast patrol craft or an 8x8 IFV.

The 2026 Singapore Airshow is being used by ST Engineering as a flagship venue to market integrated, multi-domain capabilities, with the Terrex family and related weapon stations positioned for both national modernization and export attention. Even with ongoing national evaluation programs not yet locked to this specific cannon, the message to prospective buyers is unmistakable: this is a ready-to-integrate, remotely operated 30 mm solution built for the drone age, packaged on a proven 8x8 that is sized for the Indo-Pacific’s geography and the world’s emerging medium-force doctrine.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.