Leonardo’s Spain branch is offering the 30mm HITFIST ‘manned’ turrets in response to a Spanish Army tender for the 8×8 VCR (Vehículo de Combate de Ruedas) Dragón program.
The tender is for the supply of 58 turrets for the new 8×8 wheeled combat vehicles (VCR) that are being built by General Dynamics European Land Systems-Santa Bárbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS) joint venture under a contract from August this year.
The HITFIST 30mm turret that Leonardo is offering has already been integrated onto different platforms, Piranha III, FRECCIA and 8×8 Patria vehicles. The turret can support cannons up to 40mm in caliber and has a crew of two specialists.
“The 8×8 program Dragón VCR of the Spanish Army, in which we participate with our HITFIST 30mm manned turret, is very important to us. We are an entirely Spanish company and all production would be carried out in our Valencia plant, guaranteeing technological localisation, immediate logistic support and the development of the Spanish supply chain,” Raúl Ruiz Campos, Factory Director of Leonardo Hispania, commented.
“Our turret is the only manned system that has already proven its combat experience, so we are able to provide a reliable solution for the Army with guaranteed performance and durability.”
Spain is procuring the Dragón VCR to replace the Pegaso 3560 BMR armored personnel carriers and Pegaso VEC-M1 reconnaissance vehicles that have been in service since the 1970s and 1980s, respectively.
The army currently has 348 vehicles on order, but the program is expected to grow to a total of approximately 1,000 vehicles.
