German armored vehicle specialist Rheinmetall has unveiled a new addition to its family of Lynx combat vehicles with an anti-tank and fire support variant.
The mechanized fire support variant of the Lynx KF41 IFV, dubbed the Lynx 120, merges a scalable large-caliber turret concept and the 120mm smoothbore cannon with the Lynx KF 41 chassis.
Rheinmetall says the vehicle benefits from a reduced weight, simplified architecture and an open ‘plug-and-play’ capability for future upgrades.
The vehicle’s main armament is a Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore gun, derived from the main armament of the Leopard 2. It can fire DM11 programmable high-explosive (HE) projectiles. Secondary armament includes a coaxial machine gun, while the commander’s independent weapon station will feature an additional .50 cal. machine gun.
A 360° camera system with automatic target detection and tracking reduces the crew’s workload in all operational scenarios.
In addition to protection modules, Rheinmetall notes the Lynx 120 can be equipped with the already fielded Rheinmetall Active Defence System, or ADS, to defeat rocket-propelled grenades and antitank missiles.
The unveiling of the fire support variant follows the introduction of a combat support vehicle (CSV) variant of the Lynx by Rheinmetall Defence Australia.
Various nations have expressed interested in acquiring the Lynx and the platform is currently a contender in Australian and Slovak IFV modernization plans and is competing for the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program. Hungary became the launch customer in 2021.
The Lynx was also one of three contenders in the Czech IFV modernization program, which was halted in late 2021 after the country’s defense ministry said none of the bidders met all tender requirements.
