In recent defense news, Italy is said to be in advance negotiations for the procurement of an undisclosed number of Leopard 2A7 or Leopard 2A. 8 tanks, as reported by the Italian Defense Magazine read, Revista Italiana Difessa. The deal is being broken with KNDS, a joint venture between the German firm Krauss-Maffaigmehn and next to systems from France. As per read, the Italian army is set to augment their armoured forces with Leopard 2 main battle tanks, MBTs, and the negotiations are nearing conclusion. The financial magnitude of the acquisition is estimated to be between 4 and 6 billion euros. In an earlier announcement, the Italian Ministry of Defense confirmed plans to purchase at least 125 new tanks to partially replace them, C.1 REET tanks currently in use by the Esacito Italiano. Developments in these procurement plans are progressing swiftly. As mentioned by Read on June 15, the negotiations with KMW for the Leopard 2 tanks, specifically the A7, A8 models, can now be categorised as advancing. Read further noted that this acquisition, though costly, would solidify the strategic alliance between Italy and Germany. However, as the deal is likely to be structured as a government-to-government agreement, some level of compensation from the Italian side is expected. Read suggested that simply producing the tanks under license in Italy might not suffice. Potential alternative considerations could include Italy's procurement of AW, 249 attack helicopters or a preference for the Franco-Italian Samp, T-Air Defence System over the American Patriot System. According to military open source information, currently, the Italian army has a total of C1 REET MBTs. The C1 REET is the primary main battle tank, MBT, deployed by the Italian army. Having been developed by a consortium comprising of Iveco Fiat and Oto Malora, aptly named the CIO, Consortio Iveco Oto Malora. The responsibility of production was split between these two entities Iveco was in charge of producing the chassis and engine, while Oto Malora took on the task of supplying the turret and fire control system. This tank is equipped with state-of-the-art optical and digital imaging technology, along with a sophisticated fire control system that allows for day and night combat, even while the tank is in motion. The development process of the REET began in 1984, and the first prototypes were rolled out just two years later in 1986. In July 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that the Italian mod, Ministry of Defence, announced the Green Light for the Italian Army's upgrade program of its C1 REET MBT, AMV, a Jornamento Metsavita, midlife update, which will apply to 125 tanks. A budget of 848 euros and 80 cents MN has been allocated for 2022. With the announcement of the purchase of the Leopard 2 biotally, it would be a big change for the Italian army to switch from Italian-made tanks to German tanks, but once again this would be a new success for the company German KMW. The Leopard 2A7 V-E-V stands for the Besit, the German term for improved, represents the most recent version of the Leopard 2A7, developed by Krauss-Maffaigmann, KMW, and unveiled for the time during the edition 2016 of Euro-Satry, an international defence exhibition that was held in Paris, France. This modernised version of the Leopard 2A7 is essentially KMW's answer to the upgrade programs projected by the German Armed Forces for their Leopard 2A6 tanks. These upgrade plans have been particularly formulated with an eye towards forthcoming procurement projects. An announcement regarding whether the Leopard 2A7 V will be selected was expected to take place between 2017 and 2018. Compared to the Leopard 2A7 tank, which has been in service with the German army since December 2014, the Leopard 2A7 V features a few significant enhancements. It has a new armoured modular system for the upper front glossy plate of the hull and an upgraded, more potent auxiliary power unit, APU, compared to the one utilised on the A7 model. The Leopard 2A7 V upgrades comprise several key features. The tank now has increased hull-mine protection and a 20kW auxiliary power unit. The vehicle is also equipped with an air conditioning unit, solar-reducing barracuda matting, and a battlefield management system. The tank's optical systems have also been upgraded with a third-generation Attica thermal imaging unit for both the commanders, independent sight and gunner sight, and a Spectre's multi-spectral driver's vision device. The fire control system has been modified to program the DM11 high explosive 120mm round. Additionally, an extra layer of modular armour has been added to the upper glassy.