Italy Unveils VBM 155, a 10×10 Automated Howitzer Built for the Drone Era

Italy has unveiled the VBM 155 at Eurosatory 2026, presenting a new wheeled self-propelled howitzer concept built around long-range firepower, high automation and rapid battlefield mobility. Developed by CIO, the 50/50 land systems consortium formed by Iveco Defence Vehicles and Leonardo, the system combines a new 10×10 armored chassis with Leonardo’s automated HITFIRE 155 turret. The platform is aimed primarily at the export market, but its emergence also comes as Italy continues to shape its own future artillery requirements.

The VBM 155 reflects a clear lesson from the war in Ukraine: artillery remains indispensable, but traditional gun systems are increasingly vulnerable once they fire. Counter-battery radars, drones, loitering munitions and precision-guided weapons can now identify and attack artillery positions within minutes. As a result, modern artillery systems must not only fire farther and faster, but also deploy quickly, operate with fewer exposed personnel and leave the firing position before an enemy can respond.

At the heart of the system is the HITFIRE 155 turret, an unmanned artillery module built around a 155 mm/52-caliber gun. Leonardo first revealed a technology demonstrator for the automated turret in late 2025, but the version shown at Eurosatory is much closer to a production-representative design. The turret includes a magazine for 30 projectiles, storage for 30 full propellant charges comprising roughly 180 modular charge elements, and an automated primer-loading mechanism. The design is intended to reduce crew workload while maintaining sustained firing capability.

The VBM 155 is designed around a two-person crew: a driver and a commander/gunner seated inside a protected armored cell on the left side of the vehicle. The crew does not need to operate inside the turret, which is fully automated. That approach reduces the number of soldiers exposed during firing missions and allows artillery formations to field more guns with fewer personnel. However, it also creates a practical limitation during long-duration operations, as a two-person crew has little opportunity for rest unless a relief system is available.

The chassis is one of the system’s most distinctive features. Rather than using an existing 8×8 vehicle, CIO has developed a 10×10 configuration based on the emerging VBM NG family. The additional axle is intended to improve mobility on soft terrain by reducing ground pressure, while also providing more payload capacity for the large turret, ammunition and future growth. The vehicle uses a 720 hp Iveco 6V TCA diesel engine coupled to a ZF transmission, with a gross vehicle weight expected to reach around 37 tonnes in artillery configuration.

Despite its size, the VBM 155 is designed for high road mobility. CIO states that the system should be capable of exceeding 100 km/h on paved roads, while the low mounting position of the turret helps preserve stability and keep the vehicle within rail transport limits. The chassis uses steering on the first two axles and the final axle, helping limit the turning radius despite the five-axle layout. The 10×10 architecture also leaves room for additional mission equipment, with around three tonnes of growth potential available for future systems.

The platform’s most important operational promise is speed. CIO says the VBM 155 may be able to fire its first round just 10 seconds after coming to a stop and leave the firing position another 10 seconds later. The company also states that the system should be able to fire without deploying stabilizing spades, an important feature for artillery units operating under drone surveillance and counter-battery pressure. With a maximum rate of fire of up to 10 rounds per minute, the vehicle could potentially conduct a rapid fire mission and relocate before enemy sensors can build an accurate targeting picture.

Range will depend heavily on the ammunition selected. Standard 155 mm ammunition can typically provide engagement ranges around 40 km, while advanced extended-range and precision-guided projectiles are expected to push the VBM 155 toward the 70 km mark. The system is expected to be compatible with Leonardo’s Vulcano family of guided artillery munitions, which are designed to provide longer reach and greater precision against high-value targets such as command posts, air-defense systems, logistics hubs and artillery positions.

The VBM 155 is also being designed for a battlefield where artillery must defend itself. CIO is proposing a remotely controlled weapon station armed with Leonardo’s 30×113 mm Blaze cannon, marketed as the HITROLE C-UAS. This would provide a potential counter-drone capability against low-flying threats, while the vehicle’s digital architecture is expected to support inertial navigation, VHF, UHF and SATCOM communications, as well as integration with customer battle-management systems. The concept is therefore not simply a gun on a truck, but a networked artillery system intended to operate inside a wider sensor-to-shooter chain.

The system remains early in development. Leonardo and IDV are producing the turret and chassis prototypes separately, with integration planned for early in the fourth quarter of 2026. Initial firing trials could begin before the end of the year, but those tests will likely mark the beginning rather than the end of development. Field data will determine the final configuration, including protection levels, automation functions, firing performance and the possible addition of future capabilities such as shoot-on-the-move operations.

If the VBM 155 reaches production, it will enter a crowded European artillery market that already includes systems such as Germany’s RCH 155, France’s CAESAR, Sweden’s Archer, Slovakia’s EVA and multiple tracked artillery platforms. Its potential advantage lies in the combination of a fully automated turret, two-person crew, 10×10 mobility, long-range ammunition compatibility and rapid shoot-and-scoot performance. Italy is betting that future artillery buyers will want fewer exposed soldiers, more ready-to-fire ammunition and a platform capable of surviving a battlefield dominated by drones, sensors and precision strike.