(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 19 mar - The German defence company Rheinmetall said its Italian subsidiary RWM Italia and Agenzia Industria Difesa (AID), a company belonging to the Italian defence ministry, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to upgrade and extend the service life of the "several hundred of thousands" of anti-tank mines MATS already in the inventory of the Italian Army.

Rheinmetall said that the MoU, which was announced today, was signed on February 25.

According to the MoU terms, AID and RWM Italia will jointly develop and test the MATS MK2, which will be an evolution of the current design "to meet higher safety standards and increase combat effectiveness." RWM Italia be the design authority for the new MATS MK2. The upgrade of the MATS in stock will take place at RWM Italia and AID "following a lean and cost-effective process flow." Work is scheduled to begin within the next 12 months and will.

provide new jobs at both RWM Italia and AID.

(RADIOCOR) 19-03-26 13:55:47 (0415) 5 NNNN