Leonardo has signed contracts with Italy and the UK to supply their forces with its Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing System (LINAPS).
The company will deliver a total of 39 LINAPS systems for Italy’s FH70 towed howitzers, boosting their precision fire capabilities.
Meanwhile, the support contract for the UK Ministry of Defence will ensure the readiness of the artillery pointing system for the army’s L118 light guns.
The deal will run through 2030, when the light guns are expected to be taken out of service.
Leonardo lists the system’s ability to ensure pinpoint firing accuracy as a prime reason for the contracts.
The LINAPS System
Leonardo’s artillery pointing system is a self-contained gun-mounted navigation feature capable of calculating accurate direct fire, even on mortar weapons.
It can be used under all weather conditions, day and night, and can operate during helicopter lifts. It also uses a power source that allows it to run continuously for 115 hours.
LINAPS has been tested in battle, seeing deployment in Iraq as an integrated feature on the British Army’s L118 light guns, as well as in Afghanistan on Canada’s M777 howitzers.
Its operators include the armed forces of Canada, New Zealand, and Thailand.
