Leonardo develops the Hystrix family of ZAKs

Design concept of the Hystrix 40 ADS

Italian company Leonardo SpA is developing a new family of anti-aircraft systems designed to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. aviation or other specific threats. The Hystrix line will include several self-propelled and towed systems with guns of various calibers. The first prototypes are expected to be available in the coming months. They will demonstrate the overall potential of the new equipment and attract the attention of potential customers.

New projects

On February 2, 2026, Leonardo announced its new air defense project for the first time. It reported that work is currently underway on two anti-aircraft systems under the common name Hystrix (Latin for "porcupine"). Furthermore, the possibility of developing another similar system is being considered. The technical design of the future systems, their main features, and specifications were revealed.

The goal of the Hystrix project is to create new mobile artillery systems DefenseThey will be tasked with intercepting UAVs and other complex aerial targets in close range. It is proposed that these artillery systems complement other air defense systems and strengthen the overall defense.

The new line of ZAK projects are being developed on an existing base. The "Porcupines" are based on ship-based artillery Installations previously developed at Leonardo. Shipborne weapons are being converted into land-based air defense systems by mounting them on appropriate platforms and incorporating some new components.

Two promising products are currently being developed within the Hystrix project. The first is the Hystrix 40 ADS self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery system with a 40mm gun. The second project, designated Hystrix 76 ADS, envisions the creation of a towed system with a larger-caliber gun.

The development of the Hystrix 76 Light was also announced. This will be a lightweight 76mm system in the form of a combat module compatible with self-propelled platforms. Leonardo has mentioned the possibility of creating such a system, but is not yet ready to reveal even a rough outline.

Plans for the future

The projects for the new family are currently in the development stage. However, Leonardo plans to manufacture and submit prototypes for testing in the near future. Prototypes of two self-propelled anti-aircraft guns are expected to be ready by the end of 2026. After that, some time will be spent on the necessary testing. The timeline for the "light" project is also uncertain.

Marlin 40 combat module

The Hystrix line of systems is being developed primarily for the Italian Armed Forces. The Italian Army is currently developing plans for a major modernization of its air defense forces and assets. Plans call for the development and procurement of various types of new equipment. Furthermore, the Michelangelo Dome integrated command and control system, which will integrate all detection and fire control systems, will be developed and implemented.

The modernization will result in the creation of a fully-fledged, layered air defense system with different zones of responsibility and interception lines. Leonardo proposes that short-range defense will be assigned to the advanced Porcupine series systems. However, the possibility of retaining existing systems while simultaneously supplementing them with modern technology is not ruled out.

Leonardo expects the two Hystrix CIWS variants presented will ultimately attract interest from the Italian Army and be adopted. Furthermore, delivery to foreign customers is not ruled out. For this purpose, the new project will likely be showcased at international exhibitions in the near future.

In a smaller caliber

The Hystrix 40 ADS project is developing a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SAD) armed with a 40mm cannon. This model will be capable of sustained combat duty and quickly change firing positions. A successful combination of armament and ammunition is expected to achieve superior combat performance.

The self-propelled "Dikobraz" will be built on one of the available four-axle truck chassis. The base vehicle will feature a platform with a ring for mounting a turret-type combat module. Jacks for leveling during deployment are also included. The cabin will likely house operator and commander consoles.

The Hystrix 40 ADS turret system utilizes the Marlin 40 naval mount, modified to meet new requirements. This medium-sized turret accommodates all necessary equipment. No space below the turret ring is required. The turret design provides 360-degree traverse and elevation angles from -20° to +85°. The turret weighs 2,1 tons without ammunition.

The turret is equipped with a 40mm automatic cannon based on the well-known Bofors design. Its rate of fire reaches 300 rounds per minute. The cannon can fire a wide range of single-piece rounds. Ammunition capacity consists of 72 rounds. The development of programmable detonation ammunition has been reported. The effective firing range, depending on the ammunition, reaches 4-5 km.

The Porcupine-40 is designed to monitor the air situation and acquire targets using Leonardo's Janus D 24-hour optical-electronic station. The system's video camera will be able to detect small and medium-sized UAVs from a distance of up to 15-20 km. Tracking will be possible from 4-4,5 km. For the thermal imager, these ranges will be 15 and 3,5 km, respectively. A fire control system is being developed with the ability to calculate firing data, issue commands to programmable fuses, etc.

The hard option

The Hystrix 76 ADS system will have a different design. Due to the use of a larger combat module, it is proposed to be built on a two-axle semitrailer. This chassis will accommodate all the main components. In terms of transportability and deployment, the 76mm CIWS will be similar to a smaller-caliber system, albeit with some caveats.

The front of the flatbed semi-trailer is designed to accommodate a 10-foot container containing control instruments, communications equipment, and other components. A Leonardo 76/62 SovraPonte naval gun mount will be mounted on the flatbed semi-trailer. The semi-trailer will also be equipped with folding jacks for positioning.

The 76/62 product is a full-size turret with a gun mount, ammunition supply system, and other components. All components are housed within the turret, eliminating the need for below-deck spaces. This type of turret has an unladen weight of 7 tons. The ammunition complement adds another 900 kg.

The turret is equipped with a 76mm cannon with an automatic loader that fires single-piece rounds. The rate of fire reaches 120 rounds per minute. Ammunition consists of 72 rounds in two quick-change magazines. Depending on the ammunition used, the firing range reaches 16-20 km. It provides 360-degree traverse and elevation from -5° to +85°.

Leonardo and its affiliates are currently developing new ammunition for the entire 76mm gun family. These include projectiles with programmable fuses, infrared and semi-active homing heads, and more. These products are planned to enter testing and production in the coming years.

The Hystrix 76 ADS will feature control systems similar to those used in the 40mm CIWS. The standard electronic system will be used for target acquisition and guidance. Target acquisition from third-party systems is also possible. A notable feature of this system is its remote control station—the combat crew will not work directly on the semitrailer.

[Center][
Hystrix 76 ADS Complex/ center]
The Hystrix 76 Light system will be developed based on the Hystrix 76 ADS. It will be based on a smaller, lighter turret that can be mounted on self-propelled chassis. However, this will come with some sacrifices. For example, the ammunition capacity will be reduced to 40 rounds, and the rate of fire will drop to 100 rounds per minute.

Anti-aircraft prospects

Thus, Leonardo has once again turned its attention to the problem of unmanned aircraft and is developing a new solution. This time, it involves the creation of several new types of anti-aircraft artillery systems designed for integration into layered air defense systems.

The announced air defense systems look quite interesting at the moment. Leonardo has proposed an intriguing approach to creating new land-based air defense systems with reduced costs and maximum effectiveness. It uses existing turrets but equips them with new control systems and ammunition.

In the coming months, the developer will build two prototype air defense systems and test them at a firing range. Test firings will demonstrate the new systems' ability to combat complex aerial targets such as UAVs. If successful, the two "Porcupine" systems could enter production and enter service.

Comments

[acetophenone]

Only if they master programmable detonation and the projectile will be cheaper than a UAV...
Otherwise it will not work.

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

For programmable detonation, you need at least 57 or 76 mm. 40 mm might be a bit weak against larger drones.

[Hitriy Zhuk]

The beauty of 57 is that it's not only against drones, but also against airplanes/helicopters, and you can be quite confident about it.

[don_Reba]

Quote: acetophenon

Only if they master programmable detonation and the projectile will be cheaper than a UAV...

They even have 30x173 mm standard for the 30mm Lionfish 30 •
Air Burst Munition:
Mk310 Programmable Air Burst Munition (PABM)
Rheinmetall (PMC308/KETF) based on AHEAD
Northrop Grumman (Mk310 PABM-T)
All used in the Mk44 Bushmaster.
Coming soon:
General Dynamics-OTS XM1170
Nammo
KNDS Ammo Italy (based on
SAPHEI-T, HEI-T)
There's no need to be sad about the 40 and the old 76 mm Otto.
Price for this wholesale: kopecks/price

[Foggy Dew]

It was pretty clear from the start that they'd go back to small anti-aircraft guns. But it's unclear where they're going to put the 76mm. Shoot them down at 10 km?! Who? The 40mm works fine up to 7 km—drones won't fly any higher. And those flying at 10-15 km would be better off being shot down with missiles—those are strategists.
PC: I remember there was a howl when the militias were installing naval artillery on the MTLY, yeah))) And now it's like it's not a collective farm, but "new trends"... Now they'll definitely start howling that this is "new generation beer")))

[bulatmuhamadeev]

And now it's not like a collective farm, but "new trends"

So it was and still is a collective farm. A 2M-3 with a "Convex Naval Eye" guidance system, firing dummy projectiles older than personnel, and a ZAK with a "Janus D all-day optical-electronic station," firing "projectiles with programmable detonation, infrared and semi-active homing heads, etc." are very different things.

[Foggy Dew]

Hmm? You were talking about optical guidance, right? I strongly suspect that for a ship's mount, "eyeball" guidance is rarely used; they'd rather aim from the center and detect everything in advance... But here, the Indian Zorkiy Glaz will be peering through low clouds at night, in the fog, at Geran. And cheap dummy missiles, like those of the U-2, which includes both Geran and Bayraktar missiles, are perfectly affordable and effective—they were shot down in WWII. And firing programmable missiles, which are an order of magnitude more expensive, would produce practically the same effect—it would be, as always, who knows what's more expensive: shooting them down or letting them explode.
This is just a collective farm, in galoshes from Gucci

[bulatmuhamadeev]

I strongly suspect that for a ship's installation, "eyeball" guidance is a rarely used option; most likely, they'll aim from the center and detect everything in advance...

Keep suspecting. The 2M-3 is a boat-based mount developed in the late 1940s; it has no centralized guidance system, much less one on the MTLB gun truck.

And here the Indian Sharp Eye will be at night and in the fog, looking out through the low clouds, Geranium

If you're talking about the gunner on the gun truck, yes, God willing, he'll get a night vision goggle from the volunteers. And the OLS has optics with a good zoom, a laser rangefinder, and, most importantly, a thermal imager.

shoot down or let it explode.

I think when it comes to protecting oil refineries or high-voltage substations, the "let it explode" option is not an option.

[Foggy Dew]

Why is collective farming harmful? For example, because the sea-going nature of weapons requires their unconditional adaptation to aggressive environments. And now we'll slap an expensive rig on a 1.5-ton truck! Hammering nails with a microscope!
Let's move on. So the installation is ancient, and they even shoehorned in a programmer for it? And yet, they didn't slap on a radio sight, which was installed as part of a modernization program even in China or the Comecon, on the ZU-23. What a kolkhoz!
The fact that the option wasn't included means they didn't think of it, and that's it—it's a collective farm. They should have foreseen that the ZU-23 is simply cheaper, even with a radio sight, and there simply won't be enough of those due to the price. Kolkhoz-3.
However, you also understood this, because you are comparing it with a field modification made by irregular formations - and in terms of price/quality ratio this product does not win, due at least to cheaper shells)))

[bk0010]

Quote: Foggy Dew

But I don't understand where they're even going to put the 76mm. Are they supposed to knock it down at 10 km?

The Germans used 10000 88mm shells or 3000 128mm shells per bomber shot down. If they made the shells with programmable fuses (which are expensive) rather than radio-controlled ones, the cost would be significantly higher.

[Foggy Dew]

Ninay... If we're talking about the B-17, then the Panama hat is obvious: it's high, has four engines, and a hefty shed. But here our goal is to shoot down cheap bombers as cheaply as possible. A projectile with a programmable fuse is not several times more expensive, but orders of magnitude more expensive, and so are the guns. We need to look at the price, but I strongly suspect there simply won't be enough production capacity to equip each target with even one gun. And then—what if it turns out that it's even more expensive than shooting down missiles? Surely there's a reason no one has adopted them yet?
This will result in a weapon that is unfit for war, because it is too expensive, and also too small - it is not an air defense, but a hole.
The "golden bullet" concept already crippled the Third Reich—while one Tiger rolls off the assembly line, five T-34s are produced. Or while the Japanese are sinking two Liberty tanks, ten are rolling off the assembly line. So, such a miracle is no good.

[Amateur]

Hey, where's the Russian Shilka-M with its brand-new phased-array radar, optronic station, and laser rangefinder for countering drones? Or is it too simple and cheap for today's "effective managers" from the military-industrial complex?

[Kravets Vyacheslav]

"Shilka-M" with a brand new phased radar

Is.

Russian

There is no Russian one at the moment.

[dragon772]

The entire ammo bank will be gone in 2,4 minutes. Do you really need 76mm against drones? 40mm is enough. Essentially, this is a new revival of small anti-aircraft missiles, only this time not against airplanes and helicopters, but against UAVs.

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

When would 40mm be enough? For a direct hit, yes, it would be quite sufficient, but for remote detonation, it's weak, not enough.

[Zaurbek]

The Germans used the 37mm quite well...

[dragon772]

Why? With a self-destruct device, the resulting cloud of shrapnel will destroy the hull of any FPV drone.

[don_Reba]

Quote: dragon772

Do you need 76mm against drones?

BK 76 or 78 in the turret.
He won't just say: 1 target - 1 ammo. Well, maybe 2-3.

The Hystrix 76 ADS air defense system will be capable of effectively engaging small UAVs at ranges of up to 3 km, subsonic missiles and combat aircraft at ranges of up to 4 km, supersonic missiles at ranges of up to 2 km, and helicopters and large UAVs at ranges of up to 7,5 km. The system will be primarily equipped with 76-mm HE-MOMA1 (MOM - Multirole OTO Munition) high-explosive fragmentation rounds with new 4AP multifunctional fuses, which are programmable for range and equipped with proximity sensors that detonate 2-3 meters from the small UAV.
...
Development is underway of the Vulcano 76 GL IR and Vulcano 76 GLR SAL guided long-range missiles, with infrared and semi-active laser guidance systems, respectively.

[dragon772]

BK 76 or 78 in the turret.
He won't just say: 1 target - 1 ammo. Well, maybe 2-3.

I'm talking about something else. I'll explain using the Tundra as an example. The Italian branch has the OTO Main Anti-aircraft Tank for Intercept and Combat (abbreviated OTOMATIC) - an Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. It has radar and OLS.
The 76/62 OF-RV MOM is a high-explosive fragmentation round with a radio-controlled fuse. It works well against UAVs, helicopters, and attack aircraft. Its unique feature is that it can disable the radar and operate through the radar without irradiating the target (helicopter or aircraft), making it extremely dangerous. Against UAVs, its projectile is overkill compared to firing a cannon at sparrows. A 40mm projectile is sufficient to destroy UAVs.

[don_Reba]

I just quoted the targets and distances, so to speak, from the pen of the developer/manufacturer and the magazine: there are missiles and helicopters there.

[Inj Meh]

Quote: dragon772

The entire ammo bank will be gone in 2,4 minutes. Do you really need 76mm against drones? 40mm is enough. Essentially, this is a new revival of small anti-aircraft missiles, only this time not against airplanes and helicopters, but against UAVs.

Drones are already and will continue to progress in size, speed, altitude, and the number of drones used simultaneously in swarms, flocks, etc. (by the way, it will be interesting to see how cluster and thermobaric warheads work in swarms of varying density).

T. E.
We need all kinds of ZARs
All kinds of ZARKs are important

[dragon772]

Drones are already and will continue to progress in size, speed, altitude, and the number of drones used simultaneously in swarms, flocks, etc. (by the way, it will be interesting to see how cluster and thermobaric warheads work in swarms of varying density).

If there are swarms of FPV drones, then yes, they will need a rate of fire, range, and the creation of a large cloud of fragments to destroy the swarm.

[Inj Meh]

Quote: dragon772

Drones are already and will continue to progress in size, speed, altitude, and the number of drones used simultaneously in swarms, flocks, etc. (by the way, it will be interesting to see how cluster and thermobaric warheads work in swarms of varying density).

If there are swarms of FPV drones, then yes, they will need a rate of fire, range, and the creation of a large cloud of fragments to destroy the swarm.

Well, look, 76mm will come in handy, and more, and 500 thermobars.

[Hitriy Zhuk]

It looks like a ship's contraption that was hoisted onto a tractor and sold.

[the same doctor]

Wheeled self-propelled guns are a thing of the past. The same metal could be used to make 3 to 9 towed guns. Install servomotors everywhere possible, make a 10-round magazine for unmanned firing, automate positioning and aiming... You can't stay in position for more than a couple of minutes these days anyway...

[Zaurbek]

This is today...for defense of rear facilities from drones

[the same doctor]

I'd write to you, but I don't want to give the enemy any ideas. This particular project is completely unsuitable for defending Russian rear-area facilities from drones. Can you figure out why?

[Inj Meh]

Quote: also a doctor

Wheeled self-propelled guns are a thing of the past. The same metal could be used to make 3 to 9 towed guns. Install servomotors everywhere possible, make a 10-round magazine for unmanned firing, automate positioning and aiming... You can't stay in position for more than a couple of minutes these days anyway...

I have written about the same thing here many times.

This is apparently not rich.
Rynocheg decided

[Zaurbek]

It's strange that our people don't make similar artillery installations.

[Maxim Davydov]

Quote: Zaurbek

It's strange that our people don't make similar artillery installations.

At a minimum, I recall the Sosna anti-aircraft gun on a trailer, without missiles—a direct analogue of the one in the article; the Derivatsiya-PVO, and some 23mm Gepard-like system on an APC chassis. However, things didn't go much further than pictures and exhibitions; as you rightly noted, nothing of the sort was produced. That is, after the ZU-23 and Shilka, we didn't produce the MCA. This is likely due to the lack of munitions with brains, inexpensive OLS, and radar.

[Zaurbek]

23mm and 30mm don't need such complex ammunition. They recently showed something decent mounted on a trailer with 4 PKMs...

[Maxim Davydov]

It (the Zubr with four PK) is somehow unbalanced. IMHO, an acceptable hit probability would be at unacceptably short ranges. As the range increases, increasing the number of bullets in a salvo requires either a non-land-based, rare, and expensive GShG, or not four PKs, but many times more... Or something larger-caliber with a remote detonator.

[Inj Meh]

Quote: Zaurbek

It's strange that our people don't make similar artillery installations.

It seems like they recently published a towed machine gun mount with a 270-degree sector.

[oberstz]

Another attempt to mount a naval gun mount on a ground chassis... There are more problems than solutions. The main advantage of naval gun mounts is the shared fire control system for the group, and the high intensity of fire simply can't be scaled up on the ground.