MUTANT XL Loitering Weapon: Italy’s defence company Leonardo has introduced a new artillery system that aims to bring longer reach and better accuracy to today’s battles. The system is called the RH1-155/52 HITFIRE, and it shows how Italy wants stronger and more modern firepower.
Leonardo built this system to shoot farther and move faster than older guns. The heart of the weapon is a new 155mm gun with a 52-caliber barrel. The turret stays under 13 tonnes, which makes it easier to move across rough ground.
The text you shared explained the main part clearly, saying the weapon “pairs a next-generation 155mm/52-caliber gun with a turret weighing under 13 tonnes (28,660 pounds).” The system can hold 30 shells and the charges needed for each shot. It fires them through a NATO-standard barrel that engineers designed for steady and accurate shots at long ranges.
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Leonardo says the weapon can work well in modern conflict zones because armies need fast reaction, strong firepower and high precision. The company also said soldiers can operate it with more safety thanks to the updated controls and better design.
France MUTANT XL Loitering Weapon
France is also developing new battlefield tech through a team-up between MBDA and Delair. They created a system called MUTANT XL, which mixes drone control with missile force. The text you shared said, “MBDA and Delair’s MUTANT XL combines the latest in missile tech and unmanned systems, merging precision strike capabilities with flexible drone-like control for modern battlefield missions.”
This new weapon lets a human operator control the strike from start to finish. The original text noted that it uses a “man-in-the-loop concept,” which means full control stays with the operator until impact.
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MBDA explained that MUTANT XL continues the ideas from its AKERON missile, giving the new system strong power against tanks and buildings, even when weather gets very bad. The text also mentioned a soldier firing AKERON and showed that Delair brings skills from “specialized defense platforms” and drone work to make MUTANT XL more flexible in the air, reported Nextgen Defence.
The program supports new remote-controlled munitions that can destroy armored targets from up to 50 kilometers away. It also supports work on drone swarms, better guided weapons and long-range strikes for dangerous battle areas.

