B1 Centauro

Centauro
An Italian Army Centauro during a patrol in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of IFOR during 1996
TypeWheeled tank destroyer
Place of originItaly
Service history
In service1991–present
Used bySee Operators below
WarsUnited Nations Operation in Somalia II
Implementation Force
Kosovo Force
Iraq War
UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon)
Production history
Designed1986
ManufacturerIveco Fiat (hull, propulsion)
Oto Melara (weapons, turrets)
Unit cost1.6 million [citation needed]
Produced1991–2006 (Centauro)
2021–present (Centauro II)
No. built490+[1] (plus 249 Freccia)[2]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass24 t (24 long tons; 26 short tons)
Length7.85 m (25 ft 9 in)
Width2.94 m (9 ft 8 in)
Height2.73 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver)

ArmorWelded steel armoured hull
Main
armament
Oto Melara 105 mm/52 rifled gun (Centauro)
Oto Melara 120mm /45 smoothbore gun (Centauro II)
Secondary
armament
2×7.62 mm MGs
EngineIVECO, V6 turbo-Diesel
520 hp (382 kW)
Power/weight19.35 hp/tonne
Payload capacity350 kg (770 lb)
TransmissionHydropneumatic automatic transmission with 5 forward and 2 reverse gears
8x8 wheels
Suspensionindependent MacPherson struts
Operational
range
800 km (500 mi)
Maximum speed 108 km/h (67 mph)

The Centauro is a family of Italian military vehicles originating from a wheeled tank destroyer for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance. It was developed by a consortium of manufacturers, the Società Consortile Iveco Fiat - OTO Melara (CIO). Iveco Fiat was tasked with developing the hull and propulsion systems while Oto Melara was responsible for developing the turrets and weapon systems.[3]

Over the years, the Centauro platform has been developed into multiple variants to fulfill other combat roles, such as infantry fighting vehicle or self-propelled howitzer.

  1. ^ Kowak (16 October 2015). "Centauro e Varianti". Militarypedia (in Italian). Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. ^ "VBM Freccia Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Italy". Army-Technology.com. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ "CENTAURO I". www.iveco-otomelara.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.