B1 Centauro
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.
| Centauro | |
|---|---|
An Italian Army Centauro during a patrol in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of IFOR during 1996 | |
| Type | Wheeled tank destroyer |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1991–present |
| Used by | See Operators below |
| Wars | United Nations Operation in Somalia II Iraq War UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1986 |
| Manufacturer | Iveco Fiat (hull, propulsion) Oto Melara (weapons, turrets) |
| Unit cost | €1.6 million |
| Produced | 1991–2006 (Centauro) 2021-Present (Centauro II) |
| No. built | 490+ (plus 249 Freccia) |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 24,000 kg (26 short tons) |
| Length | 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 2.94 m (9 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver) |
| Armor | Welded 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 |
| Engine | IVECO, V6 turbo-Diesel 520 hp (382 kW) |
| Power/weight | 19.35 hp/tonne |
| Payload capacity | 350 kg |
| Transmission | Hydropneumatic automatic transmission with 5 forward and 2 reverse gears 8x8 wheels |
| Suspension | independent MacPherson struts |
Operational range | 800 km (500 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 108 km/h (67 mph) |
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.
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