South Front
Italian soldiers of the 6th Cavalry Regiment, Aosta Mechanized Brigade observe their sector of fire with a Centauro B1 Tank Destroyer while conducting a simulated assault during Saber Junction 17 at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, May 11, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Zachery Perkins)
Italy has supplied Ukraine with an unknown number of of B1 Centauro wheeled tank destroyers in secret, according to unverified reports.
The reports were based on video footage showing a number of B1 Centauro vehicles moving on a railway in the southern Italian city of Caserta that was used on several occasions before to ship heavy weapons to Ukraine. The footage surfaced online on May 20.
The B1 Centauro was developed in Italy by Iveco Fiat and Oto Melara in the 1980s. Between 1991 and 2006, more than 490 copies of the vehicle were produced. At least 259 were in service with the Italian Armed Forces in 2023.
The tank destroyer is armed with an IVECO V6 turbo-Diesel engine with 520 hp. The 8×8 vehicle is highly maneuverable, with a top speed of 108 kilometers and an operational range of 800 kilometers.
The main armament of the B1 Centauro is the Oto Melara 105 mm/52 caliber gyro-stabilized high-pressure, low-recoil gun equipped with a thermal sleeve and an integrated fume extractor, with 40 rounds: 14 ready rounds in the turret and another 26 rounds in the hull. The gun can fire standard NATO ammunition, including APFSDS [Armour Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot] rounds.
Secondary weapons are a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and another 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun with 4,000 rounds of ammunition.
The B1 Centauro is equipped with the Galileo Avionica TURMS fire control system. the same as fitted to the Italian C1 Ariete main battle tank and is equipped with a muzzle referencing system and a fully digital ballistic computer.
The vehicle features an all-welded steel armored hull, which in the baseline configuration is designed to withstand 14.5 mm bullets and shell fragments with protection against 25 mm munition on the frontal section. The addition of bolt-on appliqué armor increases protection against 30 mm rounds.
The B1 Centauro can be compared to the French AMX-10 RC wheeled tank destroyer, which was supplied earlier this year to Kiev forces.
The Russian military is very familiar with the Centauro. Two variants of the vehicle, one armed with the original 105 mm gun and another with a more powerful 120 mm gun, were tested in Russia in 2012.
Italy has supplied Kiev forces with billions worth of weapons, ammunition and military equipment since the start of Russian special military operation in Ukraine last year. If confirmed, the supply of the B1 Centauro would make up for some of Ukraine’s material losses. However, it wouldn’t change much on the battlefield.
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