- Yes
- No
Description: The B1 Centauro Serie II is an Italian wheeled tank destroyer of the cold war. It’s development started in the early eighties, when the Italian army requested a new mobile platform with great firepower capable of defending the Adriatic coast areas against a Soviet invasion before the tanks could arrive. The Italian consortium CIO that was working on an IFV, to save time and money, proposed one derivative, the Fiat AVH6636, equipped with a French 90 mm cannon and a new turret designed by OTO-Breda. But the Italian army was not satisfied by this initial design and requested that the new vehicle should have mounted a 105 mm cannon, on par with the MBT’s of the time. The turret was later redesigned, but due to its weight, the six-wheeled hull was no longer able to mount it, and so the hull had to be modified too. Two more wheels were added in order to strengthen the hull. In 1984, the first nine prototypes were completed, and immediately, a long test campaign was started to see how the vehicle performed in different environments. The vehicle proved to be very functional and was presented to the Italian army in 1987 alongside the Puma and the C1 Ariete. It was equipped with an Italian-made 105/22 mm gun made by OTO Melara. It entered service in 1989, but due to financial issues, production was delayed until 1992. Overall, the production was pretty fast, and in 2006, 400 units were completed and delivered to the Italian army. It was also exported to various nations, such as Spain, Oman, and Jordan. In the near future, the remaining B1 Centauro Serie II and III in the Italian army will be replaced by the new B2 Centauro. Compared to the Serie II in game, the Romor, the normal Serie II will have the same rounds, better mobility, an additional 7.62 mm machinegun, and some additional side skirts on the side of the vehicle.
Why it should be in game: In game we alredy have a Serie II, the Romor, but a lot of people complain about the romor armour that penalizes the mobility of the veichle. With the standard Serie II, it would be possible to chose between the romor armour and better mobility.
Specifications
Riepilogo
Sources
Riepilogo
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/modern/italy/b1_centauro.php
Blindo Armata Centauro - Esercito Italiano
CENTAURO I
Pictures