Eurosatory: New Centauro II rides in

16th June 2016 - 8:00 by Ian Kemp in Paris

The new Centauro II 8x8 mobile gun system (MGS), armed with a 120 mm main gun, was unveiled by CIO (the Iveco–Oto Melara Consortium) at Eurosatory 2016.

The plans to buy 136 Cenauro IIs to equip nine armoured cavalry units and CIO is expecting a contract in the near future which would enable the army to begin fielding the vehicle in early 2019.

The consortium plans to formally introduce the Centauro II at a ceremony in Rome in October which could provide the MoD with an opportunity to announce a contract. Qualification trials of the Centauro II's turret are also expected to begin in October.

The new vehicle builds on the success of the 105mm-armed B1 Centauro MGS developed in the 1980s for the Italian Army. CIO built 400 Centauros for , 84 for the Spanish Army, and nine vehicles, armed with a 120 gun, for Oman.

According to CIO the Centauro II ‘represents a logical evolution, being armed with a third generation 120/45mm gun, with integrated muzzle brake and semi-automatic loading system. The weapon system provides a fire power equivalent to that of most modern main battle tanks, and is capable of firing all latest generation 120mm NATO APFSDS (armour‐piercing, fin‐stabilized, discarding sabot) and multi-role munitions’.

The turret is also equipped with a coaxial 7.62x51mm medium and a Hitrole Light remote weapon station, which can be armed with a 7.62mm machine gun, a .50cal heavy machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, can be mounted on the turret roof. Customers can choose to replace the 120mm/45cal low recoil force (LRF) gun with a 105mm/52cal LRF gun. Unlike the first generation Centauro which had to stop to fire its main gun, the Centauro II has a fire-on-the-move capability.

The new vehicle features an improved monocoque ballistic steel hull design, and additional armour can be fitted to both the hull and turret. The Centauro II is operated by a crew of four: a driver seated in the hull, and commander, gunner and loader seated in the turret.

With a gross vehicle weight of 30t, the Centauro II is powered by an Iveco Vector 8V Euro III 720hp engine, coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, which gives a top road speed of more than 105km/h while it can achieve a range of more than 800km at a more economical speed of 75km/h.

Source: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/eurosatory-new-centauro-ii-rides/