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Land Systems / Battlefield

CIO Centauro II


8x8 Wheeled Tank Destroyer [ 2022 ]



The all-modern Centauro II succeeds the original 1990s Italian Centauro 8x8 wheeled tank-killing vehicle.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/28/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The 30-ton CIO Centauro II is an all-modern evolution of the earlier Italian Centauri 8x8 light-armored military vehicle introduced in 1991. While the original was designed and developed against the backdrop of a Cold War with the Soviet Union, the Centauro II looks to counter threats found on the modern battlefield including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), armor-defeating solutions, and kinetic weapons. The complete system features the killing power of a tank with the go-anywhere, do-anything capabilities of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

As in the original, the new vehicle has a shallow glacis plate and angled surfaces for basic ballistics protection. The turret sets over the middle-rear of the vehicle for proper balance of the system which results in the engine being situated at front-right in the hull. The driver's position is at front-left with a commander and gunner situated in the powered, 360-degree, fully-enclosed traversing turret. The turret sports noticeable overhang at the rear and fits a stabilized, digitally-assisted 105/52mm or 120/45mm tank-killing gun at its front. The gun has an integrated low-recoil system, fume extractor, and perforated brake while being fed by an all-modern automatic loader (with manual backup) and managed through a digital Fire Control System (FCS). Each side of the turret holds two banks of four (eight total) 81mm electrically-discharged smoke grenades to help screen the movement of the vehicle in contested areas. A 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun is optionally mounted at the commander's cupola as an anti-aircraft / anti-infantry measure while the gunner can be given a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) of his own. A "HITROLE" Mod.L Remote Weapon Station (RWS) light turret can also take the place of the commander's fitting and 40mm Automatic Grenade Launchers (remotely-fire) are also supported at this position. The turret features its own laser-range finder, Electro-Optical (EO), night-vision equipment and panoramic sighting device (for the commander). Vision blocks are present at each access hatch (numbering three - one at the hull, two at the turret). A 7.62mm co-axial machine gun is fitted alongside the main gun armament.

The turret has access to twelve ready-to-fire rounds while the coaxial machine gun is given 750 rounds of ammunition. Up to 1,000 rounds of 7.62mm can be carried with 400 rounds of 12.7mm and 96 projectiles of 40mm grenades. Sixteen smoke grenades are carried in all.

Vehicle dimensions include an overall length of 8.26 meters (with 120mm barrel overhang), a width of 3.38 meters, and a height to turret top of 3.65 meters. There are four total seats within the vehicle.

Roadwheels are large and consist of a standard 8x8 arrangement with four wheels to a hull side. Wheels are of the run-flat variety. The front two and forth axles are steerable while the complete arrangement is fully-suspended (hydro-pneumatic, independent) and sports a Digital Tire Pressure Control (CTIS) system for real-time changes depending on terrain type. Power is from an IVECO Vector 8V EURO III diesel-fueled engine of 720 horsepower at 2,500rpm. This is mated to an automatic transmission system for near hands-free control. The transmission offers seven forward and a single reverse gear.

All told, this drives the vehicle to road speeds of 105 kmh out to a range of 800 kilometers. The vehicle can traverse gradients of 60%, slide slopes of 30%, and trenches of 2 meters. With an inherent amphibious ability, the truck can ford depths of 1.5 meters.

A Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) suite is standard as is a fire suppression system. Survivability is further enhanced by add-on ballistics protection externally, anti-mine seating for the occupants internally, and a low-profile overall design. An all-modern digital suite provides networking to other battlefield components for seamless integration to the battlefield. Missile-tracking threats are registered by a laser warning system and fuel tanks are anti-explosive when hit.

106 Centauro II vehicles are slated for the Italian Army.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



CIO / IVECO FIAT / OTO-Melara - Italy
Manufacturer(s)
Italy
Operators National flag of Italy
2022
Service Year
Italy
National Origin
Active, Limited
Project Status
3
Crew
10
Units


AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.
ANTI-TANK / ANTI-ARMOR
Base model or variant can be used to track, engage, and defeat armored enemy elements at range.
INFANTRY SUPPORT
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.
TANK-VS-TANK
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.
RECONNAISSANCE
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.


ALL-WHEEL
Wheeled arrangement gives this system an inherent road-running capability, enhancing mobility particularly on paved roads.
PRIMARY TURRET
A modern tank quality, this vehicle sports its main armament in a single turret, typically traversable with an elevation capability in-built.
REMOTE WEAPON STATION (RWS)
Vehicle supports a remote-operated weapons station, reducing crew exposure to outside dangers.
TRAVERSABLE MAIN ARMAMENT
Armament is situated in a traversing component, allowing for all-around engagement of enemy threats regardless of the vehicle's facing.
RECOIL ENHANCEMENT
Main weapon has an integral recoil mechanism, allowing the system to remain trained-on-target after firing.
ON-THE-MOVE FIRING
A modern quality, onboard systems provide accuracy to primary armament allowing for firing on-the-move.
AMPHIBIOUS
System can enter and traverse open water sources - either rivers, lakes, and streams; Amphibious Assault operation support.
CROSS-COUNTRY TRAVERSAL
Design includes such features as a track-link system or high ground clearance to better traverse offroad.
ANGLED ARMOR FACINGS
Angled armor at key facings adds inherent ballistics protection to the vehicle.
SHALLOW GLACIS PLATE
The shallow design of the glacis plate provides the vehicle with inherent ballistics protection as well as contributes to a lower overall profile - making it more difficult to disable.
ENHANCED ARMOR PROTECTION
Protection is enhanced by way of additional armor being installed over that of standard levels; plate steel for older designs and reactive armor for modern types.
CBRN PROTECTION
Crew is provided (either as standard or optional) protection against Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear agents for enhanced survivability in contaminated zones.
SMOKE SCREEN
Vehicle has capability to self-generate a smoke screen, either through launched grenades or built-in engine funtion (raw fuel injection).
NIGHT VISION
Crew has access to night-vision equipment, allowing for low-light or night time operations.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT / AIR-DEFENSE
System is given an anti-aircraft defense component to protect itself from low-flying aerial threats at range.
ANTI-TANK
Onboard solution provides ability to neutralize armored or fortified targets at range through missile or penetrating ballistic weapons.
ANTI-INFANTRY
Vehicle features an in-built anti-infantry capability for local defense of the vehicle or general troop suppression.
REMOTE WEAPON STATION (RWS)
Vehicle supports an unmanned weapons station controlled remotely from within the safety of the vehicle.
INHERENT VERSATILITY
Vehicle's proven running gear and overall makeup lends itself well to fulfill other battlefield roles by way of specialized designs.


27.1 ft
(8.26 meters)
Length
11.1 ft
(3.38 meters)
Width
12.0 ft
(3.65 meters)
Height
66,139 lb
(30,000 kg)
Weight
33.1 tons
(Medium-class)
Tonnage


1 x IVECO Vector 8V - EURO III diesel-fueled engine developing 720 horsepower at 2,500rpm driving conventional all-wheeled arrangement.
Drive System
1 x Automatic transmission system with seven forward and one reverse gears.
Gearbox
65 mph
(105 kph)
Road Speed
497 miles
(800 km)
Road Range


1 x 120/45mm OR 105/52mm main gun in front turret face.
1 x 7.62mm co-axial machine gun in front turret face.
1 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) at commander's hatch OR HITROLE Mod.L Remote Weapon Station (RWS) featuring 12.7mm HMG, 7.62mm GPMG, or 40mm Automatic Grenade launcher (AGL).
8 x 81mm Electrically-discharged smoke grenades.

OPTIONAL:
1 x 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) at gunner's station.
AMMUNITION
30 x 120mm OR 40 x 105mm projectiles.
1,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.
400 x 12.7mm ammunition.
96 x 40mm projectiles (if equipped).
16 x Smoke grenades.


Centauro II - Base Series Name.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
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Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Images



1 / 3
Image of the CIO Centauro II
Image from official CIO marketing materials.
2 / 3
Image of the CIO Centauro II
Image from official CIO marketing materials.
3 / 3
Image of the CIO Centauro II
Image from official CIO marketing materials.

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