At one point in the 1980s the Italian concern of OTO-Melara attempted to sell the Army (and any interested foreign buyers) on the merits of a 76mm-armed Air Defence Tank (ADT) known as the "Otomatic". The system mated a rapid-firing autocannon with the chassis of the "Palmaria" Self-Propelled Gun (SPG) (detailed elsewhere on this site), retaining all of the mobility of the latter. However, interest on the part of the Army (and foreign parties) ultimately waned and only one prototype of the Otomatic was ever completed before project cancellation occurred.
The 76mm gun in question was derived from an existing OTO-Breda design and this was directed by an onboard Fire Control System (FCS) featuring radar and laser-range finding. The gun was cleared to fire both High-Explosive (HE) and Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) rounds. Beyond its effectiveness as a short-to-medium-range air defense system, the Otomatic could easily be trained against ground targets such as armored vehicles. There was an initial intent to make the Otomatic turret available as a stand-alone component - offering foreign customers the option to mount it atop any existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) hull.
Despite the initiative, this OTO-Melara venture fell short of expectations and the Italian Army joined other powers in looking elsewhere - leaving the Otomatic with no future home.
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