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.
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.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.