Russian media reports that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is conducting evaluation tests of two Italian heavy wheeled armored vehicles of the B1 Centaur type (Centauro) caused a storm of responses, ranging from radical accusations of betraying the Russian defense industry to a lively interest in this not quite our usual technology.

Vyacheslav Shpakovsky

Italian "tank destroyer" Centauro: yesterday of European engineering or the future of the Russian army?

Rooikat (South Africa) Rooikat means "caracal" in Afrikaans. This feline name is given to a wheeled tank made in South Africa. The machine, equipped with a 76 cm caliber gun, is characterized by high cross-country ability. Produced since 1983

Armored personnel carrier Patria (Finland) As soon as the passions around Centauro subsided, a new intrigue arose. The "profile" Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin spoke out against the Italian vehicles, but, as reported, the General Staff was interested in buying 500 products of the Finnish defense industry - the Patria armored personnel carrier. Lacking such a powerful weapon as the Centauro, the Finnish armored personnel carrier is nevertheless very popular in the world. In particular, Poland intends to next year bring your fleet of these armored personnel carriers (known there as Rosomak - "wolverine") to almost seven hundred

AMX RC-10 (France) Another wheeled tank is named AMX-10RC. The French combat vehicle was designed on a three-axle chassis and was produced from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. The total number of issued copies is 457. The combat weight is 16.6 tons, the crew is four people. The armor is made from aluminum alloy and gives bulletproof protection. The vehicle is armed with a 105 mm cannon. The AMX-10RC has been repeatedly upgraded, in particular following the Gulf War (1991). The last upgrade dates back to 2010: reinforced armor, improved control systems

To understand why the Russian military showed interest in foreign wheeled tanks (and this is against the backdrop of some uncertainty in domestic tank building), it is worth remembering the times when the dispute between wheels and tracks was just beginning.

fruitful idea

The tank was born tracked, although almost simultaneously with the first projects of tracked vehicles, projects of wheeled tanks also appeared. The design of the tank in the form of a giant ball was even proposed, and this idea was protected by the German patent No. 159411 in 1905.

Further more! Already in 1929, the Fiat-Ansaldo wheeled tank was created in Italy, which had rigid wheels-drums with rubber lugs and an original frame that ensured that the wheels fit snugly to the ground and, as a result, high cross-country ability. The car did not go into the series, but the idea was not forgotten. During the Second World War, the Germans built a four-axle Puma combat vehicle - in fact, a wheeled tank that proved its high efficiency. With the collapse of the Reich, the idea of ​​​​such a machine did not die, but found its supporters in France. After the war, an EBR90 armored car was created there, equipped with an FL 10 “rocking” turret, but most importantly, an original eight-wheeled chassis, designed in such a way that two pairs of all-metal wheels in its middle part could be raised and lowered! The four outer wheels were used when driving on the highway at high speed, and all eight were used off-road. Moreover, this car could not spoil the asphalt surface!

Although BAs with cannon armament were also built in other countries, it was France that for a long time was a "trendsetter" in the creation of such wheeled tanks, or "tank destroyers", as these vehicles were later called. These are the Panhard ERC90 Sagaie and VBC90 armored vehicles, armed with a 90 mm cannon, and the AMX-10RC reconnaissance vehicle with a 105 mm caliber gun, on a three-axle chassis. At the same time, many armored personnel carriers on four-axle chassis were operated in the armies of the world, including our domestic BTR-60, 70 and 80. Various combat vehicles were created on their basis, including self-propelled mortars and various kinds of conversions. For example, in Djibouti, a tower from the French Panhard BA was hoisted onto our BTR-60 and ... it turned out to be a very effective hybrid for its time! Already in 1989, a specially designed four-axle vehicle equipped with a 76-mm gun in the turret entered service with the South African army, whose representatives positively assessed the high maneuverability and firepower of the novelty. Moreover, it is interesting that a variant with a 105-mm gun was offered for export. The Swiss created the Shark chassis with a 105 mm gun mounted on it in a "rocking" turret.

Cheaper and more mobile

The global trend can be traced quite clearly in all these examples: we are witnessing a transition to a four-axle chassis - a universal combat platform that can be a carrier various kinds weapons and, first of all, 105-mm tank guns capable of effectively fighting tanks. The reasons for the spread of military vehicles on wheels are clear. This is primarily the growing urbanization, the development of modern transport infrastructure and the desire to reduce the cost of the army. In fact, tanks capable of fighting on rough terrain in urban conditions will always lose to such wheeled vehicles in mobility and maneuverability. This will happen due to the characteristics of the propulsion unit itself - caterpillars, which have a significant inertial mass. At the same time, the reliability of a modern eight-wheeled chassis is such that it allows the machine to move with the complete destruction of any two wheels on one side. Fuel economy, ease of learning to drive, reduced operating costs with very high tactical mobility - this is not a complete list of the advantages of wheeled combat vehicles of this class.

What are we experiencing?

And we are experiencing, according to the definition of such an authoritative publication as the Jane reference book, a “tank destroyer” (tank destroyer), and in itself this machine is not a novelty. The order for the development of the Centauro by the command of the Italian army was issued back in 1984. In accordance with the order, the industrialists were to produce a highly mobile wheeled tank destroyer armed with a 105-mm rifled gun, which in its ballistics would be similar to the guns of the Leopard-1 (Germany) and M60A1 (USA) tanks. The sighting system was supposed to be unified with similar systems of the Ariete tank and tracked infantry fighting vehicle VCC-80. New armored vehicles were assigned the role of the main battle tanks of the Italian army.

The first B1 machine with full armor and weapons was handed over for testing in January 1987, in 1991 their full-scale production began at the IVECO-FIAT plant in Bolzano, but already in 1996 it was completed. In total, 400 machines of this type were produced, which were subsequently subjected to continuous improvements. Promising new designs of the Centauro were also being developed. In particular, spaced armor was installed on them, ergonomics were improved by changing the dimensions of the hull and chassis, modern electronic equipment was installed, etc.

As for the samples we are testing today, most likely the first is the standard, so to speak, basic model B1, armed with a 105-mm gun from Oto Melara, while the second is its modification with a more powerful 120-mm gun. Moreover, it is precisely such a weapon, according to a source from the Ministry of Defense, that provides this vehicle with firepower at the level of modern main battle tanks, and, of course, one cannot but agree with this.

By the way, it was the version with a 120-mm gun, demonstrated at the Eurosatori-2006 exhibition, that was acquired by Oman. So cars of this type are bought in the world, although it cannot be said that with increased enthusiasm. Even earlier, in 2000, the United States leased 16 Centaurs and conducted their comprehensive tests. Two years later, the cars were returned, but as a result of the tests, the American M1126 Striker armored personnel carrier was born (although the basis for it was still not the Italian car, but the Swiss Mowag PiranhaIII) and the M1128 fire support vehicle with a 105-mm small-sized uninhabited turret. These machines entered service with the US Army in 2006, and their combat use started in 2007. True, the M1128 revealed the presence of many design flaws, however, after their elimination, the purchases of the M1128 were continued. So there is a definite trend here!

A civilized way to know everything

Well, to the question why we are testing this vehicle, the answer can be very simple: because this is the easiest and most civilized way to get acquainted with one of the clearly emerging trends in the development of modern world tank building. And this must be done, another question is by what methods. Let's remember that in our army, starting from 1900, and later too, there were quite a few of our own. The rifle is based on a whole bunch of joint Franco-Russian and Belgian developments, the revolver is Belgian, the English machine gun, almost all artillery systems are Schneider and Krupp, and then more! After the revolution, many types of weapons were purchased, tested and supplied to the troops in the same way. These are our pre-war tanks of almost all types, and aircraft engines of the M brand, and, again, many types of artillery weapons. Was not the Italian leader "Tashkent" - the fastest ship of the Soviet Navy? Isn't the R-1 rocket a German FAA? And weren’t all our “trucks” GAZ-A, AA, AAA, and even the post-war Tula-200 motor scooter, which in fact was not Tula at all, but Gorgo TA200 ... We liked the samples military equipment we then bought (including under the guise of agricultural machines), and mined by all sorts of other ingenious methods, while ignoring the norms of international patent law. It would be quite possible to write about this not even an article, but a thick book. And it is very good that today we refuse these methods and such practices. But still, what would we want from Italian tank destroyers today?

With a calculator in hand

Russian media report that representatives of IVECO and Oto Melara are seriously hoping that Russia will acquire a license for the production of one or even several variants of the Centauro. And it seems that such a decision is being lobbied by KamAZ OJSC, where such production can be located in addition to the Lynx enhanced security vehicle.

On the other hand, there is an alternative, namely, the medium family of wheeled armored vehicles "Boomerang", which is being developed by the GAZ Group. That is, there is both our own and someone else's, and today many Russians are worried: what if we decide to take someone else's, and put aside our own?

But such a position seems rather strange. After all, the same T-34s, as well as the British Cromwell and Comet tanks, came to victory on a Christie-type chassis and ... does anyone remember now how many dollars it cost us?

Of course no! The international division of labor has always been, is and will be, as well as integration in the field of production various goods and weapons. The question should be put differently: to what extent is this or that variant of the development of events preferable from the point of view of the totality of the military, economic and geopolitical interests of our country? And then suddenly, for some purpose, it will be more profitable for us to buy Brazilian Cascavel BAs, instead of working and developing something similar on our own?

In 1984, the command of the Italian army formulated requirements for a highly mobile wheeled tank destroyer armed with a 105-mm rifled cannon in ballistics similar to the cannons of the Leopard-1 and M-60A1 tanks. The aiming system of the gun was to be unified with the fire control systems of the promising Ariete main battle tank and the YCC-80 tracked infantry fighting vehicle.

The terms of reference were developed within the framework of integrated program rearmament of ground forces. In addition to tank units deployed in the northeast of the country and having relatively low strategic mobility, it was supposed to form highly maneuverable brigades armed with heavy and light airborne armored vehicles. The task of the brigades was to be the defense of the Italian "boot" from air and sea landings, heavy armored vehicles were assigned the role of main battle tanks.

Work on the "wheeled tank" began by OTO Melara and Fiat at the end of 1984 and relied on the experience of creating in 1982-1983 the Fiat 6636 armored car with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The installation of a turret with a 105-mm gun increased the mass of the vehicle by at least 6-7 tons, so it was necessary to add a fourth axle in order not to worsen the patency. The choice of overall dimensions of the machine was due to an intractable compromise between the need for a larger internal volume of the hull to accommodate the turret turret and the restrictions imposed by the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.
The development of key components of the armored car, such as the propulsion system and chassis, was completed quite quickly, which made it possible in April 1985 to begin testing a demonstration vehicle without armor. The main purpose of the tests was to work out the chassis, especially the new hydropneumatic wheel suspension, and to test the layout of the machine in terms of ease of maintenance by the crew members of the 105-mm gun. Further development of the design of the armored car was carried out in parallel with the testing of the demonstration vehicle. The first experimental vehicle V-1 with full armor and armament was submitted for testing in January 1987, followed by five more tank destroyers before the end of the year. In total, ten B-1 armored vehicles of an experimental batch participated in the tests. In 1990, the Italian armed forces received the first ten B-1 Centauro armored vehicles, and in 1991 their full-scale production began at the IVECO Fiat plant in Bolzano with a production rate of ten vehicles per month. The armed forces of Spain are planning at the beginning of the XXI century. to purchase 22 B-1 Centauro armored vehicles for arming the Lusitania armored cavalry regiment, which is part of the Rapid Reaction Forces.

Armored car B-1 "Centauro" occupies special place among armored wheeled vehicles. Formally, it is classified as a BRM combat reconnaissance vehicle, but this is not entirely correct. Indeed, the Centauro can be successfully used for reconnaissance operations, escorting convoys, countering enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups, that is, to perform combat missions typical of the BRM. However, the 105-mm rifled gun with a high muzzle velocity, which is exceptionally powerful for a wheeled vehicle, makes it possible to remove quotes from the expression “wheeled” in relation to this vehicle, especially since in the Italian army the Centauros replaced the American M-47 tanks. The Centauro and the West German Daimler-Benz EXF were the first armored vehicles in the world to match the firepower of tanks. However, the German car was produced in a single copy, and the Centauro was mass-produced. The French AMX-IORC vehicle is sometimes referred to as wheeled tanks, but it is armed with a 105-mm cannon with low pressure in the bore, and only after re-equipping with 105-mm guns with high gas pressure in the bore will the Gauls enter the "wheeled tank club" .

The body of the armored car is welded from steel armor plates of various thicknesses. In the frontal part, the armor is resistant to 20 mm projectiles, from the stern and sides to 12.7 mm bullets. The engine compartment is located in the front of the case on the right side. The engine is a six-cylinder diesel water-cooled turbocharged IVECO Fiat MTSA V-6 with a capacity of 520 hp. With. The V-6 diesel engine was originally developed for civilian use. In addition to the Centauro armored vehicles, various versions of the U-6 diesel engine are installed on the USS-80 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, the Argentine TAM tank and the Italian Ariete main battle tank. The machine is equipped with a West German automatic six-speed (five forward, one reverse) ZF SHP-1500 gearbox. The engine, cooling system and gearbox are structurally made in the form of a single unit and are separated from the rest of the body by fireproof partitions. An automatic fire extinguishing and alarm system is installed in the engine compartment.

To the left of the engine compartment is the control compartment with the driver's workplace, the driver's seat is height adjustable. Outside of a combat situation, the driver controls the vehicle, observing the terrain through an open hatch. In combat, observation is carried out using three observation periscope devices. Instead of a central observation unit, a non-illuminated night vision device can be installed. The central part of the hull is occupied by fuel tanks and a turret floor. In the stern there are two ammunition racks of 12 shells for the gun, rechargeable batteries, a filter-ventilation unit and a hydraulic winch with a pulling force of 10 tons. There is a hatch in the aft armor plate used to load shells. All eight wheels are driving, the first two pairs are steerable, at speeds less than 20 km / h, the rear pair of wheels can also be turned. The wheels are controlled by hydraulic boosters. Wheel suspension independent hydropneumatic. The machine is equipped with a centralized tire pressure control system. All wheels are equipped with disc brakes.
A triple turret armed with a 105-mm LR 52-caliber cannon, developed by OTO Melara, is installed closer to the stern of the hull. The commander of the armored car is located to the left of the gun, the gunner is to the right, loading the gunner from behind. Hatches in the roof of the hull are located above the seats of the commander and loader.
The LR gun is similar in internal ballistics to the 105mm L7/M68 tank gun. The gun is equipped with a device for purging the bore after a shot, a highly efficient device that absorbs up to 40% of recoil, a muzzle brake and a thermal protective cover. The recoil of the gun when fired is 14 tons; to extinguish it, a special hydropneumatic recoil system was installed with a barrel stroke of 750 mm after the shot. Shooting is possible with all standard 105 mm NATO rounds, including HEAT rounds. Ammunition for the gun 40 shells, 14 of them are stored directly in the tower. A 7.62 mm M42/59 machine gun is paired with the gun (mounted on the left side of the gun), another machine gun can be mounted on the roof of the turret. Ammunition for machine guns 4000 rounds. Four smoke grenade launchers are installed along the sides of the tower. The rotation of the tower and the aiming of the gun in the vertical plane are carried out using electro-hydraulic drives. Gun elevation angles from -6 to + 15°.

The armored car is equipped with a Galileo modular fire control system. Its main subsystems are the commander's and gunner's sights, a digital ballistic computer, atmospheric state sensors, indicators and control panels for the gunner, commander and loader. The commander of the armored car has a stabilized daytime panoramic sight with 2.5x and 10x magnification; an image intensifier is integrated into the sight, allowing observation and aiming in low light conditions. The sight has a circular rotation in the horizontal plane, in the vertical from -10 to +60. The gunner has a combined stabilized day/night sight with a built-in laser rangefinder. The day channel has a 5-fold gain, the image from the infrared channel is duplicated on the indicator installed next to the commander's seat. The shooter also has a telescope with an 8x magnification paired with the main sight. The commander observes the left sector through four periscope viewing devices, the gunner behind the right sector through five fixed periscope viewing devices. The ballistic computer is based on a 16-bit Intel 8086 processor. Despite the fact that the gun is stabilized in two planes and has modern system fire control, according to Western press reports, the Centauro cannot fire on the move and must stop before firing.

Turrets for armored vehicles were manufactured, adjusted and tested at the OTO Melara plant in La Spezia. According to the test results of the first six machines, some changes were made to the design: the width of the hull was slightly reduced (for more convenient placement in the “womb” of the C-130), the bottom of the hull was given a small V-shape for better protection from the action of the blast wave of the mine, the dimensions of the hatch in the aft armor plate are reduced.
Serial production of armored vehicles B-1 "Centauro" was completed in 1996. 400 vehicles were transferred to the armament of three armored cavalry regiments of the Italian army. Interest in armored vehicles of this type is shown by the command of the armed forces of Spain, which intends to purchase 30 wheeled tanks.
The Centauro armored vehicles were tested in combat conditions during the peacekeeping operation Restor Hope, which was carried out in Somalia under the auspices of the UN. At the end of 1992, eight wheeled tanks from the 19th Cavalry Regiment were sent to the African continent as part of a mixed armored company (in addition to the Centauroov, it included five more M-60A1 tanks). Two airborne regiments, which formed the backbone of the Italian contingent of UN forces, were reinforced with heavy equipment. "Centauros" were widely used to conduct reconnaissance raids, blockade the main lines of communication of the separatists and escort convoys with humanitarian supplies. During the first four months of 1993, seven armored vehicles covered 8400 km on the Somali highways and off-road, for all the time there was not a single serious case of equipment failure. The eighth car was not used, as its engine failed immediately upon arrival in Somalia. Before the end of the UN mission in Somalia, the eighth armored car was commissioned, and two more vehicles were transferred from Italy. The main headache for the crews of the Centauros was the constant punctures of the cameras. Somalia's main highway The Imperial Highway has not been repaired for four years, to say nothing of the rest of the roads. Under the conditions of constant tire damage, the system of centralized pressure regulation in pneumatics proved to be especially good; of course, it could not get rid of punctures, but it allowed to complete the task.

During the entire campaign, there were no worthy targets for 105-mm guns, of which they fired only at firing practice at an impromptu training ground in the Gialalksi area. But the commander's panoramic sight with an image intensifier was very useful. "Centauros" were very often used as mobile observation posts along the Imperial Highway. The vehicles took positions 500 meters from the road, and the crews, using sights as night vision devices, monitored night life, if necessary, pointing Italian patrols at its suspicious manifestations.
VHF radios installed on armored vehicles turned out to be not powerful enough, it was recognized as necessary to have a medium-range HF radio station, at least on command vehicles. Oddly enough, in a very hot climate, the crews did not use the air conditioning system, preferring to open all hatches wide open.

Typical counterguerrilla operations were carried out in Somalia. The enemy was poorly armed and poorly trained, however, it quickly became clear that the armor protection of the Centauros (as well as all other armored vehicles) was clearly insufficient, it did not “hold” the armor-piercing bullets of the DShK machine guns, not to mention the RPG-7 grenades. As a matter of urgency, the British company Royal Ordnance ordered twenty sets of dynamic protection units for the turret and sides of the ROMOR-A hull. Ten sets were installed on the "Somali" "Centauro". The experience of using Kentanr armored vehicles in Somalia has been carefully studied and analyzed by Western experts. It was the peacekeeping operation in Somalia that served as the starting point for revising the role and place of armored wheeled vehicles in modern armed conflicts. For most heavy armored vehicles, the following conclusion from the experience of Operation Return of Hope applies: "The gun is big, the armor is weak."
In the summer of 1997, Centauros, together with Fiat 6614 armored vehicles of the Guards Cavalry Regiment, took part in Operation Alba to prevent a civil war in Albania.

Video: Armored car B1 "Centauro" 105 mm

Between 1937 and 1945, the British Army had only four types of infantry tanks. The change of models of combat vehicles of the cruising type resembled a kaleidoscope. For example, the combat career of the Krusader tank had not yet ended (see "Armored Collection" No. 6, 2005), when the development of a more powerful heavy cruiser tank began.

Appendix to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

Mk VIII (A27L) Centaur

Mk VIII (A27L) Centaur

One of the most important problems of British tank building during the Second World War was the lack of a sufficiently powerful and reliable engine. She did not find permission when creating the Cavalier tank.

However, back in the fall of 1940, Rolls-Royce engineer W.E. Robotam became interested in this issue. Together with G. Sparrier, an employee of Leyland Motors, he investigated the possibility of using one of the aircraft engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce plants in the tank industry. Two 12-cylinder engines were chosen as objects - Kestrell and Merlin (the latter was used for Spitfire fighters). The final choice fell on the Merlin Mk III engine. After lengthy alterations and improvements (replacing the crankcase, oil, water and fuel pumps, etc.), a 600 hp model appeared, called Meteor.

Ground tests of this engine were carried out on April 6, 1941 in Aldershot. Meteors were installed on two Crusader tanks. The first of them developed such high speed(according to some members of the commission - up to 80 km / h), which did not even manage to fix the time of the first run, because the confused driver lost control and drove into the forest. According to the results of tests at Aldershot and at the Farnborough research center, the new engine was recognized as the main British tank engine for the near future. Among other things, its advantages included the ability to work in conjunction with the Merritt-Brown transmission, which replaced the old Wilson-type planetary transmission used on British tanks since the First World War.

However, launch in mass production a tank engine with aviation roots turned out to be a much more difficult task than expected. Meteor required constructive fine-tuning. The industry, overloaded with priority orders for aviation, could not quickly deal with this problem. Therefore, in July 1941, it was decided, in addition to the A27 tank with a Meteor engine and a Merritt-Brown transmission, to develop a tank of the so-called intermediate version, again with the same Liberty engine.

The A27 project with a Liberty engine and Merritt-Brown transmission was developed at the end of 1941 by English Electric. On April 29, 1942, the same firm was commissioned to build two prototypes of the A27L (L - Liberty). The production of the first of them was completed on June 29, 1942 (the second tank was ready a few days later), and in July both vehicles were sent to Farnborough for testing. The tank was named Centaur ("Sentor") and the army designation Cruiser Tank Mark VIII. The version with the Meteor engine began to be denoted by the A27M index.

Already in August, the first orders for serial A27L tanks were placed with several British firms: Leyland, LMS, Harland, Fowler, English Electric and Nuffield. In total, from August 1942 to February 1944, 3134 Centaur tanks of all modifications (including ZSU) were produced. Thus, this tank became the most massive " heavy cruiser» British army during the Second World War.

The first version of the tank - Centaur I, armed with a 6-pounder gun, in fact, did not differ from the Cavalier in anything except for the transmission and a number of small details. On the Centaur II, they tried to install a wider track and a drive wheel with a larger number of teeth. However, this option did not go into mass production. The Centaur III was equipped with 75 mm Mk V or Mk VA guns. Moreover, a significant part of the vehicles of this modification was obtained by alteration from Centaur I. The latest version - Centaur IV - was a support tank armed with a 95-mm howitzer that fired high-explosive fragmentation and smoke shells.

Since the end of 1943, when it was possible to expand the production of Meteor engines, mass conversion of "sentors" to the Cromwell standard began. These tanks differed from each other only in minor details. For example, the track tensioning mechanisms were different.

The A27L tanks, which were not subject to conversion, were converted into other combat and auxiliary vehicles. This is how the Centaur AA appeared - a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, on which, after dismantling the turret, a modernized turret of the Crusader AA tank was installed. There were two modifications of the machine: the Centaur AA Mk I had a turret from the Crusader AA Mk II, and the Centaur AA Mk II had a turret from the Crusader AA Mk III. The armament of the Centaur AA consisted of twin mounts of 20mm Polsten automatic cannons (unlike the Oerlikon on the Crusader AA). ZSU Centaur AA was made about 200 units.

The tank of artillery observers and spotters Centaur OP was equipped with an additional radio station, telephone and surveillance equipment. The gun was replaced by a wooden model.

Such vehicles were used in artillery regiments of tank divisions. At the repair and recovery vehicle Centaur ARV, a winch was mounted in place of the tower, and a boom crane and racks for placing fuel tanks, containers with spare parts, etc. were mounted on the hull. Engineering Centaur tanks They did not have dozer towers, they were equipped with a dozer blade and were intended for the construction of fortifications and the destruction of obstacles. The design of the engineering tank was developed in 1944 in the 79th Panzer Division. Manufactured by MG Car Co. It was planned to give these vehicles (one at a time) to each squadron in the tank division, as well as to sapper units, but before the end of the war, the troops received only a few copies. A small number of tanks were converted into Centaur Kangaroo armored personnel carriers. The latter was a tank without a turret, adapted to transport 10-12 soldiers in the fighting compartment.

In the 1980s, the Italian army developed performance specifications for a promising family of tracked and wheeled armored fighting vehicles, which were planned to enter production decades later. It was planned to create four types of such vehicles: the Ariete main battle tank, the Dardo tracked infantry fighting vehicle, the Puma multi-purpose armored vehicle with a 4 × 4 and 6 × 6 wheel arrangement and the Centauro wheeled tank destroyer with an 8 × wheel arrangement eight.

The requirements for the latter were formulated at the beginning of 1984. It was planned to create a highly mobile wheeled combat vehicle with a 105-mm NATO standard rifled gun. It was supposed to have high speed on the roads to increase the strategic mobility of troops, a large range, increased cross-country ability but rough terrain and a computerized fire control system (FCS), which has much in common with Offeine Galileo's FCS for the Ariete main battle tank.

The first prototype of the car was utov in January, and the second - in the middle of 1987. In December, four cars were already being tested. A total of nine prototypes were built. One hull was used for ballistic testing. At the same time, a pre-production batch of ten cars was produced, which was completely ready at the end of 1989.

The production of the first batch of "centaurs" for the Italian army began at the end of 1990 and ended in 1991. Initially, the army planned to order 450, but then the order was reduced to 400 vehicles.

Serial "centaurs" are significantly different from the prototypes. In particular, they have improved weapons. the ammo rack has been improved, the configuration of the rear of the turret has been changed, the folding ramp in the stern has been replaced with a door, and the accommodation of the crew has become more convenient.

At the end of 1992, eight "centaurs" with 105-mm guns were delivered to Somalia, where for four months they traveled, on average, 8400 km without serious damage.

In 1993, the British companies BAE Systems and RO Defense created ROMOR-A dynamic protection (DZ) for light vehicles and in the same year released 20 kits for Centauro. Ten sets were delivered to Italy, the rest to Somalia.

In addition, the IVEKO-Otobreda consortium for the "centaurs" developed a new package of passive armor installed on the hull and turret of the vehicle to increase its protection from small arms fire.

The last deliveries of wheeled tank destroyers "Centaur" to the Italian army were carried out at the end of 1996.

In mid-1999, the Spanish Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the IVEKO-Otobreda consortium for 70 million US dollars, which provided for the supply of 22 "centaurs", their maintenance and training of specialists. The new machines arrived in Spain at the end of 2000 and under the designation VRC-105, they entered service with the 8th Light Cavalry Regiment of the Spanish Rapid Reaction Force. It is possible that Spain may order another batch of such machines in the future.

As far as is known, the Spanish VRC-105s practically do not differ from the Italian "centaurs". True, they are equipped with a DZ kit from the Spanish company Santa Barbara, which provides additional protection frontal projection of the machine from cumulative shells and grenades.

The performance characteristics of the BMP "CENTAVR" (8 × 8) with an 520 hp engine.

At the beginning of 2000, the Centaur turret with a 105-mm cannon was installed on the ASCOD infantry fighting vehicle chassis of a joint Austrian-Spanish development. Thus, a new light tank was created that successfully passed the test. At the same time, the Italians transferred sixteen “centaurs” to the US Army for temporary use to work out the new organizational and staffing structures of the brigades. Of these, twelve were in standard configuration and four were in escort vehicle configuration.

Description

The hull and turret of the wheeled tank destroyer "Centaur" are all-welded, made of armored steel. Provide protection for the crew from small arms fire and shell fragments. Frontal armor withstands 20 mm armor-piercing projectiles, the rest - 12.7 mm bullets. True, it is not indicated. at what distances.

The driver is placed in the body of the car in front on the left side, to the right of him there is a power compartment, fenced off from the interior by a fireproof bulkhead. The driver has a hatch. the lid opens to the left. Three periscopic devices are used to monitor the road situation, the middle of which can be replaced by a passive night vision device MES VG / DIL.

The tower is installed on the roof of the hull, closer to the rear of the machine. The commander is located on the left side of the gun, the gunner is on the right, the loader is in front and slightly below the gunner.

The commander's station is equipped with four periscope observation devices. providing a view forward, to the sides and back. The commander's panoramic sight is installed in front of his hatch. It allows you to conduct all-round observation without turning your head.

The gunner can leave the car through the loader's hatch, the lid of which opens back. On the right side of the turret there are five periscopic observation devices that can be used by both the gunner and the loader.

Tower "Centaur" is made as a single module. It is produced by Otobreda in La Spezia and comes fully prepared for installation on the chassis.

The main weapon of the Centaur tank destroyer is a 105 mm Otobreda rifled cannon with a barrel length of 52 calibers and a large 750 mm recoil. All types of standard 105-mm NATO rounds for the L7 and M68 fork guns can be used for firing, including shots with armor-piercing sub-caliber (APFSDS) shells. The gun has a semi-automatic vertical wedge breech block that remains open after the cartridge case has been extracted. In addition, it is equipped with a multi-chamber muzzle brake, a heat-insulating casing and an ejection device for purging the bore, as well as a system for controlling its bending. The barrel is made using autofrettage technology.

The ammunition load of the gun is forty rounds, fourteen of which are placed in the turret, and the rest in the body of the vehicle. A twin 7.62 mm MG 42/59 machine gun is mounted to the left of the gun. Another similar machine gun is located on the roof of the tower as an anti-aircraft gun. On both sides of the tower, a block of four 76-mm smoke grenade launchers was mounted. Shooting grenades is carried out using an electric trigger.

Gun and turret drives are electro-hydraulic with manual override. Cannon elevation angles vary from -6° to +15°, which is slightly less than on the main combat guns due to the low profile of the turret.

The Centaur wheeled tank destroyer is equipped with the Officine Galileo TURMS (Tank Universal Reconfigurable Modular system) FCS - the same. as in the main battle tank Ariete. Its main components are a commander's panoramic day sight with a stabilized aiming line in two planes, a gunner's periscope combined (day/night) sight with a stabilized aiming line and a built-in laser rangefinder, a digital ballistic computer, a set of firing conditions sensors, a muzzle deflection accounting system and control panels. commander, gunner and loader.

1 - gun barrel caliber 105 mm; 2 - power department; 3 - driver's hatch; 4 - driver's periscope instruments; 5 - tower; 6 - commander's hatch; 7 - commander's periscope instruments; 8 - loader's hatch; 9 - periscope devices loader and gunner; 10 - 7.62 mm machine gun; 11 - 76 mm smoke grenade launchers; 12 - wheel with bulletproof tires

The commander's sight has a fixed 2.5x and 10x magnification. The swing angle of its head mirror varies from -10° to +60°, the angle of rotation of the sight head horizontally is 360°. For observation and firing at night, the commander has a television monitor, which displays an image from the gunner's thermal imaging sight.

Mounted on the roof of the tower, the gunner's sight combines four main modules (head stabilized mirror, optical day channel, laser transceiver and thermal imager) in one housing. The daytime channel has a 5x magnification, and the TV channel provides a display of two fields of view - wide and narrow - on the monitor.

The digital ballistic computer determines the initial settings for firing, controls the operation of all subsystems of the control system (optical trailer, laser rangefinder, servos). as well as sensors of firing conditions, built-in systems for monitoring the performance of the SITE FCS and crew training. It also provides reconfiguration of system operation algorithms from normal mode to duplicate ones in case of partial failures.

The fire control system includes three main sensors for firing conditions: meteorological, heading angle and bore wear.

The gunner has an Officine Galileo OG С-102 telescopic sight with an 8x magnification and three sighting scales that are switched manually as a backup.

Despite the fact that the 105-mm cannon of the Centaur is stabilized, in the Italian army the main thing is to fire from it from a short stop.

The "Centaur" is equipped with a V-shaped six-cylinder four-stroke multi-fuel diesel engine liquid-cooled IVECO VTCA turbocharged. developing power of 520 hp at 2300 rpm

The engine is connected to a German automatic transmission (automatic transmission) ZF 5 HP 1500, which provides five forward and two reverse gears. The automatic transmission, in turn, transmits torque to the ZF transfer case. The transfer case and automatic transmission are manufactured in Italy in Bolzano under license. The entire power unit on the Centauro can be replaced within 20 minutes.

From the transmission, the torque is transmitted to the differential, from which it is distributed into two streams. It is transmitted to each side of the machine to the wheel gearboxes by means of cardan shafts, cardan gears and bevel gearboxes.

Suspension of the car - hydropneumatic. Two pairs of front and last pair of rear wheels are swivel, which provides relatively small turning radii. The rear pair of wheels is only steered at speeds up to 20 km/h.

A central pressure control system for bulletproof tires is standard on the machine. Adjustment is carried out from the driver's seat while the car is moving and provides increased cross-country ability on rough terrain.

The Sekur NBC protection system, similar to that used on the Ariete tank, is installed in the turret niche. It prevents the entry of contaminated air into the machine by creating excess pressure in it. The built-in air conditioning system allows the crew to work normally at ambient temperatures ranging from 30 ° to + 44 ° C.

Part standard equipment"Centaur" includes a winch located in front and fire-fighting systems in the power and fighting compartments.

At the request of the customer, sensors of the system for warning about radiation exposure by laser rangefinders or anti-tank missile guidance systems can be installed on the roof of the tower.

In the standard version, the combat weight of the Centaur is 25 tons, when additional armor protection modules are installed on it, it increases to 28 tons.

A whole family of combat and special armored vehicles has been developed on the chassis of the Centaur wheeled tank destroyer.

Combat vehicles for peacekeeping forces and guards

As part of the Italian peacekeeping contingent in (Bosnia) there are quite a few "centaurs". These vehicles are distinguished by the presence of a package of hinged armor protection, and the 7.62-mm anti-aircraft machine gun MG 42/59 mounted on the roof of the tower is protected from small arms fire on the right and left by armored shields.

The last batch of "centaurs" in the amount of 150 vehicles out of 400 delivered to the Italian army is equipped for use as security vehicles. Their main difference is the placement of four infantrymen who embark and disembark through the aft door. To do this, two 105mm ammo packs had to be removed, reducing them to sixteen, fourteen of which are in the turret and two in the hull. The seats are at the same time boxes with spare parts.

In the troop compartment, the body of the vehicle is covered from the inside with a material such as Kevlar, which reduces the likelihood of their being hit by broken off fragments of armor. The air conditioning and NBC protection systems have been changed to provide purified or cooled air to the larger crew.

"Centaur" with a 60-mm gun

The new Otobreda T60 / 70A turret with a 60-mm cannon as part of the weapons complex was installed for testing on the latest version of the Centaur chassis. It is somewhat longer and wider than the standard one and has a wheelbase of 1.605 × 1.6 × 1.6 m. The vehicle with a combat weight of 24 tons can accommodate six paratroopers. At the same time, its crew is three people.

The same chassis is used for the Centaur VBC infantry fighting vehicle with a 25 mm automatic cannon.

Infantry fighting vehicle "Centaur" \/VS (8×8)

A prototype wheeled infantry fighting vehicle "Centaur" VBC was released at the beginning of 1996 and in June was shown on international exhibition arms Eurosatory in Paris. This machine was developed as part of an initiative project, but in accordance with the requirements of the Italian army to create an infantry fighting vehicle capable of operating in conjunction with the wheeled tank destroyers "Kengavr".

Description

At the beginning of 1999, the Italian army signed a contract with IVECO-Otobreda for the design, development and construction of three prototypes of such an infantry fighting vehicle. The same two-seat Otobreda TS-25 turret with a 25-mm Oerlikon Cotraves KVA automatic gun and coaxial 7 ,62-mm machine gun, as on the tracked BMP Dardo HITFIST. The tower is located in the center, the troop compartment is in the rear of the vehicle body. It can accommodate up to eight infantrymen, their embarkation and disembarkation is carried out through a wide, hydraulically operated ramp that folds down in the stern of the vehicle. The ramp is equipped with a door in case it is not possible to tilt it. For small arms landing there are five loopholes with periscope observation devices, two on each side and one on the left side of the ramp.

The standard equipment of the vehicle includes a hinged package of additional armor to improve protection against small arms fire, power-assisted steerable swivel wheels with bulletproof tires (two pairs of front and a pair of rear tires), a central tire pressure control system, NBC protection systems, air conditioning, laser warning irradiation and fire fighting equipment.

In the armored personnel carrier version, the vehicle is equipped with a turret with a 12.7 mm machine gun and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. In this case, its crew consists of two people (gunner commander and driver), and up to ten infantrymen can be accommodated in the troop compartment.

According to representatives of the IVECO-Otobreda consortium, the vehicle can be equipped with more powerful diesel engines and a reinforced package of mounted armor. Then its combat weight will be 28 tons.

In 2003, at the IDEX-03 exhibition in Abu Dhabi, a wheeled tank destroyer was shown. It uses a 120 mm Otobreda 120/45 smoothbore gun with a 45 caliber barrel and a short recoil as its main weapon. Unlike its predecessor with a 105-mm cannon, two anti-aircraft machine guns are installed on the roof of the new machine's turret, one of which is 12.7-mm remote-controlled, the FCS remains the same. When used as an escort vehicle, it can accommodate four infantrymen, and the ammunition load will be reduced to eleven rounds.

In addition, in Italy, on the basis of the Centaur chassis (8 × 8), the following have already been created and are being developed: a self-propelled mortar; command and staff vehicle; armored recovery vehicle; armored ambulance; floating armored personnel carrier; anti-aircraft artillery complex; 155 mm self-propelled howitzer and bridge layer.

In general, the chassis of the wheeled tank destroyer "Centaur" (8 × 8) turned out to be successful, which made it possible to create on its basis a whole range of armored vehicles of various purposes. This increases the unification of equipment in parts and connections, facilitates the supply, training of specialists and repairs.

S. SUVOROV, candidate of military sciences

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