Fighting compartment Leonardo HITFACT Mk II (Italy)
Fighting compartment HITFACT of the first version on the Patria AMV chassis. Patria Photos
The Italian company Leonardo Defense Systems from the holding of the same name has developed and is promoting on the market a promising fighting compartment HITFACT Mk II. This product is a turret with modern fire control devices and the ability to mount various weapons. The carrier of such a fighting compartment can be modern tracked and wheeled platforms of various types - and such capabilities are already being demonstrated in practice.
Family member
As the name suggests, the current HITFACT Mk II project is not the first in its lineup. The first version of BO HITFACT was developed and presented back in the middle of the XNUMXs. Its creation, testing and promotion was then carried out by the Oto Melara company, which later became one of the divisions of Leonardo.
In the first HITFACT project, both well-mastered and new solutions were used, which were later developed. It provided for the construction of an armored turret with a 105 mm gun, machine guns and fire control equipment. At the same time, there was the potential for modernization: it could be carried out by replacing the MSA or by installing a 120-mm cannon.
In the future, BO HITFACT passed the necessary tests, independently and on different media. The tower was installed on armored vehicles Centauro, Pandur II, Rosomak, etc. production of different countries. This was followed by orders for serial products. According to Leonardo, to date, more than 500 combat squads have been built and deployed on carriers.
Fighter tanks Centauro II with the HITFACT Mk II turret and 120mm cannon. Leonardo Photos
Based on the finished design and the accumulated experience, an improved version of the turret was developed in the mid-tenths, now known as the HITFACT Mk II. It is distinguished by an improved design of armored units and more advanced electronics. In addition, the possibilities for the integration of various weapons have been preserved and expanded.
As before, full compatibility with different host machines is provided. So, in recent years, the development company has shown prototypes based on the Centauro wheeled chassis and the Ariete C1 tank. The possibility of the appearance of other similar samples is not excluded.
By now, the tower has been brought to limited production. In mid-2018, the Italian ground forces ordered 10 Centauro II tank wheeled tank destroyers. Such equipment, under the contract, is equipped with HITFACT Mk II turrets in the version with 120-mm cannons and other equipment. The order was completed on time, and now the new armored vehicles are demonstrating their capabilities during various exercises.
Technical features
From the point of view of the design of the BO HITFACT Mk II, like its predecessor, it is a tank-type turret with a turret basket and a number of related units. Such a compartment can be installed on the chassis of the main tanks or on wheeled armored vehicles of the 8x8 formula. With its help, firepower is achieved at the level of modern medium or main tanks.
BO on the Italian chassis. Leonardo Photos
The dome of the HITFACT Mk II tower has a welded structure and provides bullet and fragmentation protection. The possibility of installing hinged modules is declared, with the help of which protection against small-caliber projectiles is achieved. The turret crew stations are equipped with energy-absorbing seats. There is also a set of laser radiation sensors, an automatic fire extinguishing system and collective protection against nuclear weapons.
There are two variants of the "main caliber". The customer can choose a 105-mm rifled gun with a 52-clb barrel or a 120-mm rifled system with a 45-clb length. Both guns are high-pressure systems equipped with ejectors and barrel deflection sensors. They are used with unitary shots of NATO standards with the entire available range of shells. The type of weapon has practically no effect on the design and technical parameters of the BO. At the same time, a squad with a 120 mm cannon is 750 kg heavier than modifications with less powerful weapons.
For storing ammunition, a developed aft niche of the tower, separated from the habitable compartment, is used. The size of the ammunition load depends on the selected caliber, but in both cases, the BO carries dozens of shells. At the request of the customer, the tower can be equipped with an automatic loader. In this case, the loader is excluded from the crew.
The fighting compartment with a 120 mm cannon is capable of engaging medium and main tanks. Leonardo Photos
The customer can also choose the composition of additional weapons. On one installation with a cannon, a 7,62 mm coaxial machine gun of the desired type is placed. A machine gun of normal or large caliber can be placed on the roof of the tower, incl. on the combat module Leonardo HITROLE. 8 smoke grenade launchers are placed on the sides of the tower.
HITFACT Mk II receives an advanced weapon control system. It includes a panoramic commander's sight and a gunner's sight with stabilization and a night infrared channel. There is also an optical sight. The exact composition of the OMS is selected taking into account the customer's requirements. Guidance is carried out using the main electrical and additional manual drives. Horizontal guidance - circular, vertical - in the range from -7 ° to + 16 °.
Depending on the selected configuration, the fighting compartment accommodates two or three crew jobs. In all cases, the commander (to the left of the cannon) and the gunner (to the right) are present in the crew compartment. Behind them is a loader or automatic loader. Access to the interior of the BO is provided by two hatches in the roof.
Market prospects
Leonardo Defense Systems is optimistic about the future and believes that its HITFACT Mk II combat compartment will be of interest to potential customers. Continuity of constructions becomes one of the grounds for such a forecast. The first version of the HITFACT product was produced in large quantities and in the interests of various customers. The new modification also went into series, although so far it is being produced in small quantities. However, this also allows us to hope for the best.
The Ariete tank as the carrier of the HITFACT Mk II turret. Leonardo Photos
An important advantage of the HITFACT family is considered the flexibility of packaging and placement on media. Thanks to this, any customer can choose the optimal configuration of the BO and place it on the desired base. It is obvious that a tower with such capabilities has serious commercial potential.
Regardless of the exact configuration, HITFACT Mk II has high tactical and technical characteristics. So, a modern OMS allows observation, finding and hitting targets with high accuracy and in different conditions. At the same time, the 105-mm cannon provides firing characteristics at the level of old medium tanks, and the 120-mm system allows it to be compared with MBTs.
As the existing prototypes show, the new BO can be used in the construction of "wheeled tanks" with sufficiently high combat characteristics. Such capabilities have already been implemented in the Centauro II project for the Italian army, and similar models of equipment may appear in the future.
The prototype based on the Ariete tank and its possible impact on the market should be considered separately. This prototype shows that with the help of Leonardo towers, not only wheeled vehicles, but also tanks of old models can be updated. The potential customer gets the fundamental opportunity to install the HITFACT Mk II turrets on their outdated tanks and thereby bring the combat qualities of the latter to an acceptable level.
Serial armored vehicle Centauro II during exercises, October 2021. Photo by the Italian Ministry of Defense
However, the new BO has some drawbacks that can reduce its commercial potential. So, the tower is designed for wheeled chassis with limited carrying capacity, which is why it has only bulletproof booking. Such protection does not quite correspond to the level of firepower, which may not suit the customer.
There may also be doubts about the advisability of using the HITFACT Mk II. Modernization of existing equipment by installing such a tower is not at all necessary. You can also upgrade a tank or other armored vehicle by rebuilding the regular fighting compartment with the installation of new weapons and equipment.
Potential and reality
Thus, the project of the Leonardo HITFACT Mk II fighting compartment is based on a number of interesting technical solutions, which allowed to combine design flexibility and high performance. Thanks to this, the tower has good commercial potential and is quite capable of gaining distribution in the market.
This task has already been partially successfully solved - the HITFACT Mk II product entered service with the Italian army. So far, we are talking about small quantities of BW and their carriers, but in the future, new orders are possible. In addition, Leonardo is awaiting contracts from foreign armies. And the technical part of the project really allows us to hope for their appearance.
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