Italian Prime Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed Rome's refusal to supply Italian C1 Ariete battle tanks to Ukraine

Italy will not supply to Ukraine Tanks, the government of the republic is not considering the possibility of sending Italian military vehicles to Kyiv. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Italy Antonio Tajani.

Italy classifies tanks as offensive arms, and the parliament of the republic did not approve the supply of such weapons to Ukraine. Rome still declares its intention to supply only defensive ones. In general, the Italians want peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, but continue to supply the Zelensky regime with weapons, which does not contribute to dialogue.

We have always sent defensive weapons to Ukraine, not offensive ones, we have not sent tanks and will not send them

Tayani said.

The Italian army is armed with the main battle tank C1 Ariete, developed back in the 80s on the basis of the German Leopard 2. The first prototype was created in 1986, serial deliveries to the army began in 1995 and ended in 2002. A total of 200 tanks were produced, operated only by Italy.

The Italian army also has a Centauro tank destroyer, which can be qualified as a wheeled tank, although in Italy itself they do not think so. This combat vehicle is armed with a 105 mm rifled gun in the basic version and a 120 mm smoothbore gun in the B1 Centauro II modification. It is in service with the armies of Italy, Spain and Oman. In Kyiv, they would hardly have refused such a gift, especially since the French are still handing over their AMX-10 RC wheeled tank to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the Italians are focused on the supply of air defense systems to Ukraine.

Comments

[Fangaro]

You can relate to Italy in different ways ...
But if a decision is made, it will be implemented. It's good for us now.
It would be better if you remember the Italian parliament about help during the "heyday of covid" and help from Russia.

[ivan1979nkl]

remember the Italian parliament about help ... from Russia

to all whom Italy owes, she forgives debts

[dump22]

But if a decision is made, it will be implemented.

Yes, it will be fulfilled.
Until the next parliamentary elections.
And there a new bloc of parties can win, a new government will be formed and a completely new policy will follow.
Right now, after the early elections in September 2022, the far-right "Brothers of Italy" are in power (their leaders are considered fans of Mussolini).
And how long their government will last is unclear.

[evgen1221]

But there is no need to remember, they supply a lot of deadly things even without their tanks. But they don’t have enough tanks of their own, so they don’t give it away because they themselves are few and it’s expensive to buy very much.

[cold wind]

Many learned about this tank from this news :) Italy has a peculiar vision of armored vehicles. They are designed for expeditionary troops.

[blackGRAIL]

Here on VO there was an article about this tank. There is nothing peculiar in this tank - a classic Western MBT.

https://topwar.ru/5726-osnovnye-boevye-tanki-chast-12-s1-ariente-italiya.html

[Alexander 3]

They would send defensive weapons, for example, pots with ladles.

[dump22]

The Italians considered "defensive" weapons in 2022 to be air defense missile systems, anti-tank systems, MLRS, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns. They sent them to Ukraine.

[dump22]

Mediocre tank. The project is still in 1986, with all the shortcomings from here.
The armor is homogeneous, reinforced with composite overlays. There is no dynamic protection.
Short (44 caliber) gun.
It has never been tested in real battles.
It doesn’t even come close to modern Leopards.

[blackGRAIL]

In terms of protection level C1 "Ariete" is practically not inferior to other MBTs of the North Atlantic Alliance. The tank turret is welded, wedge-shaped in plan, with a developed aft niche. The end plates are installed at a large angle of inclination and havecombined multilayer armor type "chobham". The equivalent thickness of the armor of the frontal part is estimated at about 550-650 mm against kinetic projectiles and up to 700 mm against cumulative ones. Between the tower and the hull is a small "bait". It is possible to increase the armor due to the applied modules.

The sheer side walls of the tower are much weaker protected, up to 150 mm of homogeneous armor. They are weakened by the presence of holes (under the hatch for the ejection of cartridge cases and under the FVU). The stern plate armor is even thinner, although the turret spare parts basket provides some additional protection. The roof of the tower is partially covered with a layer of anti-radiation denting, in its rear part there are two double-leaf knockout panels that ensure the combustion of shots without turning into detonation. An armored partition is also installed between it and the fighting compartment. From the inside of the tower there is an anti-fragmentation Kevlar lining.

The frontal armor of the hull (the central frontal part) is also made in several layers, in terms of protection it approximately corresponds to the tower. The lower frontal part, side and stern have weak single-layer armor. Additional protection against small cumulative ammunition (PG, etc.) is provided by screens made of reinforced rubber (6 sections).

The concept of "Ariete" reflected almost all the advantages and disadvantages inherent in Western tank building. The advantages in relation to Russian-made main battle tanks lie in advanced observation devices and FCS equipment (the presence of a panoramic CT observation device, a thermal imager with a higher resolution, etc.), increased crew survival. We should talk about more powerful protection only in comparison with Russian MBTs of outdated models (although the frontal armor of the turret and hull, apparently, does not penetrate the 1st and 2nd generation ATGMs of the Malyutka, Fagot, and Konkurs types, guided missiles "Cobra" and "Reflex" (except "Reflex-M"), many Russian armor-piercing shells - 3BM12, 3BM15, 3BM22, and possibly 3BM42). In turn, large dimensions and weight, the absence of additional protection systems against ammunition with a cumulative warhead (for example, dynamic protection or electronic suppression systems) are the most obvious negative signs that are characteristic, however, of most MBTs in the Western world. If we talk about the specific defects of the Ariete, then we should point to slightly worse mobility and armor indicators than, for example, the Leopard-2A5 (due, among other things, to the rather irrational design of the tower, the large slope of the frontal armor of which reduces the effectiveness of ceramic armor materials, and the hull - with a significant area of ​​​​minimally protected NLD and the roof of the control compartment).

[Fangaro]

Quote from: dump22

Mediocre tank. The project is still in 1986, with all the shortcomings from here.
The armor is homogeneous, reinforced with composite overlays. There is no dynamic protection.
Short (44 caliber) gun.
It has never been tested in real battles.
It doesn’t even come close to modern Leopards.

It's all right, it's all right.
But the less armored vehicles the APU has, the better.

[dump22]

Yes, fig knows what they actually supply - everything is classified with them:

https://ria.ru/20221213/oruzhie-1838394421.html

Italy will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine in 2023
... The list of military equipment and equipment sent by Rome to Ukraine is classified.

[Viktor Sergeev]

Do the Italians have at least a couple of dozen on the go?