HITFACT II tower for the armored vehicle Centauro 2
An International Defense Review magazine in an article by Christopher F. Foss "More punch for the Centauro Mobile Gun System" reports that the Italian company Oto Melara (part of the Finmeccanica group) is completing the first prototype of a new turret (combat unit) of its HITFACT II design designed for the perspective wheeled armored vehicle Centauro 2.
The development of the new generation cannon armored vehicle Centauro 2 (also referred to as Nuova Blindo Centauro) with an 8x8 wheel arrangement is carried out by a consortium of companies Oto Melara and Iveco (Consorzio Iveco Oto - COI) under a contract from the Italian Ministry of Defense received in October 2010. The first details about the Centauro 2 project and the HITFACT II combat compartment were revealed by Oto Melara spokesman Massimo Gualco at the TDN UK Force Protection & Manoeuvre conference in Rome at the end of 2013.
As expected, the first Centauro 2 prototype will be completed by the end of 2014. The Italian army plans to purchase, if appropriate funding is allocated, more 100 Centauro 2 machines to replace part of the Centauro fleet.
The new HITFACT II tower (Highly Integrated Technology, Fire Against Combat Tank) mounted on Centauro 2 is made of aluminum armor with an additional composite ballistic overhead. The calculation of the tower includes three people (commander, gunner, loader), placed in the mine chairs.
The HITFACT II turret, according to the requirements of the Italian army, should be equipped with an 120-mm / 45 Oto Melara smooth-bore cannon, but it is also possible to install an old Oto Melara 105-mm / 52 rifled gun. 120-mm / 45 gun has a high ballistics, muzzle brake and mechanisms to reduce recoil, and is also equipped with a sensor measuring the initial velocity of the projectile. The 120-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile designed for this gun is said to have armor penetration in 600 mm of homogeneous steel armor (RHA) from the 3000 m distance (angle not reported). The 105-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile of the Centauro armored vehicle has armor penetration in 480 mm RHA with 2000 m. The shells in the HITFACT II tower are placed separately in the aft compartment behind the fire wall with a closed door.
A 7,62-mm machine gun is paired with a gun. The 12,7-mm machine gun in the remote-controlled turret (probably Oto Melara HITROLE) and the 7,62-mm machine gun on the manual turret are mounted on the roof of the turret.
The HITFACT II is equipped with a digital electric guidance system, duplicated by the commander and gunner. The commander and gunner have a modern system for displaying information on large screens. The commander has nine optical periscopes for all-round visibility. The duplicated new automated architecture modular fire control system of the open architecture includes a digital computer, an automatic target tracking system and weather sensors. The commander has a new panoramic stabilized sight Selex ES Attila, which includes a digital camera with the ability to 10x zoom, Erica-FF thermal imaging camera and a laser rangefinder. The gunner has a new stabilized Selex ES Lothar-S sight, which, in addition to the digital camera, the third-generation Tilde-A thermal imaging camera and laser rangefinder, also has a redundant optical sight. Equipment is also installed in the tower tank information management system Oto Melara SICCONA (SIstema di Comando, COntrollio e Navigazione).
The development of a version of the HITFACT II turret with an 120-mm / 45 cannon automatic loader is reported. The machine gun will contain six 120-mm projectiles ready for firing and six additional shots in the feed system at the rear of the turret.
The Centauro 2 armored vehicle will have a undercarriage based on the undercarriage of the Freccia armored personnel carrier (8x8), but with the new armored hull and the new diesel engine. It is indicated that the HITFACT II tower can also be installed for upgrading to old Centauro armored vehicles, as well as other types of armored chassis.
The tower of the previous version of HITFACT I was promoted by Oto Melara from the beginning of 2000-s and was installed (in the version with 120-mm / 45 cannon) on nine modified armored Centauro vehicles delivered in 2010-2011 of the royal guard of Oman. The HITFACT I production license in August 2008 was also sold to the South Korean company Doosan DST. The latter offers the use of this turret with an 105-mm cannon on a light tank developed on the basis of the BMX K21 infantry fighting vehicle, as well as for installation on the Black Fox wheeled armored vehicle family.
New tower (combat compartment) Oto Melara HITFACT II, designed for the perspective wheeled armored vehicle Centauro 2 (c) Oto Melara (via Jane's)
The development of the new generation cannon armored vehicle Centauro 2 (also referred to as Nuova Blindo Centauro) with an 8x8 wheel arrangement is carried out by a consortium of companies Oto Melara and Iveco (Consorzio Iveco Oto - COI) under a contract from the Italian Ministry of Defense received in October 2010. The first details about the Centauro 2 project and the HITFACT II combat compartment were revealed by Oto Melara spokesman Massimo Gualco at the TDN UK Force Protection & Manoeuvre conference in Rome at the end of 2013.
As expected, the first Centauro 2 prototype will be completed by the end of 2014. The Italian army plans to purchase, if appropriate funding is allocated, more 100 Centauro 2 machines to replace part of the Centauro fleet.
The new HITFACT II tower (Highly Integrated Technology, Fire Against Combat Tank) mounted on Centauro 2 is made of aluminum armor with an additional composite ballistic overhead. The calculation of the tower includes three people (commander, gunner, loader), placed in the mine chairs.
The HITFACT II turret, according to the requirements of the Italian army, should be equipped with an 120-mm / 45 Oto Melara smooth-bore cannon, but it is also possible to install an old Oto Melara 105-mm / 52 rifled gun. 120-mm / 45 gun has a high ballistics, muzzle brake and mechanisms to reduce recoil, and is also equipped with a sensor measuring the initial velocity of the projectile. The 120-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile designed for this gun is said to have armor penetration in 600 mm of homogeneous steel armor (RHA) from the 3000 m distance (angle not reported). The 105-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile of the Centauro armored vehicle has armor penetration in 480 mm RHA with 2000 m. The shells in the HITFACT II tower are placed separately in the aft compartment behind the fire wall with a closed door.
A 7,62-mm machine gun is paired with a gun. The 12,7-mm machine gun in the remote-controlled turret (probably Oto Melara HITROLE) and the 7,62-mm machine gun on the manual turret are mounted on the roof of the turret.
The HITFACT II is equipped with a digital electric guidance system, duplicated by the commander and gunner. The commander and gunner have a modern system for displaying information on large screens. The commander has nine optical periscopes for all-round visibility. The duplicated new automated architecture modular fire control system of the open architecture includes a digital computer, an automatic target tracking system and weather sensors. The commander has a new panoramic stabilized sight Selex ES Attila, which includes a digital camera with the ability to 10x zoom, Erica-FF thermal imaging camera and a laser rangefinder. The gunner has a new stabilized Selex ES Lothar-S sight, which, in addition to the digital camera, the third-generation Tilde-A thermal imaging camera and laser rangefinder, also has a redundant optical sight. Equipment is also installed in the tower tank information management system Oto Melara SICCONA (SIstema di Comando, COntrollio e Navigazione).
The development of a version of the HITFACT II turret with an 120-mm / 45 cannon automatic loader is reported. The machine gun will contain six 120-mm projectiles ready for firing and six additional shots in the feed system at the rear of the turret.
The Centauro 2 armored vehicle will have a undercarriage based on the undercarriage of the Freccia armored personnel carrier (8x8), but with the new armored hull and the new diesel engine. It is indicated that the HITFACT II tower can also be installed for upgrading to old Centauro armored vehicles, as well as other types of armored chassis.
The tower of the previous version of HITFACT I was promoted by Oto Melara from the beginning of 2000-s and was installed (in the version with 120-mm / 45 cannon) on nine modified armored Centauro vehicles delivered in 2010-2011 of the royal guard of Oman. The HITFACT I production license in August 2008 was also sold to the South Korean company Doosan DST. The latter offers the use of this turret with an 105-mm cannon on a light tank developed on the basis of the BMX K21 infantry fighting vehicle, as well as for installation on the Black Fox wheeled armored vehicle family.
New tower (combat compartment) Oto Melara HITFACT II, designed for the perspective wheeled armored vehicle Centauro 2 (c) Oto Melara (via Jane's)
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