One of the contenders for the initial phase of Land 400 is the Centauro infantry fighting vehicle, produced by Iveco-OTO Melara (Società Consortile Iveco Fiat - Oto Melara – CIO), but whether the Italian company will prime the bid, or partner with another major defence company is unclear.
Iveco–OTO Melara announced its intention to participate in the Land 400 bid in November 2012, offering the latest version of the Centauro family, the Freccia (Arrow) Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Veicolo blindato medio - VBM).
The Centauro family traces its origins to the B1 Centauro wheeled anti-tank vehicle but it has since been adapted to fulfil a broad range of roles. The family has served with distinction in the Italian Army on operations in the Balkans and the Lebanon and around 250 are already in service.
At the Land Forces conference in Brisbane last September, Boeing displayed an example of the Centauro VBM armoured infantry fighting vehicle on their stand. Furthermore the company was keen to find ex-Army officers to sing the praises of the vehicle to anyone who would listen, but stopped short of announcing any formal teaming arrangement with Iveco OTO-Melara for the Land 400 project.
Indeed, since that time Boeing has declined to comment on its Land 400 plans, answering questions only with a statement saying they were awaiting a formal request for tender before making any public comment. Even as recently as the Avalon Airshow, after the RFT was released, Boeing spokesmen were equally tight-lipped and there has to date been no publicly-released strategy.
“The Centauro VBM is focussed on optimising the firepower, mobility and protection needed to undertake the full range of missions indicative of Australian Cavalry,” the two companies said in a statement at Land Forces, with a Boeing spokesperson adding. “Based on our interactions with the customer on Land 400 to date, we believe CIO has the right family of vehicles and offers capabilities that are complementary to Boeings that will be able to meet the Australian Army’s requirements.”
Similarly Iveco-OTO Melara declined to comment post-Avalon, citing ‘a complex team process’.
Centauro
The Centauro Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (VBM) which CIO Iveco-OTO Melara is proposing for Land 400 Phase 2 is a variant of the Centauro family, armed with the OTO Melara two-man HITFIST Plus turret.
The HITFIST turret is capable of mounting a 25mm, 30mm or 40mm automatic cannon to meet individual customer request, as well as a coaxial 7.62mm (or 5.56mm) machine gun and the baseline Centauro VBM also has the capability of being fitted with two Israeli Rafael Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) in an anti-tank configuration.
The turret is also capable of mounting a launcher for the OTO-Melara Horus unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which has a one-hour endurance.
The vehicle itself is an 8 x 8 wheeled vehicle with a crew of three (driver, gunner and commander) and can seat eight fully-equipped soldiers.
It combines what Iveco-OTO Melara describes as the ‘highly reliable’ drive train of the Centauro family with a new hull, designed to provide enhanced protection for the occupants, together with the firepower offered by whichever automatic cannon is selected by the customer.
The hull is a monocoque design made from high hardness steel and able to provide protection from small arms fire and has direct fire ballistic armour and protection against mines or improvised explosive devices. The troop seats are also anti-mine seats and the baseline vehicle is fitted with a laser warning system.
This article first appeared in Australian Defence Magazine VOL.23 No.4, April 2015