In 1982, the Italian military decided on their requirements for the main battle tank. In 1984, the technical conditions for its production were agreed with the industrial enterprises, and they began work on the main subsystems of the future machine. The first prototype of the S-1 "Ariente" tank was built in 1986, by 1988 the entire experimental batch of 6 vehicles was ready, which were transferred to the army for testing. By the spring of next year, the tanks had already covered 16,000 km, and the first vehicle produced crossed the 6400 km mark. The tests were deemed successful and the tanks were put into mass production. By August 2002, the Italian army received all the ordered tanks in the amount of 200 pieces.
It is worth noting that the development of the Italian tank building school all the time went with a significant lag behind its main competitors. Italy entered the Second World War with tanks that did not meet the requirements of the time. After the war, Italy formed its armored forces by purchasing equipment abroad. There is nothing surprising in the fact that in the 80s, when the country needed its own MBT, Italian designers decided to actively use the experience of German tank builders. As a result, the appearance of the C1 "Ariente" shows a rather strong influence of such tanks as the "Leopard-2" and the American M1 Abrams.
Tank layout
The S-1 "Ariente" tank is made according to the classic layout and practically repeats the "Leopard-2". The control compartment with the driver's seat is located at the front and is shifted to the starboard side. The tank is controlled using the steering wheel. The driver's hatch cover pivots and rises to the left. It has 3 forward-looking periscopes, one of which can be replaced with a non-illuminated IR periscope for driving at night. The turret of the tank is centered on the hull and contains 3 crew members. On the right in the tower are the gunner (in front and below) and the tank commander, the loader is on the left. In the rear of the tank there is an engine-transmission (MTS) compartment.
The hull and turret of the MBT are a fully welded structure with multi-layer combined armor in the bash, including its side parts, and in the upper frontal part of the hull, located at a significant angle of inclination. The turret of the tank is wedge-shaped in frontal projection, with a developed aft niche. The lower frontal part, sides and rear of the tank have single-layer armor. Additional protection against small cumulative ammunition is provided by side screens made of reinforced rubber (6 sections per side). At the same time, the size of the frontal armor used is somewhat smaller than on foreign counterparts. The exact levels of protection of the tank are unknown, but according to statements by a number of foreign analysts, the armor of the tank provides protection only against 105-mm armor-piercing shells and from the cumulative parts of most light anti-tank systems. The tank does not have reactive armor and, apparently, there are no plans to equip it. In this case, an increase in armor is provided through the use of applied modules.
The total thickness of the frontal armor, according to experts, reaches 600 mm. At the same time, the side walls of the tower are noticeably weaker, the armor is up to 150 mm. The side walls are weakened by the presence of holes (under the FVU, under the hatch for the ejection of sleeves). The armor of the rear plate of the tower is even thinner, but some additional protection is provided by the tower basket for storing spare parts. At the rear of the turret there are 2 double-leaf knockout panels, which ensure the combustion of shots without turning into detonation of the ammunition load. There is an armored partition between them and the fighting compartment. The inner surface of the tower is equipped with a splinter-resistant Kevlar lining.
Fire control system
The tank is equipped with a universal modular LMS TURMS manufactured by Offichine Galileo, and the same system is also installed on the V-1 wheeled tank destroyer. A slightly modified version of this MSA with increased vertical aiming of the sight should also be received by the VCC-80 BMP. It is expected that this will be the first time in history that one type of OMS will be used on three different types of machines. This commonality, according to the Italian designers, will lead to significant cost savings, as well as simplify the logistics of parts.
The main elements of this system are the main stabilized periscope sight of the gunner with a laser rangefinder, the stabilized panoramic day sight of the commander, a ballistic computer, a system of sensors for firing conditions, a system for the initial position of the muzzle and information control panels for the commander, gunner and loader. The commander's scope provides 2, 5 and 10x magnification. For night observation, the thermal image from the gunner's sight is displayed on a separate display at the commander's workplace. At the same time, on the tanks of the last years of production, the commander received a separate thermal imager. Developed in cooperation with French company SFIM, the roof-mounted sight can be rotated 360 degrees and provides vertical guidance in the range from -10 to +60 degrees, the head of the tank commander remains stationary when turning the sight head.
The gunner's sight mounted on the roof combines 4 main modules (observation unit, main stabilized head mirror, thermal imaging unit and laser rangefinder) with one embrasure, which is protected by armored curtains that open in both directions. The sight provides 5x magnification. Day and thermal night vision with wide and narrow fields of view is provided through a common head mirror.
The ballistic computer is responsible for all calculations for shooting, controls the optical sight and laser rangefinder, ensures the operation of the servos, and rotates the gun to the target. The calculator provides the system with a transition from the normal control mode to the redundant mode, in the event that a partial failure of the system elements occurs. Sensors of the TURMS system provide the ballistic computer with data on the position of the tank in space, wear of the weapon, and meteorological information. The meteorological sensor and the wind sensor are installed on the roof of the tank tower.
C1 "Ariente" is able to fire at stationary and mobile targets from a place or on the move. The LMS allows the tank commander to transfer the detected target to the gunner, and to search for new targets himself. The gunner's duplicate sight is represented by a coaxial telescopic sight with 8x magnification and 3 manually selectable reticle.
Armament
The main means of destruction of targets on the tank is a 120-mm smoothbore gun with a barrel length of 44 caliber, stabilized in two planes. The gun is equipped with a heat-insulating casing, an ejector, and a system for monitoring the initial position of the muzzle. The gun was developed by OTO Mahler on the basis of the German Rh-120 tank gun, visually distinguished by a more compact ejector. In terms of ballistics, the gun is not much different from its German prototype. The trunk tilt angles range from -9 to +20 degrees.
The chamber of this gun is identical in size to the 120-mm smoothbore guns installed on the Leopard-2 and M1A1 Abrams, so their ammunition is fully compatible. The full ammunition load of the gun consists of 42 rounds. 27 of them are located to the left of the driver in the hull of the tank, 15 more are in the turret niche and are separated from the fighting compartment by armored flaps. The rate of fire of the gun in combat conditions is 5-7 rounds per minute, after the use of the first stage shells is reduced to 2-3 rounds per minute.
In a stationary armored mask to the right of the gun is a 7.62 mm machine gun paired with it, which is fired by an electric gunner, who also has a mechanical backup device. The second 7.62 mm machine gun is mounted on the turret roof and controlled by the tank commander. The machine gun is designed for self-defense and firing low-flying air targets. The tank's survivability in battle is increased through the use of a laser warning system. This system is combined with the Halix universal grenade launcher. Launchers are installed on the sides of the tower - 4 on each side.
Engine and transmission
The heart of the tank is a 12-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine manufactured by FIAT-Iveco. The engine power is 1200 hp. Its short-term boost up to 1300 hp is possible. Specific power ranges from 22 to 25 hp. per ton, which allows the 54-ton C1 "Ariente" to accelerate to 65 km / h. The charging is carried out by means of two turbochargers, which are installed at the rear of the engine. The two main fuel tanks are located in the rear of the fighting compartment. Another auxiliary tank provides fuel when climbing hills or when the tanks are partially empty. Fuel is supplied to the engine by electrically driven pumps.
The engine is connected to an automatic transmission LSG 3000 manufactured by the German company ZF. The transmission provides 4 forward gears and 2 reverse gears, as well as 3 turning and rotation radii of the tank around its axis. Hydromechanical gear shifting device. Emergency mechanical engagement of the second gear in both directions is used as a backup device.
The tank's torsion bar suspension consists of 7 two-wheel rubberized support wheels on each side and 4 support rollers. The steering wheel is front, the drive wheel is rear. All rollers except the fourth and fifth have hydraulic shock absorbers. All 7 suspension balancers on each bot are equipped with hydraulic stops to limit the excessive travel of the road roller.
