The C-1 Ariete main battle tank entered service with Italian army in 1995. Developed by Oto Melara and Iveco this advanced MBT was intended to meet all the 21st century needs for a main battle tank. 200 tanks were ordered by the Italian army and the last delivery was made in 2005.
The Ariete can be compared with all the latest main battle tanks in terms of protection and firepower.
Main armament of the C-1 is a 120-mm L44 smoothbore gun, developed by Otobreda. It fires all available NATO standard 120-mm tank ammunition including armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds. This main battle tank carries a total of 42 rounds for it's main gun. 15 of them are located in the turret, while remaining 27 are stored in the hull. Tanks fire control system allows to engage moving and stationary targets with a great degree of success.
Additional armament consists of two 7.62-mm machine guns. One of them is mounted coaxially with the main gun, while the other on is positioned on top of the turret roof. It also carries electronically operated smoke grenade dischargers, for visual protection against enemy attacks.
This main battle tank is powered by a Fiat 12-cylinder diesel engine, developing 1 250 horsepower. Engine is coupled with an automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. It has a maximum road speed of 65 km/h.
Currently an improved version with an L55 gun barrel has been developed. This version features better fire accuracy and is ready for production on demand.