Centauro I 105 R

Centauro I 105 R

Centauro I 105

Centauro I 120

Centauro I 105 R

Centauro I 105

Centauro I 120

Italy

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.7	9.7

Class:

Light tank

Research:110 000

Purchase:620 000

Description

The Blindo pesante Centauro, Serie 2, ROMOR is a Rank VI Italian tank destroyer with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB) and 9.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?

If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	123	25	28	739	992	26.39	35.43
Realistic	110	23		460	520	16.43	18.57

The Centauro I 105 R has impressive mobility on roads and decent on hard surfaces due to the wheeled chassis. However it lacks mobility in mud and snow which leads to disadvantage because most of the top-rank vehicles that it would face are faster off-road.

Armaments

Main armament

Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.

Machine guns

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

Usage in battles

Like the Centauro, the Centauro ROMOR is extremely fast. It should be played in a similar way to its predecessor, using mobility to get to advantageous positions quickly, however, new tools give it more options. ERA will occasionally save you from ATGMs and HEAT ammo, especially hitting your side armour or turret. Access to a new APFSDS shot allows it to engage targets with thicker armour than what the standard Centauro could penetrate, allowing it to more easily kill MBTs with composite armour. Speed is still your greatest strength, so remember that you will almost always be able to move faster than your opponents.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Added ERA improves protection against HEAT ammo and ATGMs
• APFSDS offers improved penetration to APDS ammunition
• Extremely mobile

Cons:

• ERA increases the weight of the vehicle, slightly decreasing mobility
• Still has very poor protection against AP ammunition

History

Development of the B1 Centauro began during the 1980s after the Italian Army issued a set of requirements for a new vehicle that would have equivalent firepower to the Leopard 1 MBT in Italian service at the time, but with greater combat mobility.

In response to this, the Italian companies Fiat, Iveco and Oto Melara joined forces to begin developing the vehicle requested by the Italian Army. In this joint venture, Fiat and Iveco were developing the vehicle’s hull and power supply, whilst Oto Melara took care of the vehicle’s turret and weapon systems.

In 1986, the final prototype of the B1 Centauro project was unveiled on Sardinia. The presented vehicle was an eight-wheeled lightly armored tank destroyer, equipped with a derived modification of the L7 105mm cannon, capable of reaching a very high top speed and covering large distances under its own power.

Impressed by the B1 Centauro, the Italian Military placed orders for a number of vehicles, with the first ones entering service as early as 1992. Early on in its service life, the Centauro received an ERA upgrade package that allowed for the installation of ROMOR ERA packs on the vehicle’s hull and turret sides as well as rear.

B1 Centauros took part in most major conflicts that defined the ‘90s and early 2000s, most notably in former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and others. Apart from the Italian Army, other noteworthy operators of the Centauro include Spain, Jordan and Oman.

Around 400 B1 Centauros were built until 2006, including some other derived modifications of the vehicle filling other roles. The B1 Centauro still serves with the Italian as well as other armed forces to this day.

- From Devblog

Media

Skin and Camouflages for the Centauro ROMOR in Warthunder Live.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] B1 Centauro: The Wheeled Cheetah
• [Wikipedia] B1 Centauro