Light Tanks... de toekomst ?

[Huzaar1]

Italie kennende heeft het de meest baggere centauro's gegeven die er rondreden.

Europa, als we allemaal zo mondjesmaat steun blijven geven gaat dit niets voor ons oplossen.

[Harald]

Een B1 Centauro-tankjager in actie in Oekraïne (screenshot).
78e Aparte Aanvalsregiment

Italiaanse tankjagers rukken op in Oekraïne: voertuigen van het type "Centauri" moeten Poetins troepen met bliksemsnelheid aanvallen.

Het Italiaanse B1 Centauro antitankkanon wordt nu ingezet in de oorlog in Oekraïne . Volgens National Interest zijn de voertuigen gespot aan de frontlinie in de regio Soemy. Daar ondersteunt de tankjager het 78e Aparte Aanvalsregiment bij de verdediging tegen Russische aanvallen. De voertuigen zijn uitgerust met speciale anti-drone-beschermingssystemen ter versterking van hun lichte bepantsering

Snelheid in plaats van zwaar pantser
De B1 Centauro verschilt aanzienlijk van conventionele gevechtstanks. Hij is sneller en wendbaarder, maar ook minder gepantserd. Met een topsnelheid van 108 km/u kan hij snel aanvallen en zich terugtrekken voordat de vijand kan reageren.

Het belangrijkste wapen is een 105 mm kanon dat diverse NAVO-standaardmunitie kan afvuren. Met een bereik tot drie kilometer is het een effectief wapen tegen vijandelijke tanks. 

Vergelijking met de Franse AMX-10RC
De B1 Centauro wordt vaak vergeleken met de Franse AMX-10RC, die Parijs ook aan Oekraïne leverde. Hoewel de AMX-10RC als lichte tank ook wordt gebruikt voor verkenningsmissies, is de Centauro een pure tankjager. Zijn rol is om vijandelijke voertuigen selectief te vernietigen en zich vervolgens snel terug te trekken.

Voordelen op Oekraïens grondgebied
Volgens National Interest biedt de B1 Centauro cruciale voordelen in Oekraïens terrein. Dankzij de vierwielaandrijving en een speciaal stuursysteem kan hij zich moeiteloos door modderige wegen manoeuvreren. Dit is vooral belangrijk in de herfst en lente, wanneer regen en dooi het terrein moeilijk begaanbaar maken.

Italië levert oudere modellen
Oekraïne heeft blijkbaar oudere modellen van de B1 Centauro ontvangen, aangezien Italië nu een gemoderniseerde versie met een krachtiger 120mm-kanon produceert. Het aantal geleverde voertuigen is onbekend. De behoefte aan dergelijke voertuigen is echter groot, aangezien de oorlog al meer dan drie jaar woedt en de Oekraïense strijdkrachten dringend versterking nodig hebben.

Italiaanse tankjagers trekken Oekraïne binnen: 'Centauri'-tanks moeten Poetins troepen met bliksemsnelheid aanvallen - FOCUS online https://share.google/KMwc9jfOW2uVp6KeJ

[Huzaar1]

over die "patinage à roulettes" waren de Oekraïners toch wel tevreden, volgens mij. De inzet zal op dezelfde wijze zijn.

it is very lightly armored, so despite its cannon being capable of attacking and destroying heavy armored vehicles, it is not used in tank-to-tank combat. Instead, it is a reconnaissance and support vehicle, used for harassment maneuvers, reconnaissance, and support for ground operations. It seems that the Ukrainians are now better understanding the capabilities of the AMX-10 RCR.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-land-defense/land-defense-2024/ukraine-release-picture-of-french-beloved-amx-10rcr-serving-with-37-marine-infantry-brigade

Ik denk dat ze ook zeer handig zijn.

[Harald]

Niet anders dan de Franse rolschaatsen.

over die "patinage à roulettes" waren de Oekraïners toch wel tevreden, volgens mij. De inzet zal op dezelfde wijze zijn.

it is very lightly armored, so despite its cannon being capable of attacking and destroying heavy armored vehicles, it is not used in tank-to-tank combat. Instead, it is a reconnaissance and support vehicle, used for harassment maneuvers, reconnaissance, and support for ground operations. It seems that the Ukrainians are now better understanding the capabilities of the AMX-10 RCR.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-land-defense/land-defense-2024/ukraine-release-picture-of-french-beloved-amx-10rcr-serving-with-37-marine-infantry-brigade

[Huzaar1]

Niet anders dan de Franse rolschaatsen.

[Harald]

Ik ben erg benieuwd hoe deze B1 Centauro's het gaan doen in de Oekraïne !
Jammer genoeg is deze uitgevoerd met een 105mm en nog niet met de 120mm, zoals bij de B2

Ukraine Fields Italy's Centauro B1 8x8 Fire Support Combat Vehicle

Ukraine's 78th Separate Airborne Assault Regiment has shown newly delivered Italian Centauro B1 wheeled gun vehicles in unit footage, confirming a transfer long rumored in defense circles. The deployment adds a mobile, tank-gun caliber option that can sprint to reinforce sectors, bolster recon elements, and deliver direct fire without tracked-tank logistics.

On 1 November 2025, Ukraine's 78th Separate Airborne Assault Regiment publicly showcased newly delivered Italian Centauro B1fire support combat vehicles, providing the first clear visual confirmation of a transfer that had been reported in Ukrainian and international defence media since 2023. The published footage shows vehicles already adapted to Ukrainian battlefield conditions and integrated into frontline formations, which indicates the delivery is operational rather than symbolic. This matters because it introduces into Ukrainian service a class of mobile, gun-armed platforms able to reinforce sectors quickly, support reconnaissance elements and deliver direct fire without the logistical weight of tracked tanks. It also signals that Italy continues to supply Kyiv with combat-capable systems even while keeping exact quantities confidential.

The Centauro B1 is an 8x8 wheeled fire support combat vehicle built around the Italian Oto Melara 105 mm gun, conceived from the outset to give cavalry, reconnaissance and medium forces a weapon with the firepower of a tank but the mobility and low operating cost of a wheeled platform. It typically carries a four-person crew in a NATO-standard layout, mounting a fully traversable turret with a stabilized main gun able to fire the full range of NATO 105 mm ammunition against armored targets, fortified enemy positions and field obstacles. Because the vehicle is lighter than a main battle tank and sits on wheels, it can travel long distances on roads, redeploy between brigades and be transported by military cargo aircraft more easily than tracked heavy armor. The vehicles displayed by the 78th Regiment carry Ukrainian-specific modifications, including anti-cumulative grilles and a folding field grill attached to the hull, intended to defeat or at least degrade shaped-charge and tandem-charge munitions frequently used by Russian ATGMs and drones. This shows that Ukraine is not merely receiving the vehicle but immediately tailoring it to the realities of the current front.

Developed in Italy in the 1980s and fielded in the early 1990s, the Centauro family emerged from a very clear Italian requirement: to have a fast, road-mobile, gun-armed vehicle capable of countering enemy armor and supporting peace-support or expeditionary operations without deploying heavy tracked formations. Over time, the B1 variant and its successors received better sights, improved fire-control systems and add-on protection packages, allowing the vehicle to stay relevant as threats evolved. Italian forces used the Centauro in the Balkans, in Lebanon and in Iraq, where commanders appreciated its ability to patrol wide areas, arrive first, show credible firepower and then withdraw or redeploy without damage to roads or a heavy maintenance burden. Ukraine is now inserting the same logic into its own force structure: use a wheeled gun system to fill the space between light reconnaissance vehicles and tanks, and to give airborne or air-assault formations a direct-fire asset they can actually move quickly across the theater.

When compared with other platforms familiar to Ukrainian crews, the Centauro B1 occupies a distinctive niche. Against legacy Soviet-designed tracked tanks such as the T-64 or T-72, it does not compete on armor thickness, a point even Ukrainian soldiers jokingly make in the video released by the 78th Regiment, where one paratrooper says he prefers thicker armor but still names the Centauro as the best tank, adding that the worst tank is the one they do not have. That remark is revealing: current Ukrainian operations are not only about maximum protection, but also about having enough mobile, serviceable platforms to move firepower where it is needed. Compared with other wheeled systems received by Ukraine, such as France's AMX-10RC, the Italian vehicle is closer to a dedicated wheeled tank destroyer, with a mature 105 mm turret, a long service history and a design optimized for European road and mixed terrain. Historically, it can be likened to other wheeled tank destroyers such as South Africa's Rooikat or later 8x8 gun platforms, but with the advantage of decades of NATO use and a clear doctrine of rapid displacement, fire, and relocation. Its lower logistical footprint, reduced wear on roads, and ability to be sustained with fewer tracked-specific spares give it an advantage in a war where Ukraine must constantly shuttle forces from one axis to another.

The strategic implications are broader than the number of vehicles, which Rome has not disclosed and is unlikely to make public, in line with its usual policy on defense aid. Geopolitically, the appearance of Centauro B1s in Ukrainian markings shows that Italy is ready to transfer systems that have an offensive character, vehicles that can hunt armor, support assaults and interdict movements, while still avoiding the political optics of sending heavy main battle tanks. Geostrategically, it supports Ukraine's effort to build a mixed, flexible force able to defend and counterattack along very long front lines and interior road networks, where speed of reinforcement can be more decisive than maximum armor. Militarily, it gives Ukrainian commanders an extra tool: a fast direct-fire element suited for reconnaissance-in-force, rapid reinforcement of threatened sectors, escort of supply columns in contested areas, and ambush of enemy mechanized thrusts from secondary roads. Its presence will force Russian planners to dedicate more drones, precision ATGMs and artillery observation to track and neutralize a new mobile threat, which in turn dilutes Russian attention from heavier Ukrainian formations.

The frontline imagery and the short exchange recorded next to the vehicle are not anecdotal. They show crews accepting the Centauro as a useful addition, even when individual soldiers say they still prefer tracks, thicker armor or diesel smell in the morning. That human element is important in 2025: Ukrainian units are operating a very heterogeneous fleet made of Soviet-era tanks, Western IFVs, locally modified MRAPs and now Italian wheeled tank destroyers. A platform that is easy to drive, quick to service and already adapted with Ukrainian anti-cumulative kits will be used more often, and every vehicle that actually goes forward increases the overall resilience of the force.

This latest visual confirmation therefore does more than confirm a delivery rumored since 2023. It shows that European partners, including Italy, are continuing to feed Ukraine with combat platforms tailored for mobile, high-tempo warfare; it accelerates the Westernization of Ukrainian airborne and assault regiments; and it underlines Kyiv's capacity to absorb, modify and field foreign equipment under fire. With Centauro B1s now seen on Ukrainian soil, the message is clear: even discreet transfers can have tangible battlefield effects when the receiving army knows how to integrate them quickly, protect them against current threats and employ them where their mobility and firepower matter most.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/ukraine-fields-italys-centauro-b1-8x8-wheeled-armored-fighting-vehicle

[Huzaar1]

Volgens mij is het Slowakije.
De Tsjechen hebben net Leopard 2A4 van Duitsland geleverd gekregen en willen A8 en zijn ook met ontwikkeling van Panther van Rheinmetall bezig.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/01/15/slovakia-considers-cv90120-leopards-to-replace-soviet-era-tanks/

Ja, 1 van die 2

[Harald]

Hoezo niet? Ze hebben zelf in huis het hele systeem ontwikkeld zonder klant. Dit is gewoon een logische stap naar bekend NAVO kanon, kaliber en dus munitie. Het maakt het systeem nog aantrekkelijker.

Dat er een klant is geloof ik ook wel: tjechie.

Volgens mij is het Slowakije.
De Tsjechen hebben net Leopard 2A4 van Duitsland geleverd gekregen en willen A8 en zijn ook met ontwikkeling van Panther van Rheinmetall bezig.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/01/15/slovakia-considers-cv90120-leopards-to-replace-soviet-era-tanks/

[Huzaar1]

Als ik dit zo lees is er dus al een toekomstige klant anders gaat een bedrijf dit niet doen.
En die had dus specifieke eis voor dit type kanon.
Ook voor de verkoopafdeling is dit goed nieuws dat er nu 2 types zijn namelijk de Duitse of Zwitserse versie,

Hoezo niet? Ze hebben zelf in huis het hele systeem ontwikkeld zonder klant. Dit is gewoon een logische stap naar bekend NAVO kanon, kaliber en dus munitie. Het maakt het systeem nog aantrekkelijker.

Dat er een klant is geloof ik ook wel: tjechie.

[Umbert]

Als ik dit zo lees is er dus al een toekomstige klant anders gaat een bedrijf dit niet doen.
En die had dus specifieke eis voor dit type kanon.
Ook voor de verkoopafdeling is dit goed nieuws dat er nu 2 types zijn namelijk de Duitse of Zwitserse versie,

[Harald]

nog wat extra info ;

New CV90120 with L44A1 120 mm gun brings full tank firepower at half the weight.

BAE Systems Hägglunds and Rheinmetall Weapon and Ammunition will test a CV90120 prototype equipped with the Rheinmetall L44A1 120 mm low-recoil gun to evaluate how a lighter tracked platform could reach the firepower of main battle tanks.

On October 8, 2025, BAE Systems Hägglunds and Rheinmetall Weapon and Ammunition signed an agreement to test a CV90120 prototype fitted with the Rheinmetall L44A1 120 mm low-recoil (LR) gun on the CV90 Mk IV chassis. This variant will provide a lighter tracked vehicle capable of using standard NATO 120×570 mm ammunition while maintaining reduced structural load and improved deployment flexibility compared with main battle tanks.

The 120 mm L/44 represents one of the most widely used tank gun standards in NATO service. The original L/44 gun features a 44-calibre barrel length of approximately 5.28 meters, producing muzzle velocities near 1,650 m/s with standard kinetic rounds. The L/44A1 version maintains the same barrel length and chamber geometry but incorporates structural reinforcements, improved steel alloys, and modified recoil systems to handle higher chamber pressures and longer service life. Compared to the standard L/44, the A1 version can fire all existing NATO 120 mm rounds while supporting newer high-pressure types such as the DM63A1 and DM73 kinetic energy projectiles. This provides compatibility across legacy and next-generation ammunition while reducing the impulse transmitted to the host platform.

The L44A1 gun can employ a wide range of ammunition, including programmable high-explosive rounds such as the DM11 and advanced kinetic penetrators. The DM11 offers three fuzing modes, airburst, delay, and point detonation, with an effective range of up to 5,000 meters, while kinetic rounds such as the DM63A1 achieve armor penetration levels exceeding 600 mm RHA at 2,000 meters when fired from L/44-class barrels. The system also accommodates practice ammunition such as DM88 and DM98, allowing reduced wear during training. Typical cartridge masses range from 18 to 29 kg, and sustained firing rates reach 6–10 rounds per minute depending on turret automation and ammunition stowage configuration. These figures define the energy and handling envelope for any vehicle-mounted adaptation of the L44A1 gun.

Rheinmetall's L44A1 Low Recoil variant employs an enhanced recoil management system combining longer recoil travel, optimized buffer assemblies, and optional muzzle devices to lower peak impulse without reducing projectile energy beyond acceptable thresholds. The system can absorb and distribute firing loads across a lighter turret structure, making it suitable for 30–40 tonne class vehicles. The barrel life is extended beyond the standard 400–500 effective full charges typical of earlier L/44 guns, while the use of temperature-independent propellants stabilizes performance under extreme environmental conditions. These technical choices distribute firing loads more evenly and reduce stress concentrations on turret structures, allowing lighter vehicles, such as the CV90120, to sustain repeated firing cycles without measurable loss of accuracy or component alignment.

In order to integrate the L44A1 LR optimally, the CV90120 is equipped with a reinforced chassis, upgraded recoil mounts, and stabilized suspension designed to maintain structural rigidity and firing precision during both stationary and mobile engagements. The Swedish light tank has a length of approximately 6.6 meters, a width of 3.3 meters, and a height of around 2.8 meters, depending on sighting systems. Combat weight ranges between 35 and 37 tonnes, depending on armor configuration. It is powered by a Scania diesel engine developing up to 1,000 horsepower, coupled to an automatic transmission providing top speeds of 70 km/h on the road and about 40 km/h in reverse. The autoloading turret holds around 45–50 rounds of ready and reserve ammunition, enabling a sustained firing rate similar to heavier tanks while keeping crew size to four.

The CV90 incorporates active damping suspension, a reinforced transmission, rubber band tracks, and an upgraded electronic architecture with full digital fire control capable of programming advanced munitions. An active protection system, modular armor packages, and advanced situational awareness sensors enhance survivability. The turret design allows integration of roof-mounted 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm secondary weapons and launchers for smoke or countermeasure grenades. These systems allow the CV90120 to deliver direct fire support, anti-armor, and area engagement missions at long ranges while maintaining high mobility and reduced logistical footprint compared to traditional main battle tanks.

The integration of Rheinmetall's 120 mm L44A1 Low Recoil gun onto the CV90120 prototype allows a lighter tracked vehicle to deliver main battle tank–level firepower while remaining within the mobility and transport limits of the CV90 family. By reducing recoil forces, the system enables accurate firing without requiring the mass or structural reinforcement of a heavy tank turret. This new variant of the CV90120 can fire standard NATO 120×570 mm ammunition, simplifying logistics and training for the armed forces already using this calibre. This approach provides greater tactical flexibility, faster deployment, and lower operating costs, as the vehicle consumes less fuel and imposes less wear on drivetrains. The integration of the L44A1 also expands the CV90's operational interest, creating a variant that distributes direct-fire capability across lighter, more mobile units while maintaining interoperability with existing ammunition and maintenance networks

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/new-cv90120-with-l44a1-120-mm-gun-brings-full-tank-firepower-at-half-the-weight

[Harald]

Wat ik nu lees was de integratie van de L44 in de CV90-120 al wel de bedoeling, dus daar hebben ze nu de stappen voor gezet. Zie hieronder een deel van het artikel.

"We see that everybody understands that you can't cross a certain tonnage anymore because you just can't get the vehicle where you need to bring it. And it's the same with logistics: if you go over that 60- or 50-tonne range you suddenly need different bridgelayers, you suddenly need different trucks, etc."

Speaking of the CV90120's 120 mm main gun, Turkcan said, "I call her the old lady. Why? Because we've been shooting with her since 1999. This is not new. It's just that the world wasn't ready, yet, but now it is.

"So we are now working on modernising the 120 [mm gun] because each time I'm at the firing range, showing the 120, everybody's super happy and asks me, 'Tarkan, can I please have a look inside?' and then I say, 'I'd rather not,' because it's an old system. So we need to upgrade this to the level of what we see today."

Showing an image of the inside of a CV90MkIIC Dutch vehicle, Turkcan said of the upgraded CV9020 turret, "It will be the same buttons, it will be the same switches, so the gunners immediately recognise it, but like I said: stay small, don't get heavy, you need to fit everywhere. Stay a small target because size does matter. Forty-two tonnes max[imum]; do not cross this."

Regarding additional upgrades to the vehicle, Turkcan said, "What we're also working on is releasable fuel barrels to give you additional strategic range. We can add any type of sensors, of course, in the future, but let's be honest: it's all about the gun, so we're looking together with Rheinmetall for the L44A1 high-pressure barrel because that's the barrel that will fire the newer round, which will be available in 2026."

In terms of the vehicle's ammunition loadout, Turkcan said the upgraded CV90120's magazine will carry 56 ready-to-fire rounds plus another 28.


https://euro-sd.com/2024/06/major-news/38937/the-time-is-now-for-cv90120/

[Harald]

Rheinmetall ondersteunt BAE Systems bij de integratie van het 120mm-kanon in de CV90120 https://share.google/O7N74DqKsEpEhFeOG

Rheinmetall ondersteunt BAE Systems bij de integratie van het 120mm-kanon in de CV90120

BAE Systems Hägglunds werkt samen met Rheinmetall Weapon and Ammunition om het 120 mm L44A1 Low Recoil (LR) wapensysteem van de Duitse fabrikant te integreren in het nieuwste CV90-voertuig, met de aanduiding CV90120.

Volgens BAE Systems is de L44A1 LR in kaliber 120 mm van Rheinmetall een hogedrukkanon met uitstekende prestaties dat compatibel is met alle standaard NATO 120 mm-projectielen, waaronder de programmeerbare 3-modus hoog-explosieve (HE) DM11-projectielen en de verbeterde KE-projectielen van Rheinmetall.

    In de eerste versies van de CV90-120 zat er altijd een Zwitserse RUAG 120mm Compact Tank Gun (CTG) smoothbore kanon in. Dat wordt dus nu het Duitse Rheinmetall L44 kanon.

Waarom deze keuze ? deze verandering van type kanon ? Beide zijn 120mm en kunnen alle NAVO munitie schieten.

Of is er al een klant met een voorkeur, wens/eis ?
Zo ja, dat zou dat de eerste afnemer worden van de CV90-120. Brazilie , Slowakije ?   

[Harald]

Rheinmetall ondersteunt BAE Systems bij de integratie van het 120mm-kanon in de CV90120 https://share.google/O7N74DqKsEpEhFeOG

Rheinmetall ondersteunt BAE Systems bij de integratie van het 120mm-kanon in de CV90120

BAE Systems Hägglunds werkt samen met Rheinmetall Weapon and Ammunition om het 120 mm L44A1 Low Recoil (LR) wapensysteem van de Duitse fabrikant te integreren in het nieuwste CV90-voertuig, met de aanduiding CV90120.

Volgens BAE Systems is de L44A1 LR in kaliber 120 mm van Rheinmetall een hogedrukkanon met uitstekende prestaties dat compatibel is met alle standaard NATO 120 mm-projectielen, waaronder de programmeerbare 3-modus hoog-explosieve (HE) DM11-projectielen en de verbeterde KE-projectielen van Rheinmetall.

De nieuwe CV90120 van BAE Systems is gebaseerd op het nieuwste CV90MkIV-chassis en biedt volgens de fabrikant hogere snelheden, een verbeterde elektronische architectuur, actieve demping, een nieuwe motor, een krachtige transmissie en een actief beschermingssysteem. De CV90120 combineert de vuurkracht van een moderne gevechtstank met de strategische en tactische mobiliteit van het CV90-infanteriegevechtsvoertuig en levert zware, directe vuurkracht tegen aanzienlijk lagere kosten, aldus BAE Systems.

"Onze klanten zullen profiteren van de gecombineerde expertise en middelen van onze twee bedrijven, wat resulteert in een oplossing die verbeterde vuurkracht, bescherming en mobiliteit biedt - een winnende combinatie op het moderne slagveld", aldus Tarkan Turkcan, platformdirecteur van CV90, volgens de verklaring.

[Harald]

Slovakia evaluates light tanks choosing between BAE's CV90120 and a Turkish-made tank

Voor mijn gevoel is de keuze niet zo moeilijk, zeker omdat Slowakije ook al een order heeft lopen van 1,3 miljard euro voor 152 CV90-35 voertuigen voor hun Landmacht.
Met dezelfde type toren (D-type) als wij hebben ontwikkeld in de NL-MLU van onze CV90-35, dus ook met Spike raketten en APS Iron Fist. 

https://www.czdefence.com/article/slovakia-signs-contract-for-152-cv90-vehicles-czech-republic-to-be-the-next-cv90-user
https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/bae-systems-signs-contract-with-slovakias-koval-systems-for-cv90-production