Documents
Italy Leonardo
C1 Ariete
Italy's indigenous main battle tank, jointly developed by Iveco and Oto Melara (now part of Leonardo) with a locally produced 120 mm smoothbore gun. It equips the Italian Army's armored brigades and is being succeeded by the jointly developed Italian-German Main Ground Combat System.
In service since 1995 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
65
km/h
550
km range
22.8
hp/t
120
mm gun
54,000
kg
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Italian export-licensed
UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 1995. Status: active · ~200 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the C1 Ariete can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 65 km/h |
|---|---|
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 550 km |
| Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility. | 22.8 hp/t |
| Muzzle velocity Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration. | 1,650 m/s |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 120 mm smoothbore |
|---|---|
| Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods. | 7.62 mm coaxial + 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun |
| Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters. | 120 mm |
| Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity. | 42 |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified. | Modular composite armor |
|---|---|
| Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets. | No |
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | smoke grenade launchers |
| NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments. | Yes |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 9.67 m |
|---|---|
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 3.6 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 2.5 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 54,000 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 4 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | Fiat-Iveco V12 MTCA turbocharged diesel |
|---|---|
| Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster. | 1,200 hp |
| Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume. | 950 L |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Diesel |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | TURMS-T fire control, thermal imaging sight |
|---|---|
| Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations. | Yes |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 200 |
|---|---|
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public Leonardo and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Leonardo C1 Ariete? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete has a maximum speed of 65 km/h.
What is the range of the Leonardo C1 Ariete? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete has a maximum range of 550 km.
How much does the Leonardo C1 Ariete weigh? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete has a combat weight of 54,000 kg.
How many crew does the Leonardo C1 Ariete require? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the Leonardo C1 Ariete? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete's primary weapon is the 120 mm smoothbore.
What engine does the Leonardo C1 Ariete use? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete is powered by the Fiat-Iveco V12 MTCA turbocharged diesel.
What is the Leonardo C1 Ariete used for? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Leonardo C1 Ariete? +
The Leonardo C1 Ariete is operated by 1 countries.
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