Centauro B1 Vehicles Transferred by Italy Upgraded for the Ukrainian Battlefield

Ukrainian paratroopers have reinforced the protection of the Centauro B1 “wheeled tanks,” provided as part of Italy’s military aid, to adapt them to the realities of the Ukrainian battlefield.

Footage featuring the armored vehicles was published by the press service of the 78th Separate Air Assault Regiment in a video marking Air Assault Forces Day.

According to the released video, the protection of the Centauro B1 has been enhanced with spaced metal anti-drone screens and a complex mesh “grill” structure.

Although these screens do not provide substantial protection against shaped-charge warheads, they significantly reduce the blast impact of explosive munitions on the armor, helping to prevent penetration. In addition, the screens are fitted with extra “spikes” made from unraveled cables, designed to push the FPV drone’s detonation point farther away from the vehicle’s armor. This way, when a drone attacks at a sharp angle, the shaped-charge jet may completely disperse.

The turret is covered with a complex fabric “grill” structure that does not interfere with the use of the gun or the vehicle’s hatches. Another advantage of this design is that an enemy FPV drone might fail to detonate upon hitting the fabric mesh.

It’s worth noting that the additional armor has been well designed and fully covers the vehicle from all possible attack directions.

Meanwhile, the vehicle’s base armor protects it all around against 14.5 mm rounds, while the frontal arc is protected against 25 mm armor-piercing rounds.

The 78th Air Assault Regiment showcased the Italian-supplied vehicles for the first time in early November, releasing a video featuring the armored vehicle alongside one of its soldiers.

Unofficial reports about the transfer of Centauro B1s to Ukraine had been circulating since 2023, but visual confirmation has only appeared now.

The number of vehicles delivered to the Ukrainian army remains unknown, as Italy traditionally does not disclose details of its defense shipments.

The Centauro B1 has a combat weight of 24 tons and compact dimensions, allowing it to be transported by military transport aircraft.

The turret is equipped with a Oto Melara 105mm gun, which is the Italian version of the well-known British L7. This rifled gun, like the Leopard 1 tanks, uses standard NATO single-piece rounds, providing high accuracy and firepower. This gives the vehicle an advantage over the AMX-10 RCs supplied by France, which, despite also having a 105 mm caliber, use a different type of ammunition that is not compatible with L7 guns.