Ariete PSO

This page is about the Italian medium tank Ariete PSO. For other versions, see Ariete (Family).

Ariete PSO

Ariete (P)

Ariete

Ariete PSO

Ariete (P)

Ariete

Italy

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.7	11.7	11.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:350 000

Purchase:950 000

Show in game

Description

The C1 Ariete was developed by OTO Melara during the late Cold War to allow the Italian army to equip itself with a modern tank which could easily deal with Yugoslav and Warsaw pact tanks. The PSO (Peace Support Operation) modification entailed additional composite armour blocks on the sides of the tank, mainly to increase crew protection against RPG fire, though they were also found to work well against low level APFSDS and standard HEAT munitions.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the C1 Ariete PSO is one of the slowest variants in the C1 Ariete family of vehicles, due to addition of the add-on armour kit surrounding the sides of the hull and turret. However, this add-on armour package is able to handle most low level autocannon fire from enemies from the BMP family and at times even some APFSDS rounds. The tank can be effective when in use by a player who can work around its lacklustre mobility and relatively weak frontal protection. It can also be a great back up for your top tier lineup if you choose to bring more than 1 variant of the C1 Ariete.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

LWS

Notifies about the vehicle's exposure to laser emissions

Armourfront / side / back

Hull110 / 65 / 20

Turret140 / 60 / 20

Crew4 people

Visibility88 %

The Ariete PSO's armour can withstand some 105 mm APFSDS shells, though the turret can resist some high ranking HEAT-FS shells as well. Though the composite side skirts does not provide much protection against kinetic shells, it does affect HEAT-FS shells in that even if one penetrates, the penetrating projectile does not travel as far into the tank and so reduces the overall damage to the tank (outside of direct hits to the ammunition racks).

A common weak point on the Ariete PSO from the front is the gun mantlet, as some shots may go through the armour and damage the gun breech and/or the crew. When dealing with a shell that can penetrate, the Ariete PSO's left side (right when facing directly at the Ariete) has three ammo racks lined up with each other, and so a frontal penetration at that side of the Ariete has a high chance of detonating these rack, or a shot at the Ariete's left side.

Under normal circumstance however, the Ariete PSO's four crew members make it a relatively survivable tank to drive, as the common knock-out of the gunner and commander with a penetration through the turret will leave just two (loader and driver), allowing the Ariete PSO to withdraw and continue fighting at the expense of a longer reload time.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, internal plates)
• High-hardness rolled armour (hull UFP, turret front)
• Composite armour (turret front)
• Spaced armour (hull UFP, gun mantlet, turret sides)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	Spaced Armour Upper glacis 50 mm (50°) Lower glacis 35 mm (60°) Sponson front	10-20 mm Top 35 mm Bottom	20 mm	35 mm Crew compartment 20 mm Engine compartment 5 mm Exhaust radiators
Turret	Composite armour Turret front Spaced armour + 90 mm Gun mantlet	Spaced armour	20 mm + 10 mm	40 mm Front portion 20 mm Rear portion

Internal armour:

• 20 mm - Upper hull sides
• 35 mm - Upper hull sides
• 10 mm - Between driver and hull ammo rack
• 8 mm - Between crew and engine compartments

Composite/spaced armour	Front	Sides
Hull	Upper glacis 300 - 400+ mm Chemical 235 - 300+ mm Kinetic	Front half 299 mm composite screen
Turret	Turret front 520 - 600+ mm Chemical 380 - 400+ mm Kinetic Gun mantlet 210 - 530+ mm Chemical 175 - 400+ mm Kinetic	Turret side 45 - 400+ mm Chemical 45 - 225+ mm Kinetic 250 mm Composite screen

Notes:

• Tracks and suspension - 20 mm
• Sideskirts - 12 mm
• Fenders - 5 mm
• There is a 10 mm composite screen on the turret roof

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB73 / 52 km/h

RB and SB65 / 47 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight57.0 t

Engine power

AB2 480 hp

RB and SB1 300 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB43.5 hp/t

RB and SB22.8 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)		Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse	Stock	AoA	Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	73	52	56.2	0.8	1,761	2,480	31.33	43.51
Realistic	65	47			1,150	1,300	20.46	22.81

The top speed is similar to other tanks, but the acceleration is bad so take this into consideration with tactical mobility. While the Ariete can't turn well at low speeds, it does have a good neutral turning speed on the spot.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 193 → 6 851

RB4 097 → 6 694

SB5 183 → 8 469

Total cost of modifications278 800

455 000

Talisman cost3 000

Crew training270 000

Experts950 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 210 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

244 / 244 / 244 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 Suspension Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 260 Brake System Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 260 Filters Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Transmission Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Engine Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450	Improved Parts Research: 4 500 Cost: 23 000 360 Improved FPE Research: 3 300 Cost: 17 000 260 Crew Replenishment Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 PSO Tipo 2 Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450	Horizontal Drive Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 360 Adjustment of Fire Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 260 LWS/LR Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 260 Smoke grenade Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 260 Elevation Mechanism Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 NVD Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 Artillery Support Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 450

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm OTO Breda 120/44 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition42 rounds

First-order15 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 20°

The armament of the Ariete PSO is one of the greatest in the game, with a large amount of penetration in every armour-piercing shell. Their performance lines up with other 120 mm guns in other tanks like the Leopard, and so it should be able to deal with the majority of the top-ranking vehicles with consideration of armour weak points and vulnerabilities.

While the Ariete starts off like most other high BR vehicles with HEATFS, that challenge is easily overcome once you get the 1^st round which is DM33, a tier 1 modification which brings its firepower equivalent to the Leopard 2A5 and Type 90. As for a tier 4 modification you get access to the CL3143 APFSDS, which is a powerful round in the game that will be able to dispatch your enemies with some ease.

120 mm OTO Breda 120/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	42	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	6.5	5.75	5.3	5.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
DM12A1	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
DM33	APFSDS	481	478	470	461	450	440
DM53	APFSDS	623	620	610	598	586	573

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM12A1	HEATFS	1,140	13.5	0.05	0.1	2.15	65°	72°	77°
DM33	APFSDS	1,640	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
DM53	APFSDS	1,670	5	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ariete PSO

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	16 (+26)	1 (+41)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Rack 2 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 15 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

Machine guns

7.62 mm Beretta MG42/59 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate801 shots/min

2 x 7.62 mm Beretta MG42/59 machine gun

Ammunition4 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate801 shots/min

7.62 mm Beretta MG42/59
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,600 (200)	801	N/A	N/A
Pintle (Commander) - R	2,000 (200)	801	-8°/+60°	±120°
Pintle (Loader) - L	2,000 (200)	801	-8°/+60°	±120°

Usage in battles

The C1 Ariete PSO has access to a decent round, the DM53 which is able to take care of most top tier MBT's it will face. This specific Ariete has the PSO armour installed, which depending on the angle of the shot, can also protect itself against some 125 mm APFSDS and the majority of low level IFV autocannon fire. Due to the kit which you cannot remove, the Ariete PSO won't win any races with its mobility especially when compared to other NATO MBT's. The best playstyle for the Ariete PSO especially when you are just starting out with it, would be more a supportive one which involves flanking manoeuvres or to stick with your better armoured teammates who can withstand hits from enemy tanks such as Leopard 2A6's. Since the Ariete PSO is one of the weakest top tier MBTs for its battle rating, it is advised to keep your distance and try pick enemies from far away, the PSO can easily sit back and use its powerful DM53 APFSDS round to take care of enemies at range with one hit if you aim right. One great plus about the PSO is that if you are deciding to snipe and an enemy vehicle takes you by suprise, the PSO armour can actually be very useful, it can protect you against a multitude of ATGM's and can negate most autocanon fire. If you are lucky you will have enough time to react and take care of the enemy, most top tier MBT weak spots are present at the lower front of the vehicle. If you manage to flank the enemy team, go for the sides or where the ammunition is stored as that also will usually get rid of an enemy quickly. When playing aggressive you need to rely on fast reflexes otherwise there is a good chance that the 1st hit from a enemy will cripple you or knock you out of battle. The Ariete PSO also has an additional PSO modification but it really doesn't change much so it is not needed. The Ariete PSO also has access to commanders thermals, something the previous vehicle (Ariete (P)) does not have. This will be one of the most useful items in your arsenal and will allow you to better spot enemies from behind cover, as well as quickly engage and disengage without exposing yourself long enough for the enemy to see you coming. If you can master this technique, you'll be able to still be useful despite technically being at a disadvantage when compared to other MBT's. Remember that in Arcade Battles, enemies can easily find out where you are with your name tag and where your weak spots are.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful OTO Breda 120/44 cannon
• Turret armour gives crew good survivability, especially against nearly all HEAT-FS thanks to the PSO armour pack
• Unlike other NATO MBTs, there is no ammo rack in the turret, reducing the chances of an instant knockout if the turret is penetrated
• Fast turret traverse
• Second generation CITV and gunner's sights
• High reverse speed
• Another additional roof-mounted Beretta MG42 to ward off enemy helicopters
• Decent FOV and zoom levels
• Access to DM53

Cons:

• Mobility is subpar, only the Challenger 2 and ZTZ99 are less mobile
• Large lower glacis
• Least armoured MBT in the game
• PSO Tipo 2 doesn't really offer any substantial differences or advantages over the regular PSO armour pack
• Russian tanks with Explosive Reactive Armour are capable of stopping DM53 in certain places and will need careful aiming
• Huge ammo rack next to the driver

History

The history of the C1 Ariete begins during the late stages of the Cold War, with a program born out of the need of the Italian army to modernize the fleet of tanks they had during the Cold War, which were the Leopards and M60s. Those tanks would be considered obsolete, considering the fact that many countries around the world who adopted such designs had either put them out of service or replaced them for something more modern. To make the new Italian MBT, Italy put Iveco and OTO Melara in charge. Iveco dealt with the hull, transmission, and engine, while OTO Melara took care of the turret, cannon, and the installation of sights. After many changes, and a couple of wooden mock-ups, the C1 Ariete (P), would first be shown to the public, at a presentation inside of La Spezia in 1987. Development kept on continuing towards the year of 1990, which allowed both Iveco and OTO Melara to refine the C1 Ariete's design. Deliveries were scheduled to first take place in 1993, however due to some setbacks (likely funding) it wouldn't be until 1995 that the first C1 Ariete production deliveries actually took place. At first an order of 300 tanks would be made, but due to the Cold War coming to an end, it was reduced to only 200 units, which would all finally be delivered on 7th August 2002.

The C1 Ariete had many new advancements that the previous tanks that Italy used could only dream of having. The first C1 Ariete production models had access to the TURMS 3rd generation LTFCS made by Officine Galileo, which gave the capability to the Ariete to fire on the move, both during the day and at night. However later down the line, the last 50 Arietes would receive an upgrade of their sights, which resulted in many improvements, such as giving the C1 Ariete commanders thermal imaging. In terms of armaments, the C1 Ariete (P) and C1 Ariete Production have access to a 120 mm smoothbore gun, made by OTO Melara, with similarities to the German made L44. The Ariete can fire all NATO standard munitions, however as of now the best round that is known the vehicle has in service, would be the CL3143 APFSDS, which is a license-produced version of the M322 Israeli-made round. In 2010 there were plans to buy M338 APFSDS for the C1 Ariete, which was basically DM43 with an improved cap, but nothing came out of it, however as previously mentioned before, if need be the C1 Ariete can fire the majority of NATO standard munitions. The C1 Ariete's armour is currently classified, as it is currently still in service, however CIO (Consorzio Iveco-Oto Melara) claim that it is a mix of steel and composite on both the hull and turret. Most experts claim that the C1 Ariete, at least the first production models, had similar if not better protection than a Leopard 2A4, this does hold some truth as both tanks were designed around the same time.

In terms of the PSO (Peace Support Operation) upgrade, its history would start on 21st December 2000, when between the General Directorate of Land Armaments (now Directorate of Ground Armaments) and the Iveco-OTO Melara Consortium, a contract of sorts was signed, which allowed the C1 Ariete to receive a new armour upgrade, in which 30 sets would be ordered and later on to be installed unto the C1 Ariete. Although it is unknown if all if all the orders would actually end up being complete. The Ariete with PSO would first be seen deployed in Iraq, for Operation Ancient Babylon in 2003. The PSO was made up of additional composite blocks on the side of the tank, these blocks would mainly be installed to increase crew protection against RPG fire, however it also worked well against low level APFSDS and standard HEAT munitions. This would be a great upgrade for the tank, however, the tank would suffer mobility wise, and be, rightfully slower than the regular version of the vehicle. After the C1 Arietes got sent back, the armour package would be removed and later on regular C1 Arietes would be spotted back to their original variant. Recently there has been a breakthrough and it was found that there was a variant of the C1 Ariete that mounted the PSO and WAR package at the same time, there is not too much information regarding this variant but it is possible it was done to answer the problems of the Ariete PSO, in which the sides would be covered but the front of the vehicle remained the same, with the addition of the WAR kit the front side of the Ariete would be a little more protected.

In terms of future upgrades, one is in the works, known as the C1 Ariete AMV, standing for "Ammodernamento di Mezza Vita" (English: "mid life update"). This new update is said to bring the C1 Ariete up to standard; planned upgrades include a new modern sight and thermal system made by Leonardo, active protection systems, better armour, new engine, and much more. The first 3 AMV prototypes are said to be complete by the end of 2021. In terms of service, the C1 Ariete has partaken in many peace-keeping operations around the globe, such as in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and now currently being used in Latvia for NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Ariete PSO from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #176 - Metal Beasts section at 00:32 discusses the Ariete PSO.

See also

Related development

• Ariete (P)
• Ariete
• Ariete AMV

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

OTO Melara
Light Tanks/IFVs
Centauro	Centauro I 105 · Centauro I 105 R · Centauro I 120 · VRCC
Dardo	Dardo · VCC-80/30 · VCC-80/60
Other	C13 T90 · R3 T106 FA
MBTs
OF-40	OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA)
Ariete	Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV
Other	M47 (105/55)
Tank Destroyers	M113A1 (TOW)
SPAA	R3 T20 FA-HS · SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral) · OTOMATIC
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Sparviero-class	Sparviero*
See Also	OTO
	*Built by OTO Melara in La Spezia under the Alinavi S.p.A. consortium