OF-40

This page is about the Italian medium tank OF-40. For other versions, see OF-40 (Family).

OF-40

M47 (105/55)

OF-40 Mk.2A

OF-40

M47 (105/55)

OF-40 Mk.2A

Italy

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:135 000

Purchase:380 000

Show in game

Description

Many consider the OF-40 to be Italy's first attempt at making a main battle tank post-WW2. The OF-40 was made after experience gained from the OTO Melara Leone project, it being a modified Leopard I.

Introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic", the playstyle of the OF-40 is very similar to that of the Leopard 1 series of vehicles found in the German tech tree. The OF-40 does have slightly better turret armour, but the weakspots the Leopard 1 has pretty much are the exact same on the OF-40. Mobility-wise, the tank does not disappoint, the armament is also quite potent. The OF-40 is armed with a 105 mm cannon, although it is unstabilized which can be an issue when firing on the move, so it's best to fire whilst stationary. The vehicle also has access to a laser rangefinder, but it does not get access to thermals. Overall, this tank can be quite effective when a player can work around its weaknesses and make the most of its strengths.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull70 / 35 / 25

Turret68 / 47 / 30

Crew4 people

Visibility86 %

The OF-40's armour isn't great, but it certainly is way better than the Leopard 1's.

Due to a better ammo rack placement and higher turret sturdyness overall, OF-40 can sometimes survive extremely lethal encounters, like this rocket tank. Don't push your luck though!

On the bright side, the OF-40's turret has very weird angles, so it can bounce or even block some incoming shots from there. Frontally, turret is practically invulnerable to autocannon fire aside from the neck and unlucky ricochets into the hull roof. There are no stupid mandatory ammo racks next to the loader's face, so commander can tank practically anything with the left turret cheek while only risking the loader (which may be already dead anyway). The gun mask can also block HESH reliably if the tank pushes fast enough.

When looked at closer, though, the turret sides (excluding the spaced armour in the turret) are only 35 mm thick at most and can be penetrated by HESH or HE, so you can't rely on the armour as much as you could hope to compared to other tanks that fight at the OF-40's battle rating. The commander sight on the very top is also bigger than on the Leopard, allowing some light tanks to make an opportunistic HE shot.

In terms of the hull, the OF-40 has better protection when it comes to the upper frontal plate because it is angled harder than on German counterpart. It is 170 mm thick front-on for tall tanks and up to 250 mm for shorter ones, which may let it bounce a shot when driving at an angle. Other than that, its hull is very weak and cannot be completely relied on. Having only 16 shells will allow the tank to survive random APDS hits directly to the middle (although the chances are very slim regardless)

OF-40 overall survivability is average. In most cases, enemies will only manage to take out one or two crew members since the gunner and loader are quite spaced out between each other and pure kinetic shells can't hit both sides of the turret. The same cannot be said about the rest of the crew, as they are all sitting in a straight line - a single good hit can take OF-40 in RB, and make it practically useless for a while in AB.

The OF-40 can and will take a hit, but sometimes preventing that with smoke launchers is better. There are 4 smoke groups mounted on the turret sides, firing 2 grenades in front of it.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour - Hull and turret
• High hardness rolled armour - Turret
• Rubber-fabric screens - Sideskirts

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	70 mm (68°) Upper Glacis 50 mm (50°) Lower Glacis	35 mm Top Crew Compartment 25 mm Top Engine Compartment 30 mm Bottom	25 mm	15 - 30 mm
Turret	30 - 68 mm (various angles) Turret front 30 mm (58°) + 45 mm (curved) Gun mantlet	Spaced: 30 mm + 80 mm air + 35 mm Forward Spaced: 12 mm + 120 mm + 35 mm Rearward	30 mm	20 - 40 mm

Notes:

• The turret sides use spaced armour, and are therefore stronger than they appear in the armour viewer.
• Beneath the angled outer portion of the gun mantlet is a curved 45 mm plate, which is hard to see in the armour viewer.
• There are 10 mm rubber-fabric screens protecting the upper suspension.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB73 / 28 km/h

RB and SB66 / 26 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight43.0 t

Engine power

AB1 584 hp

RB and SB830 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB36.8 hp/t

RB and SB19.3 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	73	28	43	1,286	1,584	29.91	36.84
Realistic	66	26		734	830	17.07	19.3

The OF-40 has great mobility, similar to the Leopard 1. It can handle off-road with an average speed of around 40 km/h. On flat surfaces, the OF-40 will reach around 60-65 km/h. It has great static mobility when spaded (not as great when stock). It can keep up with the light tanks and be one of the first to the capture point if driver tries hard enough.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 276 → 5 900

RB4 764 → 6 574

SB6 753 → 9 319

Total cost of modifications116 100

195 000

Talisman cost2 300

Crew training110 000

Experts380 000

Aces1 400

Research Aces830 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 210 / 240 %

208 / 208 / 208 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 8 100 Cost: 13 000 300 Suspension Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 200 Brake System Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 200 Filters Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 230 Transmission Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 300 Engine Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 300	Improved Parts Research: 5 300 Cost: 13 000 300 Improved FPE Research: 3 500 Cost: 8 600 200 Crew Replenishment Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 230	Horizontal Drive Research: 8 100 Cost: 13 000 300 Adjustment of Fire Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 200 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 5 400 Cost: 8 600 200 Elevation Mechanism Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 230 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 230 Smoke grenade Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 230 Artillery Support Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 300 105mm_usa_HEAT_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 300 Laser rangefinder Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 300

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

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

Main armament

105 mm OTO Melara 105/52 cannon

Ammunition61 rounds

First-order19 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 20°

The OF-40 features the 105 mm OTO Melara 105/52 gun, like the other OF-40s and the B1 Centauro. It is a potent main gun capable of displaying an excellent performance at its BR. The turret is not turning extremely fast, but at an acceptable, average rate.

The tank has early access to the laser rangefinder, getting into long range engagements turns to be extremely easy with almost pinpoint accuracy at virtually any range.

105 mm OTO Melara 105/52					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	61	-9°/+20°	±180°	N/A	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

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
M392A2	APDS	350	347	333	317	302	287
M393A2	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M456	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400

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%
M392A2	APDS	1,478	4	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
M393A2	HESH	732	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
M456	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M416	732	11.6	16	5	25	50

For the main ammunition, the gun is capable of firing the M456 HEATFS ammunition. Sometimes, the use of M392A2 is preferred for the higher muzzle velocity, ability to fire through bushes and specifically kinetic damage type, despite seemingly reduced penetration number. Both projectiles are more than capable of engaging targets at far range using the potent zoom in main sights.

As a backup, tank has M393A2 HESH shell and M416 smoke. HESH is generally used to remove annoying light tanks, but can also be used to overpressure camping snipers that do not let the tank to even get out of cover, particularly over long range. This works, because laser rangefinder provides flawless aiming prediction even through commander sights. If enemy tank is hiding too well, but will undoubtedly push out the moment the tank leaves cover, a smoke shell can be fired to blind it for 25 seconds.

Ammo racks

• 

  Ammoracks 1-9

• 

  Ammoracks 10-12

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
61	55 (+6)	54 (+7)	47 (+14)	46 (+15)	39 (+22)	38 (+23)	31 (+30)	30 (+31)	23 (+38)	20 (+41)	16 (+45)	1 (+60)	No

Machine guns

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun

Ammunition1 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A
Pintle	1,600 (200)	600	-8°/+20°	±120°

Usage in battles

The OF-40 cannot withstand a frontal encounter most of the time with most opponents due to the lack of a reliable armour, making the tank an easy prey for almost anyone on the battlefield when attacked directly. However, the tank comes with a great mobility, able to reach 65 km/h in RB (72 in AB), making it the ideal tank to shoot at the enemy and rapidly retreat to change position.

The optics are far better than anything encountered at the battle rating, and where they aren't enough, the laser rangefinder comes into play. In a sniping role, the gun is capable of punching through most of enemy tanks, but caution is a must when uptiered: tanks like the T-62M-1 cannot be damaged in the turret even with HEATFS rounds. When sniping, pushing out only the turret and only its left part is preferrable, as to avoid taking fatal damage.

The tank is not very suitable for hectic combat, since it does not have a stabilizer and thus, has reduced chances of landing the first shot, or often knocking out the gunner, disabling the engine, the gun, or just setting the tank on fire instead of doing fatal damage. The best thing to do, in these cases, is to avoid the center of the map (or your pushing lane), flanking the enemy to hit them from the side and staying hidden from sight so that enemies don't focus their firepower on the OF-40. In Arcade mode, OF-40 can quickly sweep the streets in cities, as people may have difficulties with tracking it down, as opposed to hills, but accidentally getting into enemy face can end very badly.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good main gun handling
• Has a laser rangefinder, making sniping much easier
• Spaced armour in the turret allows to ignore SPAA to a certain angle, the gun mantlet is immune to HESH, and some AP shots bounce if the turret is angled
• No turret ammo rack
• Quick and agile tank when upgraded

Cons:

• No stabiliser
• Boxy shape makes both the turret and hull easy to hit, APHE shells can easily knock out 3 to 4 crew members
• Much like all tanks sharing the same design, has extremely thin side armour. Makes it vulnerable to any autocannon, even SPAA with stock belts
• Carrying more than 20 rounds puts ammo into the hull ammo rack, lowering survivability

History

After the end of WW2, the Italian industry completely stopped development and production of domestically designed tanks. During the Cold War, the Italian industry would produce armoured fighting vehicles for its own needs, however most of these vehicles were foreign designs built under license.

In the late 1970s, Oto Melara and Fiat began developing the first Italian post-WW2 tank, under a join private venture. As Oto Melara was already mass-producing the German Leopard 1 MBT under license for the Italian Army, its engineers possessed sufficient experience and know-how in order to develop their own tank.

The resulting vehicle, designated OF-40, turned out to be, somewhat unsurprisingly, very similar in design to the German Leopard 1 already in service with the Italian Army. Nonetheless, the OF-40 became the first domestically developed and produced Italian tank after WW2.

Despite the many similarities however, the Italian military proved reluctant in ordering the OF-40 for mass production. As a result of being unable to find a domestic operator, Oto Melara turned to the export market and soon found a willing buyer - the United Arab Emirates.

Shortly after, the OF-40 was upgraded to the Mk.2 version which, among other things, improved the vehicle's optics and rangefinder, added a two-plane stabilization system for the main gun, and an improved fire control system, allowing the vehicle to fire improved ammunition.

The OF-40 was only built in limited numbers and for a limited time, with the UAE being the only operator world-wide. The UAE still uses the OF-40 today, although in different roles, with proposals being made to convert the vehicle into a heavy IFV.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the OF-40 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  The OF-40 in the jungle

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

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
Patrol Boats
Sparviero-class	Sparviero*
See Also	OTO
	*Built by OTO Melara in La Spezia under the Alinavi S.p.A. consortium