Ariete PSO
| This page is about the Italian medium tank Ariete PSO. For other versions, see Ariete (Family). |
Contents
Description
The C1 Ariete PSO is a rank VII Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 11.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".
General info
Survivability and armour
The Ariete PSO's armour can withstand some 105mm 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.
Mobility
| 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
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
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 HEAT-FS, that challenge is easily overcome once you get the 1st 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 the second most powerful round in the game currently that will be able to dispatch your enemies with 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 | 7.80 | 6.90 | 6.36 | 6.00 |
| 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 |
| CL3143 | APFSDS | 589 | 586 | 577 | 565 | 553 | 541 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| DM12A1 | HEATFS | 1,140 | 13.5 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2,150 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
| DM33 | APFSDS | 1,640 | 4.3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
| CL3143 | APFSDS | 1,705 | 5.6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
.png)
| 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 4,500 (200) | 1,200 | N/A | N/A |
| Pintle (Commander) - R | 2,000 (200) | 1,200 | -8°/+60° | ±120° |
| Pintle (Loader) - L | 2,000 (200) | 1,200 | -8°/+60° | ±120° |
Usage in battles
The Ariete won't win any races with its mobility but it has the firepower to back it up. The Ariete can sit back and use its powerful APFSDS to take care of enemies at range to make up for its rather lacklustre armour for a top BR vehicle. The Ariete you can also play it aggressive but be warned! The Ariete doesn't have any composite armour on the front of the hull, only spaced armour on the upper plate. 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.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful OTO Breda 120/44 cannon
- Currently shares the second best APFSDS round with the regular Ariete
- 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 of enemy helicopters
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 Kontakt-5 armour are capable of stopping CL3143 in certain places and will need careful aiming
- Huge ammorack next to the driver
- Narrow FOV and low levels of zoom for the gunner's sight
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 possibile 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
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- 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 | |
| Italy medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Italy | |
| M13/40 | M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III) |
| M14/41 | M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40) |
| M15/42 | M15/42 |
| M16/43 | Celere Sahariano |
| P26/40 | P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello" |
| OF-40 | OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA) |
| Ariete | Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV |
| Germany | ▄Pz.III N · ▄Pz.IV G · ▄Leopard 1A5 |
| Allied powers | ▄Sherman I Composito · Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc · ▄Sherman V · M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1 · M47 (105/55) · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" |
| Hungary | |
| Turán | Turan I · Turan II · Turan III |
| Germany | ◔Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2A7HU |
| USSR | ◔T-72M1 |
