The history of the M47 tank in Italian service began in 1952 when the army decided to replace its obsolete M26 Pershing tanks using the NATO Mutual Assistance Program. By December 29 of that year, Italy had received its 1,000th tank and had begun to gradually put them into service, completely replacing the Pershing tanks by 1963. The M47s served in various tank units for a long time until they were replaced by the more advanced M60 tanks.

The M47 OTO 105/55 modification's history began in the 1970s when OTO Melara was contracted to upgrade M47 tanks by replacing their 90mm M36 guns with modern European 105mm L7 guns. However, this gun was not conventional: Italian engineers redesigned the breech system and lengthened the barrel to 55 calibers. This allowed OTO Melara to avoid paying royalties to the original gun's developer. Additionally, the vehicles were equipped with an ADVS 1750 engine used in American M60 tanks. An infrared radiation reduction system was installed on the radiator grilles to reduce the vehicle's visibility in thermal imaging. Ultimately, however, the M47 with a 105 mm gun was not accepted into service because the military preferred to purchase new M60s from the United States for economic and political reasons.

The M47 (105/55) was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic". The M47 is a pretty good mid-tier tank. Its new diesel engine provides good mobility, and its powerful L7 gun, fast reload, and average armor allow it to shine at the forefront of an attack. However, the M47 also has several disadvantages: a large number of vulnerable areas, even in the frontal projection of the turret; a large silhouette; and extremely slow vertical and guidance speed.