Italy's hidden tank destroyers: Ukraine's training delay dilemma
According to the Bulgarian Military, the Italian wheeled tank destroyers B1 Centauro, which were secretly delivered to Ukraine, are not firing at Russians because they are stuck in a warehouse near Lviv. The issue, however, isn’t the technical condition of the equipment but the prolonged training of Ukrainian soldiers, who have never dealt with such vehicles before.
The B1 Centauros were first spotted in Ukraine only in February this year, not during battles on the front, but rather during transportation on trailers. The Italian government had not previously announced plans to transfer them to Ukraine. This isn’t the first such situation, as Italy has kept weapons transfers to Ukraine secret before, including M109L self-propelled howitzers and Puma 6x6 armoured personnel carriers.
B1 Centauro in a warehouse instead of the frontline
The issue for the B1 Centauro lies in the prolonged training of Ukrainian crews. As a result, equipment with interesting parameters and capabilities is being held in a warehouse near Lviv.
In its analysis, the Bulgarian Military notes that the delay highlights the logistical and training difficulties potentially hindering Ukraine’s capacity to deploy these advanced vehicles in active combat. Although the B1 Centauro—known for its mobility and firepower—holds promise for enhancing Ukraine's tactical options, its current absence from the battlefield points to wider challenges in assimilating Western-supplied equipment into the Ukrainian military structure.
High firepower and mobility combined
The B1 Centauro, manufactured by IVECO—Oto Melara, is a wheeled tank destroyer with an 8x8 drive and a 520 horsepower engine. Despite weighing approximately 25,000 kilograms, it can reach speeds over 100 km/h.
The Italians opted for this design, seeking a quick platform with high firepower that would serve in rapid reaction units as a lighter, more manoeuvrable alternative to tracked main battle tanks.
They implemented a turret with a 105 mm cannon (with a barrel length of 52 calibres), which can use anti-tank or high-explosive shells. The additional armament includes 7.62 mm calibre machine guns and a smoke grenade launcher. The B1 Centauro is also equipped with a fire control system, TURMS (Tank Universal Reconfigurable Modular System), borrowed from the Ariete tank.
According to the Bulgarian Military, the B1 Centauro distinguishes itself from other wheeled platforms by offering a well-balanced combination of firepower and mobility. In contrast, the French AMX-10RC supplied to Ukraine, while equipped with a 105 mm gun, weighs only 15,000 kilograms and is primarily designed for reconnaissance rather than frontline combat. It is often used as mobile artillery in Ukrainian missions.
