According to information published by the Brazilian Defense magazine "CAIAFA Master" on February 8, 2020, the first two Italian-made Centauro II 8x8 fire support armored vehicles for the Brazilian army were presented to the Chief of Staff of the Brazilian army General Valério Stumpf Trindade during a visit at the OTO-Melara facilities in La Spezia, Italy.
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The first Centauro II 8x8 armored vehicles produced by the Italian company OTO Melara were presented to the Brazilian army General Valério Stumpf Trindade during a visit to the OTO-Melara facilities in La Spezia, Italy. (Picture source CAIAFA Master)
On 25 November 2022, Army Recognition editorial team reported that Italian companies Iveco Defense Vehicles and Leonardo has been selected by the Brazilian Army to supply Centauro II 8x8 armored vehicles.
Citing information published on the Internet on November 25, 2022, the Italian consortium including the companies Iveco Defense Vehicles and Leonardo will supply a first batch of 96 Centauro II armored vehicles worth around €900 million. In the future, Brazil could make an additional order of 120 vehicles to reach an amount of €2 billion.
The Centauro II is a wheeled fire support armored vehicle based on an 8x8 drive line that is equipped with an independent suspension system. The design of the vehicle consists of three main parts with the driver is seated at the front of the hull offset to the left with the power pack to his right. The turret is mounted on the roof of the hull slightly to the rear of the vehicle's centreline, with the commander on the left, the gunner on the right, and the loader forward and below the gunner.
The Centauro II is armed with one 120mm gun coupled to a semi-automatic loading system. The gun is able to fire all NATO standard 120mm ammunition Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) and multi-purpose (MP) rounds. The second armament includes one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and one remotely operated weapon station mounted on the turret roof which can be armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun or one 40mm automatic grenade launcher.
The ballistic armor and the protection levels of the Centauro II are significantly higher than the previous generation of Centauro vehicle, with a completely rearranged hull chassis and turret design, integrated add-on ballistics and technical solutions tested to the AEP 55 standard, capable of handling threats such as mines, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and the latest-generation kinetic munitions.
The Centauro II is powered by an Iveco Vector 8V Euro III Diesel engine developing 720 hp. coupled to an automatic gearbox with 7 forward and 1 reverse gears. can run at a maximum road speed of 105 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 800 km. The Centauro II can negotiate a gradient of 60%, side slopes of 30%, and a fording depth of 1.5 m without preparation. It has an angle of approach and departure of 40° and can cross natural or man-made obstacles up to 0.6 m high, and trenches 2 m wide.
