Yesterday, 02 June 2012, Italy celebrated its Republic Day. In Rome, the army paraded, even though in a much reduced format, without horse-mounted formations and without vehicles, even without the Frecce Tricolori acrobatic squadron, due to both the economic crisis, suggesting that money should be spent elsewhere and, more significantly, due to the earthquake that in these days has reaped victims in my region, Emilia Romagna.
The parade, as a consequence, was very poor compared to last year's one. However, in the afternoon i had the chance to see far more kit than ever before, and not in television, but for real. Piacenza's Army Repair and Maintenance Base, the Arsenal, held an open day that i of course could not miss.
It was a wonderful experience, and i've touched almost all kinds of heavy armored vehicles in service in the Italian army, looked through a Centauro tank's infra-red periscope, took command of the Centauro's gun turret, aimed the 105 mm cannon, climbed inside a Pzh2000 self-propelled howitzer, inside a Dardo IFV, inside a M109L Paladin self-propelled howitzer and so along. I must thank the Italian Army for the wonderful day they have given me, and for how welcoming they have been. I ended up being escorted around by a colonel in high uniform for over two hours, and we went from vehicle to vehicle talking of them all.
Truly impressive.
And quite amazing to experience first-hand just how tight and uncomfortable these armored vehicles tend to be. The turret of the Dardo IFV, for example: true, i climbed into it from the soldiers' space in the back and not from the hatch on top of the turret, but still it was a struggle, and i was only wearing a t-shirt. The tankies truly must be respected just for their ability of fitting inside, two of them, sitting side to side.
The Pzh2000, of course, it's by far the most spacious. In the turret, i could pretty much stand. Still, of course it is not a living room!
One of the few vehicles i could not explore from close by was the MLRS, even if i saw two being maintained in a hangar, and saw from a distance a de-storing spot, with several MLRS rocket pods in storage.
The Ariete Main Battle Tank was also closed to exploration, even though, from a distance, we saw the hulls in maintenance and the turrets, and then i could climb on the outside of a tank from 132 Regiment, Ariete armoured brigade.
I also had the chance of standing near an Ariete's engine, and see exactly how huge a powerpack is. The amazing thing, of course, it is that the Ariete is still a "small" tank: considerably shorter than a Challenger 2 or Leopard, due also to its 120/44 cannon, against 120/55.
Another kind of emotion was to climb into a Lince (the Iveco mine-protected jeep that the British Army acquired and turned into the Panther CLV) which was back from Afghanistan for maintenance from so short a time that it was still coated in some of the sand and dust of the far-away front.
Several Centauro wheeled tanks were still in white dress and UN markings, from a tour in Lebanon, and at least one still carried the arab signs painted on it while in Iraq.
But now it's time for some photos.
A SKYGUARD Aspide air to surface missile battery, with the reloads truck with crane extended, the radar trailer and the missile launcher trailer. The Aspide is the italian license-produced variant of the american semi-active radar guided Sparrow missile. The Skyguard is effective to around 15 kilometers, and is classed as medium range. The Italian Armed Forces also use a modernized Aspide missile system, the SPADA, which has also been exported. This was not exposed, however.
The SIDAM low-level air defence system mounts a quadruple 25 mm gun turret on M113 hull.
Inside the SIDAM, rear console and turret basket
SIDAMs being maintained and repaired. In the distance down the hangar, 2 MLRS vehicles also undergoing checks. The italian MLRS vehicles (to be upgraded to Guided MLRS in the near future) are concentrated into the 5° Artillery Regiment "Superga"
The "Camillino" (little Camillo, the affective nickname of the VCC-1) APC: on the left is the A2 variant, which was fitted with significant amounts of additional armor designed by Israel's Rafael, which made necessary the adoption of those sping-arms on the engine's door, by now too heavy to be opened by a soldier without a little help. The Camillino is a true ever-green in the Italian army, a modest APC which continues to be hard at work. Note the presence of the side ports for the soldiers to fire from inside the vehicle with their personal weapons.
Inside the Camillino, seats for 10, space for... well.
Back from Afghanistan, a Lince jeep
One Lince in maintenance was pulled apart in all its parts: back cargo module, crew safety cell, chassis, engine block, mine-shieled.
Inside the Lince, sitting down and then in the worst possible position to be when out in mission, out of the hatch. I hope the gun shield was removed before shipping the jeep back from Afghanistan: for years italian soldiers in mission have been horrendously exposed without a shield nor a remote turret, a situation only improved with "urgent" (!) orders of some 80 Hitrole remote turrets and a number of gun shields in 2010 and 2011. The seat of the Lince was surprisingly comfortable, but of course, i was wearing very little stuff and carrying no rifle...
Ariete MBTs in maintenance, the powerpack (huge!) and a parked tank from 132 Regiment, Ariete brigade, of El Alamein fame.
The Dardo IFV
Inside the Dardo
A shot of the turret's insides. The space was so little that taking photos was next to impossible!
The Centauro wheeled tank, a very successful vehicle, exported abroad (Spain, Oman, Jordan...) and even leased to the US, which used it to trial concepts and doctrines ahead of the adoption of the Stryker. There's many in the US Army who feel that, instead of the Stryker Mobile Gun System, the Centauro should have been ordered. The Italian army is currently developing the Centauro 2, probably to be armed with a 120/45 gun in place of the 105. It will have more power, better electronics, much greater protection and is also required to have an even better power/weight ratio: keep an eye on it!
Video of the Centauro turret on the test ring. After taking this video, i was allowed in to maneuver the turret myself. Note the markings and paint: this Centauro was in maintenance after a long tour in Lebanon.
The Pzh2000, a true monster of power and technology. The colonel of the base was so kind to send a tankie "waking up the beast" for me to hear the roar of the engine. It's real loud, let me tell it to you. Nearby, the old but still valid M109L Paladin. No shiny computer screens inside it, and no great ammo handling system: need muscles inside that one.
Inside the M109L turret
Inside the Pzh2000
Video from inside the Pzh2000's turret
Pioneer Panzer on Leopard 1 hull and mechanics: the Italian Army still uses them. There is also a Leopard Bridgelayer in service, but there was none around to be admired, unfortunately. A far cry from Titan and Trojan, these vehicles are starting to get real old...!
A spot of bridging: throw it in the water!
Bangs from the past, now!
17 pdr AT gun: the Italian Army used plenty of british equipment for many years after the end of the second world war
25 pdr: some artillery on display!
6 pdr Anti-Tank gun
Wishes for next year: another open day, with even more vehicles! On the list of things yet to see we have the Freccia in all its variants, the Dardo mortar-carrier and other variants, the Leopard 1 Bridgelayer, the BV206 of the "Alpini" brigades, the AAV7 of the San Marco and Serenissima amphibious infantry regiments nd the VTMM.
