The French recently got a close look at these tanks. Here’s how they race along the asphalt of a small French town:
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And no, they don’t destroy the asphalt – at least not any more than other heavy vehicles such as trucks or tractors with loader trailers.
What’s going on? Orion 26 is underway, a major NATO war game and likely the largest such exercise in Europe since the end of the Cold War. The Ariete is training for rapid movement across allied territory. This is valuable experience for both tank crews and Italian military logistics specialists.
The C1 Ariete is a somewhat forgotten tank in the current spike in the public interest in the military. The defenders of Ukraine have not requested it, and military publications rarely write about it. Still, it remains a useful defensive asset. Even though in the age of drones these Italian tanks appear vulnerable.
The Ariete is a 54 tonne main battle tank armed with a NATO‑standard 120 mm smoothbore gun. Powered by a 950 kW Fiat MTCA 12V diesel engine, it can reach about 65 km/h – not the fastest in NATO. It has a crew of four.
Entering service in 1995, the Ariete was Italy’s first modern main battle tank with a smoothbore gun. It replaced the German-made Leopard 1 as Italy chose to build its own tank to support its domestic defence industry. Naturally, it is now an aging platform. Italy is upgrading 90 Arietes to the new C2 standard, with a possible follow-on batch of 35 more, potentially bringing the total to 125 upgraded tanks to the Italian Army. Not a large number.
The modernization includes a new 1,100 kW engine, improved armour, revised turret movement mechanism, updated electronics, and wider tracks. The programme was signed in 2023, after the war in Ukraine had already begun and was flaming with huge intensity. Still, it’s unclear how many lessons from that conflict have been incorporated. The importance of small FPV anti-tank drones is being acknowledged slowly by traditional weapons manufacturers, and the video above shows no additional counter‑drone protection.
The Ariete has always faced criticism – relatively thin armour, limited mobility, and imperfect accuracy. There have also been persistent rumours of frequent mechanical issues. Even so, Italy is keeping a significant portion of its Ariete fleet. At the same time, it is purchasing large numbers of KF51 Panther tanks and related vehicles, which will be produced domestically. Italy is a highly industrial nation and it makes sense that they want to support their own industry while meeting growing defence needs.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Osinttechnical on X, Wikipedia
