Trumpeter 1/35 00332 Italian C1 Ariete Tank Model Kit

In 1984, the defense divisions of Oto Melara and Iveco partnered to develop a new family of armored fighting vehicles for the Italian Army, including the B1 Centauro tank destroyer, C1 Ariete main battle tank and VCC-80 Dardo infantry fighting vehicle. In the same year, subsystem design was initiated in full compliance with Italian military specifications.

Oto Melara took overall charge of the C1 MBT development, while Iveco’s defense branch supplied its powertrain, suspension and other mechanical assemblies. The prototype was officially named Ariete, meaning “Ram” in Italian. Finished in 1986, the Ariete became a core asset of Italy’s armored corps, and passed comprehensive military certification alongside other vehicles in 1988. An initial order of 200 units was confirmed, followed by a planned second batch of another 200 upgraded variants.

The end of the Cold War and national budget shortfalls temporarily suspended the second procurement, which was reinstated in 1995 after cost reductions. Deliveries of the first production vehicles kicked off late that year, with full manufacturing concluding in early 2002 to complete the roughly USD 970 million procurement program.