Tuono Main Battle Tank

CMBT Mark II Tuono
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Cacerta
Service history
In service	1998—present
Used by	Cacertian Royal Army
Wars	Nalayan Civil War
Production history
Designer	Crocetto Heavy Industries
Designed	1994—1997
Manufacturer	Crocetto Heavy Industries Bonple Armament Manufacturers
Produced	1997—2005 (Type I) 2005—2012 (Type II) 2011—present (Type III)
Variants	See variants
Specifications (Type III)
Weight	58 tonnes (63.9 short tons; 57.1 long tons)
Length	7 m (23 ft)
Width	3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Height	2.35 m (7 ft 8 in)
Crew	3 (Commander, gunner, driver)
Armor	Classified
Main armament	125mm RA Mk II V2 smoothbore gun (40 rounds)
Secondary armament	2 × Vitali MG50 (12.7mm; coaxial and commander’s hatch)
Engine	CHI 1190, 12-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engine 1,190 kW (1,600 hp)
Power/weight	20.7 kW/tonne (27.78 hp/tonne)
Transmission	CHI constantly variable transmission
Suspension	Hydropneumatic
Operational range	600 km (370 mi)
Speed	Road: 80 km/h (49.7 mph) Off-road: 60 km/h (37.3 mph)

The CMBT Mark II Tuono (English: Thunder) is a Cacertian main battle tank currently in service with the Cacertian Royal Army. It was designed by Crocetto Heavy Industries and jointly built by Crocetto and Bonple Armament Manufacturers.

The concept of the Tuono came to fruition in the mid-1990s as a successor to the Ariete and originally began as a private venture before the Ministry of Defense decided to invest in its development. An order of 140 units was placed in 1996 and the first units were delivered in 1997, officially entering service with the Royal Army a year later.

The Mark II is a redesign of the Ariete; while the hull and automotive parts seem similar, they are a newer design and only a handful of components are interchangeable.

Operational History

To date, the only operational deployment of the Tuono was part of the Cacertian expeditionary force to Nalaya during the Nalayan Civil War.

Variants

CMBT Mark II Tuono Type I

The original variant of the Tuono that entered service with the Royal Army in 1998. Unlike the current iteration of the Tuono, the Type I featured an automatic transmission and torsion bar suspension with a 900 kW engine. Production of the Type I ended in 2005 with the introduction of the Type II, however a handful of Type Is remain in the Army's inventory as training vehicles.

CMBT Mark II Tuono Type II

The Type II began production in 2005 and entered service with the Royal Army the following year. The main changes to the Type II over the Type I included a more advanced suspension, a 975 kW engine, and improved reactive and composite armor. Although production of the Type II officially ended in 2011, many of the units remain in service.

CMBT Mark II Tuono Type III

In 2011, Crocetto and Bonple jointly developed the Type III which introduced several automotive and mechanical changes to the Tuono. Unlike it's predecessors, the Type III featured a constantly variable transmission and a hydropneumatic suspension. A more powerful engine was installed and a new fire-control suite (which was later used as the basis for the FCS aboard the Syaran Hetairos) was developed.

See Also

Related Development

• Ariete

Main Battle Tanks of Comparable Role, Configuration, and Era

• Stridsvagn 124 Pantera
• Stridsvagn 126 Pantera 2
• Myrmidon
• Hetairos