The war in Ukraine is converting weapons intended for other types of conflicts into completely different systems on the ground. And one of the most striking examples is that of the B1 Centauro, the Italian wheeled armored vehicle that the Ukrainian military is using as if it were a long-range artillery piece.
A crew from the 78th Independent Air Assault Brigade claimed to have reached a target located more than 11 kilometers away with the vehicle’s 105 mm cannon. The figure is equivalent to almost seven miles or more than 120 football fields in a straight line. The impact, as explained in statements released by Army TV and mentioned, it occurred on a house where Russian soldiers were located.
A tank destroyer from the 90s converted into “artillery”
The B1 Centauro was not originally designed for this type of warfare. Italy developed it in the nineties as a fast reconnaissance vehicle and destruction of enemy armor. It has wheels instead of tracks, relatively light armor and a powerful 105mm cannon compatible with NATO ammunition.
On paper, he had to move fast, attack and retreat. But the Ukrainian front has changed the rules.
Now the crews avoid getting too close to the front line because the sky is saturated with kamikaze drones and reconnaissance devices capable of locating any armored vehicle in a matter of minutes. This forces you to shoot from much further distance and from hidden positions.
“Currently, to attack another tank, you first have to overcome a huge number of FPV drones and Molniya drones,” explained the vehicle commander, identified by the callsign ‘Director’. That’s why he Centaur It is being used from a “closed position”, that is, firing without direct vision of the target, as if it were a self-propelled artillery piece.
“Just to the building”
The Ukrainian gunner, identified as Khilyadescribed one of the most spectacular shots made with the Italian vehicle. “The furthest shot I took was from a closed position. It was 11 kilometers away. At 11,100 meters I hit a building right where they were sitting”, he stated.
The distance is enormous for a vehicle of this type. Traditional tanks usually fight at much shorter distances, usually between 2 and 4 kilometers in direct combat. Hitting targets more than 11 kilometers away requires ballistic calculations, coordination with observation drones, and constant corrections.
Although there are similar precedents in Ukraine, these are still exceptional shootings. One of the most famous cases occurred in 2022, when a crew of a T-64BV Ukrainian claimed to have destroyed a Russian tank at about 10,600 meters.
It is not designed to shoot like this
Despite the enthusiasm of the crews, the use of B1 Centaur As artillery it has important limitations.
The main problem is technical. The vehicle can raise its gun by only about 15 degrees, while a modern self-propelled howitzer typically raises it by 60 to 70 degrees. That difference completely changes the trajectory of the projectile.
In other words, the Centaur It was not built to systematically deliver long-range indirect fire. Ukraine is adapting it because you need any platform capable of hitting from afar without exposing yourself to drones.
This also explains the improvised modifications that already appear on deployed vehicles. The images released by Ukraine show metal cages, nets and anti-drone structures installed on the armored vehicle, an addition that is now almost universal on both sides of the war.
Drone warfare is changing the role of tanks
The case of the B1 Centauro reflects one of the great changes in modern warfare: armored vehicles no longer dominate the battlefield as before.
The drones FPV cheap, capable of attacking the top of a tank – its weakest point – are forcing traditional tactics to be completely transformed. Getting too close to the front can mean being destroyed in minutes.
That’s why Ukraine and Russia are increasingly turning to indirect tactics: shooting from hidden positions, permanent coordination with drones, improvised armor and use of tanks as if they were artillery.
Paradoxically, this is giving a second life to vehicles that seemed outdated. He Centaur Italian, designed more than three decades ago for another type of European warfare, has now become a hybrid platform between tank destroyers and mobile artillery.
Italy shipped them in 2023 and they are now a coveted rarity
Italy began transferring these vehicles to Ukraine in 2023 as part of Western military aid. For a long time, hardly any public images of them appeared, which even led to speculation about their actual deployment.
It was not until the end of 2025 that they began to see themselves visibly operating with Ukrainian units. Although they are not numerous, the crews seem to especially value three characteristics: rapid road mobility, cannon accuracy, and the ability to fire and change position before being detected.
