Oto Melara
Encyclopedia
Oto Melara is an Italian
defence company
with factories in Brescia
and La Spezia
. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I
, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the abbreviation Oto. During World War II
, mostly heavy guns for battleships were produced. In 1953 the company took the name Oto Melara.
Before Italy joined NATO, Oto Melara produced civil products, like tractors and looms, but quickly returned to the production of weapons. Oto Melara's best-known weapons after World War II are the mountain pack howitzer Model 56
, which is in service throughout the world, and the 76/62 ship gun
, which has been adopted by 53 navies and is installed on over 1,000 naval vessels.
Today Oto Melara's land defence operations are part of the “Finmeccanica
” consortium.
Weapons manufactured included:
Ammunition manufactured included:
In the last decade the company has produced between 900 and 1000 GBU-31 and GBU-32 JDAMs on license. At the moment it's working on the production of 500 GBU-39s for the Aeronautica Militare
.
The naval defence operations produce a wide range of automatic naval artillery, rocket and missile launchers and remote controlled small calibre defence cannons.
to form the new entity of Otobreda and is now in charged of the production and manufacturing process for DARDO CIWS, Otobreda 76 mm and Otobreda 127/54 Compact naval guns.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
defence company
Defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
with factories in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
and La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the abbreviation Oto. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, mostly heavy guns for battleships were produced. In 1953 the company took the name Oto Melara.
Before Italy joined NATO, Oto Melara produced civil products, like tractors and looms, but quickly returned to the production of weapons. Oto Melara's best-known weapons after World War II are the mountain pack howitzer Model 56
OTO Melara Mod 56
The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO-Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.-History:...
, which is in service throughout the world, and the 76/62 ship gun
Otobreda 76 mm
The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
, which has been adopted by 53 navies and is installed on over 1,000 naval vessels.
Today Oto Melara's land defence operations are part of the “Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica S.p.A. is an Italian conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the hi-tech industrial groups based in Italy. It works in the fields of defence, aerospace, security, automation, transport and energy...
” consortium.
Main products
Vehicles manufactured include:- ArieteArieteThe C1 Ariete is the main battle tank of the Italian Army, developed by a consortium formed by Iveco-Fiat and Oto Melara . The chassis and engine were produced by Iveco, while the turret and fire-control system were produced by Oto Melara...
Main Battle TankMain battle tankA main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development... - Centauro Wheeled Tank DestroyerTank destroyerA tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
- DardoDardo IFVThe Dardo is a infantry fighting vehicle designed for the Italian Army as a replacement for the M113 APC. It is designed and built by the Iveco Fiat Oto Melara Syndicated Company based in Rome...
Infantry Fighting VehicleInfantry fighting vehicleAn infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them... - Puma 6x6Puma (AFV)The Puma light wheeled armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4. The vehicles were developed and are produced by the Consorzio Iveco Fiat - Oto Melara of Italy for the Italian Army...
and Puma 4x4Puma (AFV)The Puma light wheeled armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4. The vehicles were developed and are produced by the Consorzio Iveco Fiat - Oto Melara of Italy for the Italian Army...
Wheeled Armoured Personnel CarrierArmoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars... - PzH 2000PzH 2000The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
Self-Propelled Howitzer - VBM 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carrier
- OtomaticOtomaticThe Otomatic was an Italian prototype self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built by OTO-Melara. It combined the chassis of a Leopard 1 or OF-40 tank with a new turret mounting the Otobreda 76 mm gun along with associated search and targeting radars and their fire control systems...
anti-aircraft tank (SPAAG) - PalmariaPalmaria (artillery)The Palmaria is an Italian self-propelled 155 mm howitzer.-History:Developed by OTO Melara for the export market, the development of the Palmaria began in 1977, with the first prototype appearing in 1981.-Design:...
self-propelled artillery (1981) - OF-40OF-40The OF-40 tank is a main battle tank developed as a joint venture between OTO Melara and FIAT, and intended primarily for export sales. OTO Melara would develop and produce the hulls, and automotive components would be provided by FIAT...
Main Battle TankMain battle tankA main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
Weapons manufactured included:
- OTO Melara Mod 56OTO Melara Mod 56The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO-Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.-History:...
105/L14 Pack Howitzer - HITFACT three-man turret armed with a 120mm/45 calibre or 105mm/52 calibre gun
- HITFIST two-man turret armed with a 25 or 30mm automatic cannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun (plus two TOW launchers as option)
- HITROLE Remote Weapon Station for 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or 40 automatic grenade launcher
- Otobreda 127/54 CompactOtobreda 127/54 CompactThe Otobreda 127mm/54 Compact gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian company Oto Melara. The gun is completely new but uses the same semi fixed ammunition as the American 5 inch/ 54 gun. It was introduced into service in 1968. A new advanced lightweight mounting for corvettes has been...
naval gun - Otobreda 127/64Otobreda 127/64The upcoming Oto Melara 127/64 Lightweight naval Gun Mount is a rapid fire gun mount suitable for installation on large and medium size ships, intended for surface fire and naval gunfire support as main role and anti-aircraft fire as secondary role....
Lightweight naval gun - 76/62mm Allargato76/62mm AllargatoThe 76mm/L62 Allargato is a single barrel, medium caliber, dual purpose automatic naval cannon designed and produced in the 1960s by the Italian defence firm of OTO-Melara as the cannon armament for all medium and large class warships built for the Italian Navy in that decade...
- Otobreda 76 mmOtobreda 76 mmThe Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
naval gun - Skyguard "Aspide"Selenia AspideThe Aspide is an Italian medium range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile produced by Selenia . It is provided with semi-active radar-homing seeker...
Anti-Air missile system - SIDAM 25SIDAM 25The Sidam 25 is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in Italy from the chassis of the American M113 armoured personnel carrier. Due to the choice of basic chassis for the Sidam 25, components and spare parts are both cheap, and readily available because of the widespread use of the basic M113...
anti-aircraft gun - DARDODARDODARDO is a Close-in weapon system built by the Italian companies Breda and Oto Melara. It is composed of two Breda-built Bofors 40 mm firing high explosive shells, a fire-control radar and a fire-control system...
CIWS a twin 40mm naval gun mounting
Ammunition manufactured included:
- Vulcano 155 mm
In the last decade the company has produced between 900 and 1000 GBU-31 and GBU-32 JDAMs on license. At the moment it's working on the production of 500 GBU-39s for the Aeronautica Militare
Aeronautica Militare
The Italian Air Force is the air force of the Italian Republic. It has held a prominent role in modern Italian military history...
.
The naval defence operations produce a wide range of automatic naval artillery, rocket and missile launchers and remote controlled small calibre defence cannons.
Merger
On 1 December 2001, the naval artillery division of Oto Melara merged with that of Breda Meccanica BrescianaBreda Meccanica Bresciana
Breda Meccanica Bresciana, widely known simply as Breda, is a large Italian manufacturer of small arms and ammunition located in Brescia.-History:...
to form the new entity of Otobreda and is now in charged of the production and manufacturing process for DARDO CIWS, Otobreda 76 mm and Otobreda 127/54 Compact naval guns.
External links
- Oto Melara official website
- http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ov8q5T5kYx8/RzS3XXESUiI/AAAAAAAAABA/CcB0TEuLu7Y/s1600-h/otomelara12.7mm.jpg