"Dardo" ( Italian. Dardo - "arrow"), at the design stage (1980s) was designated VCC-80 ( Italian. Veicolo da combattimento corazzato) - 1980 infantry fighting vehicle (BMP). It was created by the Iveco FIAT Oto Melara concern by order of the Italian Army to create a single chassis for military vehicles for various purposes, including infantry fighting vehicles to replace obsolete M113 armored personnel carriers . The first batch of 200 Dardos was ordered by the army in 1998 , and mass production was carried out from 2001 to 2005 . Initially, the army planned to acquire 500 infantry fighting vehicles of this type, but after reducing funding in 2005, production was limited to 200 units. The Dardos were not exported and are in service only with the Italian Army, which used them in Iraq and occasionally in Afghanistan , where ten vehicles were sent to strengthen the Italian contingent.
| Dardo | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Dardo | |||||||||||
| Classification | Infantry fighting vehicle | ||||||||||
| Combat weight, t | 23,4 | ||||||||||
| Layout diagram | front engine | ||||||||||
| Crew | 3 | ||||||||||
| Landing , people | 6 | ||||||||||
| Story | |||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Iveco Consortium - Oto Melara [1] | ||||||||||
| Years of production | 2002 - 2005 | ||||||||||
| Years of operation | since 2002 | ||||||||||
| The number of issued, pcs. | 200 | ||||||||||
| Key Operators |  | ||||||||||
| Dimensions | |||||||||||
| Body length mm | 6705 | ||||||||||
| Width mm | 3000 | ||||||||||
| Height mm | 2640 (on the roof of the tower) | ||||||||||
| Clearance mm | 400 | ||||||||||
| Reservation | |||||||||||
| Type of armor | rolled aluminum + steel bill | ||||||||||
| Forehead, mm / city. | protection against 25 mm APDS shells | ||||||||||
| Board of the case, mm / city. | protection against 14.5 mm armor-piercing incendiary bullets | ||||||||||
| Dynamic protection | dynamic protection kit available | ||||||||||
| Armament | |||||||||||
| Caliber and brand of guns | 25 mm Oerlikon KBA | ||||||||||
| Sights | day and night thermal imager DNRS, with laser rangefinder | ||||||||||
| Machine guns | 2 × 7.62 mm | ||||||||||
| Other weapons | optional 2 PU ATGM TOW | ||||||||||
| Mobility | |||||||||||
| Engine type |
| ||||||||||
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 70 | ||||||||||
| Cruising on the highway , km | 500 | ||||||||||
| Specific Power, l s / t | 21.9 | ||||||||||
| Suspension type | individual torsion bar , with hydraulic shock absorbers | ||||||||||
| Gradeability, hail. | thirty | ||||||||||
| The overcome ditch, m | 0.85 | ||||||||||
| Fording , m | 1,5 | ||||||||||
"Dardo" has a classic layout: the engine-transmission compartment is located in the front of the hull, landing in the back. A well-developed control system, including stabilized conventional optical and thermal imaging observation devices and electric guidance devices, provides the ability to shoot at targets both to the gunner and the commander. A characteristic feature of the machine is that when firing shells from a cannon and a machine gun are thrown out through a special two-wing hatch on the left side of the tower.
Content
Armor Protection
The armored hull of the machine is welded from armored plates of an aluminum alloy, on top of which steel armor plates are installed on the heels. Judging by the published photos, the steel screens on the tower are installed in the frontal projection and partially along the sides - in their front zones.
In the front sector of the shelling, the frontal armor of the BMP "Dardo" withstands defeat with a 25 mm APDS-T type armor-piercing subcaliber tracer, and the non-penetration distance is classified. The above generally meets the requirements of Level 5 of STANAG 4569. The side armor withstands the defeat of the 14.5-mm B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet. It is possible to install a dynamic protection kit.
BMP Upgrade Options
According to Oto Melara, by 2003 an improved version of the BMP had been developed, the distinguishing features of which are: Galileo Avionoca's next-generation infrared gun periscope, commander’s panoramic periscope and the integrated SICCONA navigation, command and combat control complex. As measures to further increase the combat capabilities of Dardo, the following are named: kits to increase mine resistance, kits to reduce the IR and electromagnetic visibility of the machine, an engine increased to 620 hp power, hydropneumatic suspension, as well as an option with an extended armored housing with seven track rollers, instead of the one adopted with six rollers. An option with additional hinged booking has been developed. When installing a passive passive protection (added-on passive armor), the combat weight of the Dardo increases to 26 tons [2] .
Armed
- Italy : 200 units as of 2007 [3]
Notes
- ↑ DARDO AIFV / ATGM (English) . The Iveco - Oto Melara Consortium . iveco-otomelara.com. Date of treatment March 4, 2017.
- ↑ Jane's Armor and Artillery 2008-2009, p. 314
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 123.
Literature
- TJ O'Malley. Fighting Vehicles: Armored Personnel Carriers and Infantry Fighting Vehicles. - London: Greenhill Books, 1996 .-- 144 p. - (Greenhill Military Manuals). - ISBN 1-85367-211-4 .
- N. L. Volkovsky "Modern Military Equipment. Ground troops". Publishing house "AST" and "Polygon". 2006 p. 71.
Links
- Dardo Hitfist Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Italy . army-technology.com . SPG Media (2008). Date of treatment December 11, 2008. Archived March 22, 2012.