Fiat-Terni Tripoli (in some sources Autoblinda FIAT Terni or FIAT Tipo Tripoli ) - Italian light armored car of the 1920s - 1930s .
| Fiat-terni tripoli | |
|---|---|
| Fiat-terni tripoli | |
| Classification | light armored car |
| Combat weight, t | four |
| Layout diagram | classic |
| Crew | 2-4 |
| Story | |
| Years of production | 1918 - 1919 |
| Years of operation | 1918 - 1942 |
| The number of issued, pcs. | 14 |
| Key Operators |  |
| Dimensions | |
| Body length mm | 4545 |
| Width mm | 1700 |
| Height mm | 3070 |
| Armament | |
| Machine guns | one 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli machine gun mod. 1914 |
| Mobility | |
| Engine type | FIAT, carburetor, 4-cylinder, |
| Engine power, l with. | 36 |
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 40-45 |
| Wheel formula | 4 × 2 |
History
Work on a new light armored car began at the Terni Metallurgical Plant at the end of World War I. The chassis of the Fiat 15Ter truck was taken and an armored body consisting of three parts was installed on it. These parts had an original shape: the front part (engine compartment) was in the form of a truncated cone, the middle part (control and fighting compartment) had a cylindrical section and two side doors for the crew, and the third, aft part was a transport compartment. The armored car also had a closed turret with a FIAT-Revelli machine gun . 1914 machine gun.
The first prototype of the new armored car was built at the end of 1918 and did not have time to take part in hostilities. Nevertheless, an order for the release of a batch of these armored vehicles was issued and already in 1919 they entered service with the Italian Royal Army . Armored vehicles of this type were sent to serve in Libya , which was a colony of Italy and where a guerrilla Islamic anti-colonial movement led by Omar Mukhtar , which the Italians suppressed, unfolded at that time.
Not much information has come about the further service of these armored vehicles. Italians are known to have used these armored vehicles for training, but by the mid-1930s, some of them had become unusable and scrapped. With the entry of Italy into World War II , the remaining armored vehicles of this type were used in the initial stages of the North African campaign , although these already few cars were completely outdated. The surviving photo shows that by this time the remaining armored vehicles in the service had been modernized. In particular, new chassis from the Fiat-SPA 38R truck were installed. Weapons have also changed. Instead of a closed tower, an open barbet type with a large-caliber Breda-SAFAT machine gun was installed. Thus, this armored car could be used as an anti-aircraft gun against aviation. At least two such armored vehicles went to the British troops in North Africa as a trophy.