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General
information |
The 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. Iveco
is responsible for the hull and propulsion systems
while Oto Melara is responsible for the weapons
system and fire control system. The first production
order for 200 vehicles for the Italian Army was
placed in 1998 and the first was delivered in May
2002. Deliveries were completed in 2005. Total requirement
was expected to be 500 vehicles, but further acquisition
has been postponed under the 2005 Italian defence
budget. Dardo vehicles were deployed in support
of Operation Iraq Freedom in 2004. In May 2007,
the Italian government announced that eight Dardo
vehicles were being sent to Afghanistan to support
Italian troops with the NATO International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) peacekeeping mission.
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Variants
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Dardo
Anti-tank : with TOW system
Dardo mortar carrier : with a 120 mm mortar
Dardo command post
Dardo ambulance
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Armament |
The
Dardo is primarily armed with the 25mm Oerlikon
KBA automatic cannon firing 600 rounds per
minute, with 200 rounds of ammunition stored
in the turret ready to fire. Two 7.62mm
NATO machine guns are also installed in
the turret, one mounted coaxial with the
main gun. Five rifle ports, two on each
side on the hull and one in the rear are
provided to allow troops inside to use their
personal weapons if needed. Fire control
is provided by the Galileo Avionica Hitfist
integrated fire control system which is
capable of measuring target speed and range.
The commander is provided with six episcope
sights which provides 360° field of
vision. The cupola can be further fitted
with a panoramic stabilised sight. Additionally,
a laser range finder and a thermal imager
is provided for the gunner. The commander
is equipped with a monitor that displays
the view from the gunner night vision system.
For dealing with heavy armoured threats,
two Spike-LR anti tank missiles can be installed
on both sides of the turret with a maximum
range of 4km. Smoke grenade launchers, with
four 80mm barrels per side, are installed
on the front of the turret on either side
of the main gun in the forward pointing
direction. The crew compartment has five
rifle ports, two on each side plus one in
the rear ramp, for close defence.
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Protection |
The
Dardo hull is built from welded aluminum
alloy with add on steel armour plates for
increased protection. Over the frontal arc
the vehicle is protected against 25mm APDS
projectiles. The side armour protects against
14.5 API projectiles. Four 80mm smoke grenade
launchers, are installed on both sides of
the turret, for a total of eight.
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Propulsion |
The Dardo is powered by an Iveco 6V turbo-charge
after-cooled diesel engine delivering 512
hp (382.2 kW). This drives a ZF-designed
automatic transmission system which is manufactured
under license by Iveco Fiat. The transmission
system has four forward and two reverse
gears, and incorporates the steering system
and the hydraulic retarder. The running
gear consists six dual rubber lined road
wheels, with three return rollers on each
side and connector type tracks. The suspension
consists of a torsion bar, bumper and a
hydraulic shock absorber on each suspension
arm. Disc brakes on each of the final drives
controlled by a transmission retarder provide
the braking. Dardos in actionTogether, this
allows the Dardo to achieve speeds in excess
of 70 km/h, maneuver on gradients of more
than 60% and ford waters up to a depth of
1.5 m.
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Accessories |
The
troop compartment has five firing ports,
each with an associated vision block allowing
five of the infantrymen to fire their weapons
from inside the vehicle. Two of these are
in either side of the hull and one is located
in the door position in the left side of
the power-operated ramp at the rear. Standard
equipment on the Dardo includes a full range
of passive night vision equipment, an air
conditioning system, automatic fire extinguishing
system for the crew and engine compartment
and equipment to allow the vehicle to ford
to a depth of 1.5 m. The vehicle is fitted
with an integrated air conditioning system
and NBC system.
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Specifications |
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Armament |
1
× 25 mm Oerlikon Contraves
25 mm KBA cannon, one machine
gun of 7.62 mm, 2 ×
TOW launchers, 8 grenade
dischargers of 40 mm. |
Country
users |
Italy |
Designer
Company |
Iveco
Fiat Oto Melara
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Accessories |
Central
tires inflation, armor cabin,
remote weapons, winch. |
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Armor |
All-welded
aluminium and steel armour
bolted to the hull and turret.
a
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Weight |
23,000
kg |
Speed |
70
km/h |
Range |
500
km
a a
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