The SIDAM 25 (Sistema Italiano Difesa Aerea Mobile 25) was an Italian SPAA produced by Otobreda and operated by the Italian Army. It entered into service in 1987 and kept serving with the Italian armed forces until the early 2000s. This vehicle was based on the M113 chassis with a new turret and gun system. The SIDAM 25 was armed with four 25 mm Oerlikon KBA cannons and a modern optronic system. In War Thunder, the SIDAM 25 is an anti-aircraft system capable of obliterating low-flying aircrafts thanks to the firepower of its four cannons. Sadly, it struggles against air targets beyond 2 km, and it is equipped with limited anti-tank capabilities.
| Pros | Cons |
| Four guns with a devastating volume of fire | Main belt cannot hit targets beyond 2.35 km due to self-destruct of HE rounds |
| Has access to APDS rounds | Main belt contains only HE, APDS reserve is very limited (60 rounds) |
| TV tracking does not alert the target | No radar |
| M113 chassis protects from small machineguns and APHE generally doesn’t fuze | Armor can be easily defeated by 12.7 mm rounds, autocannons, HE and artillery |
| Engine is relatively quiet and the platform is mobile enough to move beyond the spawn | Low track traction and mediocre engine power. Struggles on slopes and hills |
| No night vision or thermal imaging |
Armor layout
The SIDAM 25 is based on the M113 chassis and retains its very limited protection features. Both the hull and turret are made of aluminum alloy 5083, which can stop small arms fire up to 7.62 mm, but everything else above that, even 12.7 mm, will penetrate easily. The thickest part is the sides of the hull, for a total thickness of 44 mm, but the plates are not angled, reducing the effective thickness by a significant amount. The most protected part of the vehicle is the front, with two 38 mm angled plates and the propulsion components (engine, transmission, and radiator) right behind them.
Despite the crew not being exposed to the elements, a good rule of thumb is not to get shot and to especially avoid artillery.
Fun fact: The armor is so thin that most APHE rounds will not fuze.
Survivability
The crew is composed of three members: driver, commander, and gunner. The driver sits in the forward-left part of the hull, and the commander sits inside the turret, while the gunner is located in the back of the hull. The commander’s seat inside the turret is surrounded on 180° by the ammunition stowage. This stowage, despite not taking up too much space, is still very susceptible to damage from artillery and HE shells.
Two external fuel tanks are located on the back of the vehicle. These can occasionally absorb an incoming round, but most of the time when hit, they will cause an explosion and an external fire without heavy consequences to the vehicle.
Overpressure is one of the biggest dangers for the SIDAM 25: HE rounds of calibers above autocannons will most of the time guarantee a premature return to the hangar.
Mobility
The SIDAM 25 did not receive any sort of upgrades in terms of its mobility components, retaining the same engine and transmission as the standard M113. The engine, being small, is relatively quiet, and it can help avoid detection while playing on smaller maps. It is much slower and sluggish compared to the Gepard or the Type 87 due to a lower power-to-weight ratio, but it is more nible in contrast to SPAAs based on main battle tank chassis, such as the Chieftain Marksman.
The SIDAM 25 can reach a maximum of 64 km/h forward and 15 km/h in reverse. These values are sufficient to allow the vehicle to move beyond the spawn and reach other parts of the map. The problem lies in the lack of power and traction to cross slopes and hills, a common trait among M113-based vehicles. It is best to stick to flat parts of the map and avoid difficult terrains and obstacles. Should it be necessary to travel over a hill, it is best to stick to a road.
Optics and electronics
Contrary to many other SPAA vehicles of similar rank and battle rating, such as the Gepard or the Shilka, the SIDAM 25 does not have any kind of radar equipment, but it relies on an optronic system and laser rangefinder to track, determine the distance, and provide a firing solution. Detection of enemy aircraft still needs to be carried out visually, acoustically or by looking at where friendly SPAAs with radar equipment are looking.
Gunner optics
The SIDAM 25 is equipped with only one sighting device, located on top of the turret, for the commander, who sits inside the turret. The gunner sits in the back of the vehicle, manning the electronic equipment and consoles needed for the targeting and engaging of enemy aircrafts. The radio station is also located there.
This optronic sighting device is designed to be used only during the day and with good atmospherical conditions. It lacks both passive night vision and a thermal imager.
| Gunner optics | Magnification | FoV |
| Fixed zoom | 5.0x | 15° |
3JB10 TV tracker
What sets the SIDAM 25 apart from other SPAAs of similar rank is the usage of a TV tracker. The TV tracker is an electronic device that allows the sighting system to follow, or track, a certain point or object present in the received video signal (TV channel). This is a completely passive process, which requires no emission of any kind (contrary to radar). For this reason, the tracked target does not receive any sort of notification or alarm. The TV tracking process, though, is not enough to provide a firing solution. With the addition of a laser rangefinder, it is possible to determine the distance of the target, and, through a series of calculations, a firing solution is provided.
This article provides the necessary information on how to effectively lock onto targets.
Note: The laser rangefinder modification module does not need to be researched for the TV tracker to provide the target’s distance.
Armament
The SIDAM 25 is armed with four 25 mm Oerlikon KBA cannons, with two on each side of the turret. These cannons have each a fire rate of 550 RPM (for a total of 2200 RPM) and an ammunition count of 165 rounds (for a total of 600 M792 HE rounds and 60 M791 APDS rounds). Switching between belts can take from 1.3 to 1 second, depending on the crew qualification.
The turret, which holds and houses the guns, is stabilized on two planes, can rotate 360°, and can elevate the guns to +87° and depress to -5°.
| Name | Type | Max penetration at 100 m, flat surface | Intended usage |
| M792 | HEI-T | 6 mm (kinetic effect) — 3 mm (explosive) | Against aircraft or soft ground targets (exposed crew) |
| M791 | APDS | 73 mm | Self defense against armored targets, especially the sides or aircrafts beyond 2 km distance |
Camouflages
The SIDAM 25 can be customized with four camouflages. Two of these can be unlocked just by defeating a certain amount of enemies (1 enemy destroyed equals to 5 points), while one can only be unlocked via Golden Eagles.
- Standard
- Desert camouflage (late) — 280 points or 200 Golden Eagles
- Tricolor late camouflage pattern — 200 Golden Eagles
- Winter camouflage — 570 points or 200 Golden Eagles
Camouflages showcase
The available camouflages are more than adequate to help the vehicle blend in with the environment. It is highly advisable to select the appropriate camouflage for the map environment in which the match is going to be fought due to the passive and stealthy game-style of the SIDAM 25.
Usage in battle
The SIDAM 25 is a vehicle that is best used in the defensive role. It lacks the armor, speed, and ammunition capacity to be used aggressively.
Using this vehicle as a first spawn is not recommended; it is better to wait until the enemy has had the opportunity to accrue spawn points so that the chances of incoming enemy aircraft increase. Once spawned, it is generally advisable to move the SIDAM 25 to a defensive position. This could be behind a hill, a building, a rock, or even the wreck of another tank, should there not be any other cover. It is also possible, should the map allow it, to hide inside a vegetated area that offers a good enough opening to the sky to allow the player to spot and track a target.
Once an enemy aircraft has been spotted, it should be locked and tracked right away to establish the distance. Should it be more than 3 km, there is a chance that the target will not reach an optimal distance (less than 2 km), and the player should keep an eye on it but also scan for other possible targets. Should the target be in range, it is best to wait a few seconds to see whether it will get even closer, since the less distance to the target, the more chance of hitting it.
When engaging a target, the best way it to fire in small to medium bursts to save ammunition. With four guns and a high rate of fire, it runs out very quickly. If the target is very close (500 m or less), it is probably advisable to spray and try to take it down quickly, mostly to prevent it from retaliating. Should the ammunition reserve decrease or even become empty, relocate to a safe area and deploy the ammunition box (default key ALT + E) and rearm the vehicle.
One of the greatest enemies of the SIDAM 25 is helicopters armed with ATGMs hovering at a distance of 2.4 km or more. There are three options to deal with them:
- If APDS is available, it
should be loaded and precisely aimed at the helicopter. This round has
no range limit, and it has a high probability of hitting. This is the recommended strategy.
- If there is a clear path on the map, move closer to the helicopter until it gets in range of the HE shells.
- If the player is pinned down or there is no way to get closer, stay behind cover and wait for the helicopter to get closer or for it to run out of ammunition.
Facing ground targets should be avoided on almost every occasion. Even though the SIDAM 25 is armed with powerful APDS rounds, there simply are too few to sustain a fight. APDS should be seen as a way to defend oneself from enemy ground vehicles that managed to get too close. Main battle tanks should be attacked on the sides, since most tanks have enough armor on the front to survive APDS of such small caliber. Light tanks can be engaged in any direction, keeping in mind the location of the crew inside it to ensure its destruction. Should an open-top vehicle be spotted, the HE belt is actually recommended due to the higher chance of injuring the exposed crew.
