Dardo
Contents
Description
The Veicolo Corazzato da Combattimento DARDO is a rank VII Italian light tank with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Red Skies".
General info
Survivability and armour
Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 78 | 36 | 23.5 | _,___ | 992 | __.__ | 42.21 |
| Realistic | 70 | 32 | _,___ | 520 | __.__ | 22.13 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.
| 25 mm Oerlikon KBA B02 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 400 (100) | 560 | -10°/+60° | ±180° | Two-plane | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: APDS · HEI-T* · HEI-T*
- M792: HEI-T* · HEI-T* · HEI-T*
- M791: APDS · APDS · APDS
- PMB 09: APFSDS
| Penetration statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | |
| Default | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| M792 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| M791 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| PMB 09 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| Belt details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| PMB 09 | APFSDS | ___ | _.__ | __ | _._ | ___ | __° | __° | __° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Additional armament
Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.
| BGM-71 TOW missile | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (Belt) | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| 8 (2) | -6°/+30° | N/A | N/A | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| TOW-2 | ATGM | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| TOW-2B | ATGM | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| TOW-2 | ATGM | ___ | _,___ | _.__ | __ | _._ | ___ | __° | __° | __° |
| TOW-2B | ATGM | ___ | _,___ | _.__ | __ | _._ | ___ | __° | __° | __° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.
| 7.62 mm Beretta MG42/59 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| ___ (___) | ___ | __° | __° | |
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".
Pros:
Cons:
History
During the late stages of the Cold War, OTO Melara, assisted by IVECO, had been designing a set of new multi-role armoured fighting vehicles in the hopes that enough interest would be generated to get the vehicles picked up either by the Italian army or by possible foreign customers. Several designs had been proposed (mainly to replace the ever-ageing M113 APC). The first attempt was the C-13 APC, which generated several variants, including an IFV and TUA version. It was ultimately never picked up likely due to political reasons, however what was used from the C-13 program would be re-used in future IFV projects, mainly the OTO Melara AV-90 and, the VCC-80 "Dardo".
The Dardo had a troubled development cycle. Originally OTO Melara had initially proposed an initial variant known as the 'VCL-80', which would have shared many aspects from the C-13. It originally was supposed to feature a MILAN ATGM launcher similar to the M3 Bradley series of vehicles. The VCL-80 stayed on paper, however shortly thereafter in the early 1980s a new and refined design came out, only known as the VCC-80 (not to be confused with the production VCC-80 "Dardo"). In 1982 the Italian army would place a contract for the VCC-80, which would be produced in very small pre-production/prototype batches, and underwent a series of changes during its development cycle. The VCC-80 would be tested with a high velocity medium support gun, the same gun tested years prior on the Fiat 6616. What would actually interest the Italian army would be the version fitted with a power-operated turret, mounted with a 25 mm Oerlikon-Buhrle cannon (capable of 600 rpm, and fed with 200 ready rounds stored in the turret, with extra rounds stored inside of the hull). In addition, it was also given the ability to equip itself with TOW ATGMs.
The general configuration of the VCC-80 would be conventional, being similar to other contemporary infantry fighting vehicles. What sets it out is the design, it being very well self proportioned and well executed. The hull as well as the turret of the VCC-80 is welded from plates of aluminium alloys (5083 and 7020 type). During its development, among the changes to the vehicle would be the fire control system, originally it had access to the Officine Galileo TURMS, present on the C1 Ariete and B1 Centauro. Eventually it was decided to use a mix, and the introduction of the Kollsman day/night sight which would be present on the the final version of the vehicle and subsequent production variants. The powerplant consists of an Iveco V6 turbo-charged after-cooled diesel, capable of 512hp (382.2 kW), coupled with an Iveco Fiat ZF type automatic transmission system with four forward/two reverse gears. The commander would be provided with six periscope sights, with 360° field of view. The cupola can be further fitted with 'JANUS' panoramic stabilized sight, although this is seen rarely. Additionally, a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager is provided for the gunner. Eventually the Italian army after extensive testing would order a grand total of 300 production units of the VCC-80 in 1988, designating it the VCC-80 "Dardo", and later downsized to 200 units due to the end of the Cold War. They'd be delivered through the following years and the final production vehicles would be delivered in the early 2000s.
Since then, the Italian army have not upgraded the vehicle much, in 2005 TOW-2B and TOW-2A ATGMs would be ordered to up-arm both the Dardo and the A129 Mangusta, mainly done due to the old TOW variants such as I-TOW being a bit too outdated for the modern setting. They would also at one point acquire a license from Germany to produce PBM-09 25 mm APFSDS to accompany the Dardo. Dardos are currently in use inside of the majority of the 'Bersalgiere' regiments. Since then, the VCC-80 "Dardo" has partaken in pretty much every theatre of war that Italy was involved in, such as in Afghanistan, as well as Italian United Nations missions in Lebanon. In terms of upgrade programs, there was an attempt once to do such thing. During Eurostatory of 2010, an international exhibition of the defense and security sector that takes place every two years in the Paris-Nord Villepinte exhibition center, would have Italy present their defense vehicles and items like usual, including the Dardo. This time however would be the first time the Dardo IFV was seen in the configuration CIO presented, this specific configuration would allow the Dardo IFV to have an unmanned HITFIST-OWS (Overhead Weapon Station) 30 mm cannon, which would also be able to be paired up with 2 Spike ATGM launchers (the launcher was also capable of using Kornet and INGWE). However following in-depth studies conducted jointly by the Army and industry, the poor cost/effectiveness ratio of the vehicle modernization emerged, and therefore, in 2016, the VCC-80 "Dardo" modernization program was abandoned in favour of a new platform that can respond to the needs of the Armed Forces.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Italy light tanks | |
|---|---|
| Italy | |
| L6/40 | L6/40 · L6/40 (31 Rgt.) |
| M11/39 | M11/39 |
| Autoblindo | AB 41 · AB 43 |
| Fiat 6614/6616 | FIAT 6614 · AUBL/74 · AUBL/74 HVG |
| R3 Capraia | R3 T106 FA |
| Centauro | Centauro I 105 · Centauro I 105 R · Centauro I 120 · Centauro RGO · VRCC |
| Freccia | VBC (PT2) · Freccia |
| Dardo | Dardo · VCC-80/60 · VCC-80/30 |
| Other | C13 T90 |
| USA | ▄M3A3 · ▄M24 · ▄M18 |
| Hungary | |
| WWII | Csaba · Toldi IIA |
| Post | ◔BTR-80A · KF41 |
