The Dardo is an infantry fighting vehicle developed for the Italian Army to provide support to infantry and the M113 and VCC-1 "Camillino" APCs, which it would later almost completely replace together with the VBC Freccia. During the later stages of the Cold War, Italy had a need for a multi-role platform for infantry support; the C-13 had been trialled, but it had not been accepted into service and the project was cancelled. New prototypes were developed from the C-13, using different types of armaments and other technologies, and a refined design known as the VCC-80 was produced in the early 1980s. It was designed and built in Rome by a consortium between IVECO and OTO Melara, in which OTO Melara was responsible for the armament and fire control systems, while IVECO was responsible for the hull and powerplant. It would be quickly picked up by the Italian army, placing a small pre-production contract in 1982, followed by a full contract for 300 vehicles in 1988 when it was designated "Dardo" (later reduced to 200 at the end of the Cold War). The final units were delivered in the early 2000s. In 2004, the Dardo was deployed with the Italian Army as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ten units were also sent to Afghanistan to reinforce Italian battle groups. Some units are also in use with the Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Introduced in Update "Red Skies", the Dardo works best as a support or flanking vehicle. It is recommended to find a location with a good overview of the battlefield and scout for enemies for your allies. The main armament is extremely effective against enemy lightly armoured vehicles, which are prevalent at this stage. Additionally, players should strive to unlock the TOW-2B anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) as soon as possible so that they can engage enemies from cover. However, the missile's effectiveness is unreliable, and it occasionally fails to damage the enemy at all.