FIAT 6614
Contents
Description
The FIAT 6614 was a APC created by Fiat and OTO Melara. In the post-war period, Italy needed light vehicles that could be deployed quickly and give support to the troops at the front. The FIAT 6614 met all the requirements for this, and was chosen for both military and para-military roles. The prototype was built in 1972, after which it underwent several modifications. FIAT was in charge of the engine and locomotive components, while OTO MELARA was in charge of the armament and hull. The FIAT 6614 had the IVECO 8062.24 diesel engine that allowed the vehicle to reach 100 km/h, and the hull allowed it to carry between 3 to 10 soldiers. One of the prototypes produced would use the 106 mm cannon M40A1 recoilless rifle; it was presented to the Italian army but was never adopted for the simple reason that the army already had better vehicles equipped with the 106 mm in service, and moreover the 106 mm cannon was becoming increasingly obsolete.
Introduced along with the Italian ground tech tree in Update 1.85 "Supersonic", the FIAT 6614 is a good light tank; thanks to its top speed of 100 km/h, you can easily flank the enemy or find good positions for a surprise attack, while the 106 mm recoilless rifle can penetrate any target with HEAT, or use the large explosive mass of the HESH shell. With its amphibious capabilities, you can also utilise rivers or lakes to outflank the enemy.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull)
- Gun steel (gun barrel, MG)
- Wheel (tires)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 8 mm (30-46°) Driver viewport 8 mm (70-81°) Upper Glacis 8 mm (52°) Lower Glacis |
8 mm (21-45°) Top 5 mm (12-20°) Radiator vents 8 mm (25-33°) Bottom 8 mm Wheelwells |
8 mm (17°) Upper plate 8 mm (43°) Lower plate |
8 mm (9-20°) Front Glacis 8 mm Crew compartment |
| Gun mount | 8 mm | |||
| Cupola | 8 mm | |||
Notes:
- All windows are 8 mm thick.
- The tires are 10 mm thick.
- The belly is 8 mm thick.
The FIAT 6614 has almost no armour, like other vehicles in the Italian tree, and with that very low survivability. Anything that hits a glancing side shot will likely knock out at least one crew member, while a frontal or rear shot will incapacitate a minimum of 3 crew, enough to take the player back to the hangar. It goes without saying, that the entire car is vulnerable to overpressure damage.
The average effective thickness changes depending on where the FIAT 6614 is shot from. At the front, it ranges from 15-20 mm thick, although the front-facing window of the driver's hatch does only give 9 mm of armour between a machine gun round and the driver. While a 7.62 mm round will not penetrate even at point blank range, a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun round will only fail to penetrate that window at over a kilometre away. Considering the car's most valuable advantage is its ability to get to good positions fast, an incapacitated driver will ruin the FIAT 6614's chances in rushing down an enemy tank. At about 800 m away the HMG cannot damage car crew at most other frontal spots.
The side's obvious weak spots are the grills near the front that are only 5 mm thick. Considering that the vehicle has a hexagon-shaped cross-section if sliced from left to right, the upper plate of the slanted side offers 9 mm of protection after the grill and 10-12 mm around and in front of the grill. Overall, the sides can be penetrated by 7.62 mm MG from 100 m range, particularly by tall tanks.
The back armour, just like the sides, can only block 7.62 mm at above 100 m range. the door doesn't have a different thickness. There is nothing besides ammunition in the back, so it can be used to bait shots when most of ammunition was spent.
The car has very low profile, allowing it to hide behind even smallest terrain waves or rocks that can't protect any other tank. The gun is placed on top of the car, allowing it to never really take damage from enemy tanks until they decide to use overpressure damage.
Even when entrenched, this car is still very vulnerable to strafing aircraft and artillery. Bombs and rockets can easily obliterate FIAT 6614 if it is standing in their destruction radius.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 112 | 22 | 8.7 | 248 | 305 | 28.51 | 35.06 |
| Realistic | 100 | 20 | 142 | 160 | 16.32 | 18.39 | |
The FIAT 6614's mobility and maximum speed is difficult to match, particularly on flat ground and roads, though it still struggles when driving uphill, much like the AUBL. Due to the FIAT 6614 being a wheeled car, going through small uphill will trickle away its speed and it will not be able to escape being stuck in a hole without a head start. The wheeled construction means the FIAT also cannot neutral steer, so every position it takes must be thought out and planned, but it does have a relatively small turning circle, so it is feasible to turn around while standing behind an average sized rock. As a compensation, it can accelerate extremely quickly on any road, regardless of the terrain around it.
In case there is nowhere else to run, the car can swim in water, but only at 5 km/h and without ability to fire any weapons.
In RB, the fastest speeds it can reach will depend on the terrain: on flat off-road track like the ones on Sinai, the FIAT 6614 can easily reach 60 or 70 km/h and going downhill or forward for a long time it will reach the 80s or 90s; but on a hilly terrain or bad terrain, it may only reach up to 45 km/h. On a road, it will eventually reach 100 km/h regardless of its surroundings. It can drive in circles at 23 km/h. When reversing the FIAT 6614 has good acceleration, reaching -10 km/h after about 3 seconds and will get to -20 by the fourth second.
In AB, there is nothing within its rank that can drive even relatively as fast. When spaded, it will easily gain 80 km/h on flat ground and accelerate into 100 km/h even without a road. The reverse is -22 km/h on demand. Even its relative R3 T106 FA (that is technically faster) can't outspeed it, as FIAT is also extremely stable and isn't prone to drifting as much, making it unlikely to randomly flip or lose speed.
The absurd speed is as much of a weapon for FIAT, as it is a defence, as it allows the car to capture a point AND take over a defensive position before enemies even have a chance to approach it. In most daring situations, FIAT can literally cross 2/3 of the map before enemy could even leave the spawn, effectively trapping them, so learning how to drive the car without too much speed loss is vital.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The main weapon is the recoilless rifle, very commonly seen on 6.7 BR SPGs. The main difference between this car and the rest of the tanks using it is that it is mounted on the very roof, practically separately from the hull. The cannon is a small target, making it extremely difficult to destroy the car even in AB. The gun is somewhat easy to disable as it has a maximum effective thickness of 88 mm, but usually enemies try to hit the car itself first.
The cannon is mounted on the right side, so sometimes it is incompatible with cover (rocks may have lower portions on the left, hill may be angled weirdly, etc), so sometimes the car has to be turned over to fire over cover. This is very important to keep in mind when choosing a position, as sometimes turning around is not an option after the enemy arrives. The vertical aiming angles of the cannon are also somewhat restrictive - if the car is angled too much up or down, it won't be able to aim the enemy.
The turn rate of the cannon is rather slow and sometimes enemies flanking the car will be able to rush it down before it can turn. Making an escape plan and or remembering which way the car can be spinned around safely (without exposing the hull to everyone else) to help redirect the weapon onto offending tank is recommended.
Much like all recoilles rifles, the cannon can fire either HEAT or HESH shells. HEAT will easily penetrate any heavy tank and deal serious damage in a line, while HESH deals overpressure damage through about 30 mm RHA, and even if that wasn't triggered the shell will do extremely high damage as long as it hits relatively weak armour plates directly. Generally, HEAT is the main ammunition of such cannons, as it is important to stop enemy tank before it can respond, but due to the uniquly safe position of the gun, HESH is recommended to use against the majority of tanks instead, particularly in AB, where aim assist negates unpredictable nature of HESH to an acceptable level.
While the cannon has acceptable accuracy even stock, it never hurts to unlock modifications to be able to land precise shots, particularly with HESH shells.
| 106 mm Cannone da 106 s.r.M40A1 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 17 | -10°/+12° | ±360° | N/A | 9.5 | 13.2 | 16.0 | 17.7 | 18.8 | 13.00 | 11.50 | 10.60 | 10.00 |
| Realistic | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| M344A1 | HEAT | 433 | 433 | 433 | 433 | 433 | 433 |
| M361A1 | HESH | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M344A1 | HEAT | 503 | 7.96 | 0 | 0.01 | 1.65 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| M361A1 | HESH | 498 | 7.95 | 0.1 | 4 | 5.04 | 73° | 77° | 80° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 11 (+6) | 9 (+8) | 7 (+10) | 3 (+14) | 1 (+16) | No |
Notes:
- Rounds are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Full ammo load should be brought for the cannon because running out of shells is very common in this vehicle.
Machine guns
The M80 is a rangefinder machine gun attached to the M40A1 recoilless rifle. It doesn't really do any damage, only being able to effectively damage exposed crew members and flimsiest of fences. However, the ballistics of the weapon are aligned with the gun's ballistics, meaning that it can be used to range a target, rather than using the rangefinding skill. This comes with additional bonus of seeing what exactly will the shell hit.
| 12.7 mm M80 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 120 (5) | 300 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
- Overall
The FIAT is a light tank destroyer with extremely potent anti-tank grenades that are almost guaranteed to slice through any armoured foe. Putting it on a frontline is a risk, as its armour is not going to stop anything heavier than 7.62 mm machine gun fire, so striking from the shadows or taking over a fortified position are the best options. One of the main upsides is that you don't have an actual gunner who exposes themselves to fire, meaning all you have to do is find a great position and remain hull-down. Getting to said position is fairly easy if you are on a map with easily accessible roads. The FIAT 6614 will manage to reach its top speed and overtake most of the vehicles at its battle rating, use your speed to your absolute advantage.
Another great feature that the FIAT 6614 has access to is the scouting mechanic. Scouting will allow you to earn even more points, whilst also providing great intel for your teammates to take advantage of. Due to the excellent penetration of the both HEAT and HESH rounds, this tank destroyer is best played pointing and shooting at the target, not minding weak spots, especially due to the overpressure damage mechanic.
- RB/SB
With the FIAT 6614, to maximize your effectiveness on the battlefield, you need to be in places were regular enemies won't suspect vehicles to be shot at from. Although some tanks will be able to survive one or two shots, generally speaking you should make quick work of anyone you encounter. If you get spotted, you should quickly disengage and move to a new spot where enemies will again not suspect you shooting from, to disengage you can use smoke grenades to cover your retreat for a short while. Always remember to stay at a safe distance, as previously mentioned you won't be able to withstand much, if anything. You'll be at the mercy of artillery strikes and enemy aircraft. It's recommended to take cover inside a building or behind a natural obstacle that will protect you from such threats.
- AB
In Arcade Battles, enemies can easily find out where you are located with the nametag or through minimap during air raid and are able to quickly find out where your weak spots are. This means nothing to you though, as the entire car is a weakspot, and you are not going to let them hit the hull, if you can help it. It's also good to know, that the majority of players do not carry additional HE/HESH just in case random FIAT decides to ruin their day, so you are generally safe unless attacked by an artillery tank or an equal.
At first, it is better to focus on taking over the most beneficial position you can think of near capture points. A small ground incline, that hides the hull, but allows the turret to aim directly at enemy tanks is perfectly fine, so long as enemy cannot rush you without exposing their hull and being shot by your team. The ground doesn't have to be perfectly flat, but you need to pay attention to how low you can aim in any given spot. If you can find a solid rock with a convenient opening, or even a dead tank - that's even better. Position can be somewhat open (to allow you to scout freely and earn bomber points), or closed-up (to let you run away from artillery tanks or inevitable security breach). Here are some examples of parking literally infront of enemy with or without reprecussions:
Very bad position that nonetheless allows to prevent enemy rushers from capturing B altogether
Very nice position that allows to protect capture point from multiple directions
So long as all you can see is enemy tank turret, they probably can't hit your hull, anywhere is fine
Practically unbeatable hill position that will only slightly mess with FIAT's ability to aim
With aim assist, you will easily obliterate pretty much any tank that is trying to slowly approach you. If enemy is uncertain or is genuinely spooked by your existance, exploit the pause in their movements and overpressure them by firing into their cupolas or other weak spots. Should they turn their turret away from you, immediately punish them by sending them back to spawn. If you get uptiered and see some really mean heavy tanks in enemy lineup, take more HEAT. If you see a high amount of American tanks, take more HEAT anyway, as HESH is not nearly as reliable against their heavy tanks in direct combat.
Once you get better at point defence, explore more options to become an absolute menace to the enemy team. While it is true that once one enemy seen you in AB, at least two more will notice that, it doesn't matter as long as they are busy and aren't some kind of god gamer to be able to incercept you with a single flick. You can, therefore, use less than perfect cover to grab some easy tanks for bomber points, then carpet bomb the rest of their team. Try to check maps in more detail to find where rushing past capture points to attack incoming tanks would work, occupy absolutely unhinged hiding spots, leave enemy no option but to go around you and punish them for even trying, as long as you believe it to be more beneficial than protecting a capture point directly:
Nobody expects an invincible portable turret right infront of their own sniper nest. Sometimes a genuinely game ending move.
Some deep flanking spots make FIAT borderline invincible, and you CAN rush to them.
FIAT is also short enough to sometimes fire UNDER things.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Absurdly fast on-road, unmatched speed in AB, reasonably stable at high speed
- The gun mounting allows car to hide the entire hull behind cover while still having the gun above cover, making it virtually immune to all but overpressure damage
- Small target, easy to hide
- Unlike other Italian alternatives, it has perfectly accurate gun with lethal shells
- 106 mm HESH can knock out most enemy vehicles with a single shot, except some heavy tanks
- 106 mm HEATFS is capable of frontally penetrating all contemporary tanks
- 360-degree turret traverse unlike other recoilless rifle tanks
- Is amphibious
Cons:
- Very thin armour, vulnerable to overpressure, even light machine gun fire within 100 m range, artillery and strafing by aircraft in general
- Bad off-road speed when driving uphill, particularly noticeable in RB/SB
- Turret rotation speed is slow enough for enemy to flank and spank if not spotted beforehand
- Cannot fire the recoilless rifle or the spotting rifle while swimming, leaving it defenceless in water
- Rather restrictive vertical aiming angles
History
The Fiat 6614 was an APC joint venture between Fiat and OTO Melara. Post-war Italy had realized the need of having light vehicles that could easily be deployed at long distances to further support the front-line troops, without actually being in the front-line. The Fiat 6614 was specifically made to fill in the requirements of the many military and para-military organizations, where some form of mobile armoured protection is required for personnel. The first prototype was made in 1972, which underwent many changes, both aesthetic and armament-wise. An example would be such as the Fiat 6614 having access to a dual .50 cal turret, which would be ultimately removed after testing. Fiat would be in charge of the engine and the automotive components while OTO Melara was in charge of the hull and weapon system. The Fiat 6614 would be outfitted with an IVECO 8062.24 diesel engine, this allowed the Fiat 6614 to reach speeds of 100 km/h. It had a max crew of 3, but being a APC, could carry up to 10 soldiers at once. One of its staple abilities was the fact that it could be amphibious (propulsion once in the water was provided by the road wheels), which further allowed it to push itself into it being a multi-role vehicle. There was plenty of optional equipment available for the Fiat 6614, such as: recovery winch, night vision equipment, smoke grenade discharges and also an air conditioning system. Armament-wise, due to its weight, it couldn't really support heavy loads (primarily also why the Fiat 6616 was made), this didn't stop it from having a few armaments installed, one of the more obscure variants being one with a FIROS-6 rocket launcher. It's good to note that it was also marketed as a mortar carrier, medi-vac ambulance and also a reconnaissance vehicle.
This FIAT 6614 is a further development prototype for anti heavy armoured target purposes by mounting a 106 mm M40A1 recoilless rifle forward of the commander's position on the turret roof. It was only a one-off, as far as we know of, which members of the Italian military would use to evaluate its effectiveness on the field. Ultimately it wasn't picked up due to other vehicles in the Italian army being much better candidates, and also due to the M40A1 recoilless rifle getting more and more obsolete. It was able to fire M40A1 standard munitions, such as HEAT and HESH, and the rounds would be stored near the backside of the vehicle.
In terms of service, the Italian Fiat 6614 is still technically in service, inside of the 'Polizia di Stato' (State police), mainly used for riot control and during natural disasters where its amphibious abilities can come in handy. Other times it was used would be when the Italian Army deployed a number of Fiat 6614's to Bosnia and Somalia, for safekeeping. They had a huge success in the export market, one of the biggest successes being in the South Korean army. The Fiat 6614 would be license produced in South Korea, where it was widely used, although as of 2022 it's said they've completely gone out of service. The South Korean Fiat 6614 is known as the KM900, while locally introduced variants, known as the KM901 can include an armoured ambulance, mortar carriers, and command vehicles. Other countries still using it to this day include Libya, Somalia, Tunisia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru. Fiat 6616 also known as 'Autoblinda 1974' (AUBL/74) is a further development model of the Fiat 6614, after OTO Melara and Fiat engineers started experimenting on up-arming the Fiat 6614.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Other vehicles equipped with a recoilless rifle
- Other vehicles equipped with a similar chassis
External links
| 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 |
