SIDAM 25
| Sidam 25 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 |
| length | 5.04 m |
| width | 2.69 m |
| height | 1.83 m |
| Dimensions | 12.5 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 38 mm |
| Main armament | 4 × 25 mm MK Oerlikon |
| agility | |
| drive | Detroit Diesel 6V-53T 196 kW (266 PS) |
| suspension | Torsion bar |
| Top speed | 68 km / h |
| Power / weight | |
| Range | 480 km |
SIDAM 25 is an anti-aircraft tank that was developed by the Italian company Oto Melara in the 1980s. The name stands as an abbreviation for Sistema Italiano di Difesa Aerea Mobile and for the caliber of the armament.
history
While the Italian Air Force had built a very effective anti-aircraft missile belt in northern Italy with its Nike Hercules units together with the Army Hawk and then Spada missiles during the Cold War , the Italian Army Brigades lacked mobile anti- aircraft weapons. In the field of mountain and paratroopers as well as motorized infantry, this was countered by the procurement of portable Stinger rockets. For the armored and mechanized brigades initially pulled one very powerful air defense anti-tank otomatic with its modified 76/62 Compact - naval gun into consideration, but then abandoned for cost reasons. Instead, they were based on both the American M163 Vulcan and the Soviet ZSU-23-4 . Type M113 armored personnel carriers already in service were slightly modified and equipped with a 25/80 mm quadruple Oerlikon KBA flak. A total of 275 vehicles of this anti-aircraft tank, known as the SIDAM 25, were put into service between 1987 and 1993. Originally, every armored or mechanized brigade was to receive an anti-aircraft battery equipped with the SIDAM 25, then after the end of the Cold War and the downsizing of the army they were concentrated in two anti-aircraft regiments, some of which are still in service today.
The entire SIDAM project was very controversial, especially because of the relatively low stock of ammunition in the vehicles (630 rounds) and the lack of its own radar. The target acquisition is carried out by search radar systems at battery level , which disadvantages effective mobile use. The flak tanks have a digital fire control computer, a laser range finder and a night vision device. Overall, costs and income were not in a reasonable relationship to one another, despite all savings efforts.