Dardo

Italy's tracked infantry fighting vehicle, jointly built by Iveco (hull) and Oto Melara (turret, now Leonardo), forming the mechanized backbone of Italian Army brigades since the late 1990s. It has been progressively upgraded and deployed on peacekeeping and NATO missions, and is being succeeded by the Freccia and future programs.

In service since 1998 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

600

km range

21.7

hp/t

mm gun

23,000

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Italian export-licensed

UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1998. Status: active · ~400 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 70 km/h

Stronger than 31% of IFVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 600 km

Stronger than 53% of IFVs
Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.: 21.7 hp/t

Stronger than 43% of IFVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 25 mm Oerlikon KBA cannon
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun; TOW ATGM launcher
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 25 mm
Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.: 200

Stronger than 37% of IFVs

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Welded steel with appliqué armor
Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.: No
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 6.7 m
Width Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 3 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 2.6 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 23,000 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3
Troop capacity Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.: 7

Stronger than 36% of IFVs

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: Iveco 8260 turbocharged diesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 520 hp

Stronger than 57% of IFVs
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 400

Stronger than 24% of IFVs
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 23% of IFVs

Specifications compiled from public Iveco Defence Vehicles and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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