Aug 1, 2024

Wargame: Red Dragon - [EUG] Gal Marcel Bigeard

We are back!

As promised, in today’s DevBlog, we’ll shine a light on the new arsenal of vehicles you’ll get to play with in the upcoming Wargame: Red Dragon - Nation Pack: Italy.

Let’s go!

Play it cool with Nation Pack: Italy

Italy’s roster of vehicles and equipment is quite peculiar. For most of the Cold War, the Italian Army had to make do with foreign materiel, especially its main battle tanks. However, it had a strong automotive and manufacturing base, with the domestic military industry designing some striking armored vehicles destined for an export market.

This means that Italy had a large number of potential “prototypes,” most of which were actually way beyond the experimental stage, finding export success in other countries. So many of these types of vehicles exist that we could have made a Wargame: Red Dragon Italian Army with only export prototypes. A fine line had to be walked between featuring a realistic Italian Armed Forces and balancing the prototype/export deemed fun or necessary.

A technical note before we dive in: most of the models done (or remade) for this Nation Pack benefited from the latest advancements in Eugen’s modeling process - the same one we are using now for WARNO. This is very much in the same vein as the SADF leveraged Steel Division 2 improvements. The Italian Nation Pack models will be some of the most advanced and visually striking in Wargame: Red Dragon!

Main types of Italian vehicles

What kind of vehicles will you be able to encounter in Wargame: Red Dragon - Nation Pack: Italy? Bolded units are new!

LOG

Command vehicles will include the following:
- AR76 CMDO: the iconic Campagnola jeep of the Italian Army. Here, unarmed as a CV, it will be made available in several other variants in other categories.
- FIAT 6614 CMDO: an armored car armed with a .50 cal.
- M577A2 CMDO: the classic tracked APC.
- LVTC-7: a heavy amphibious command vehicle armed with a .50 cal.
- LEOPARD 1A2 CMDO: a command variant of Italy’s main battle tank.
Supply vehicles include the following:
- ACM-80 CARICO: a light supply truck.
- FIAT 6602 CARICO: a medium supply truck.

All the above vehicles are all Eras!

SUPP

Italy toyed a lot with fielding MLRS, testing rocket launchers on many different types of vehicles.
- FIROS-25 is a 40-tube 122mm napalm MLRS mounted on a truck. Not adopted by the Italian Army in this variant, it is classified as a 1981 prototype.
- FIROS-30 sports the same launcher but uses HE and Smoke rounds and is mounted on a bigger, faster, and sturdier truck. Available from 1987.
- M270 MLRS: bigger is better, with the classic 227mm MRLS rocket launcher in HE configuration. Available from 1990.
More FIROS variants, mostly lighter ones, will be found in the VEH category as direct fire support units.

Tube artillery includes:

SEMOVENTE 155/23 M109G: the classic short-tube M109G.
SEMOVENTE 155/39 M109L: the longer M109, but with an indigenous OTO Melara gun. Available from 1986.
SEMOVENTE 175/60 M107: the classic M107 175mm.
SEMOVENTE 203/39 M110A2: the classic M110A2 203mm. Available from 1985.

Self-propelled mortars are:

PORTA-MORTAIO M125: the classic M125 81mm mortar.
PORTA-MORTAIO M106: the classic M106 107mm mortar.
PORTA-MORTAIO M106A2: an improved variant of the latter unit, with the M30 107mm mortar replaced by the much better (French!) MO-120-RT 120mm. Available from 1986.

Missile air defense units include the following:

M727 I-HAWK: the ubiquitous unit.
M727 I-HAWK PIP II: the same system as fielded by South Korea and the Netherlands. Available from 1985.
SPADA ASPIDE: Like the Hawk in real life, this one isn’t supposed to be self-propelled. However, for gameplay purposes, we put it on the back of an Italian truck as a “prototype,” although it has been available since 1983. This system follows the same logic as the Norwegians with their AMRAAM: the Italians modified a domestic long-range air-to-air missile - the SPADA - to be ground-launched. In game terms, the SPADA ASPIDE is a slightly less accurate NASAMS.

Air defense systems using guns include the following SPAAGs:

QUADRINATA ACM-52: the poor man’s SPAAG, this is a truck mounting a quad .50 cal.
SIDAM 25: quite a bit more powerful, featuring a quad 25mm on a M113. Available from 1989.
And of course, the (infamous) unit everyone expects (or fears): the OF-40 OTOMATIC. It is everybody’s favorite meme gun mounted on a sturdier OF-40 MBT chassis compared to the Danish Leopard 1. Available from 1989 as a prototype.

The list goes on

Due to Italy's use of several different armor models, we have divided its tank tab into three distinct “families.”

The “Americans:”

M47: still used by the Italian Carabinieri (military police) in our timeframe.
M60A1: similar to the one used by the USMC.
M60A1 ERA: also similar to the USMC version, but with better ammo (+1), being only available from 1990.

The “Exports:”

The OF-40 was only used by the United Arab Emirates in real life. This means that all members of this family are prototyped.

OF-40: a “Leoparoïd” as figuratively described by some. In their quest for a new domestic design, the OTO Melara and Fiat engineers basically reinvented a tank that could be seen as sitting between a Leopard 1A2 and 1A3, although lacking stabilizers. Available from 1980.
OF-40 Mk.2: continuing their joint venture, the designers greatly improved the tank gun’s range and accuracy, as well as adding stabilizers. The armor package remained unchanged. Available from 1982.
OF-40 Mk.2A: with slightly improved accuracy. The stabilizer features a noticeable improvement. Armor remains unchanged, but optics are updated. Available from 1993.
OF-40 Mk.3: the ultimate variant replaces the 105mm gun with a more powerful and accurate 120mm version. It also features improved armor all-around and adds an extra MG. Also available from 1993.

The “Domestics:”

LEOPARD 1A2: All right, it might be the bastard child in this particular family, not being entirely “Italian.” We would like to note that it was produced in great numbers in Italy under license, turning it into the most numbered tank used in the Italian Army. It is similar to the in-game German counterpart.
C1 ARIETE: the one and only. We all expect this modern main battle tank here. It is included as a 1995 prototype, Italy’s own “heavy” main battle tank. It uses the same tank gun as the OF-40 Mk.3, although with better ammo.

Next up is reconnaissance.

The Campagnola family brings:

AR76 CARABINERI: an unarmed recon jeep.
AR76 RICO.: the same jeep, but sporting a .50 cal.

The Fiat 6616 series of light armored cars:

FIAT 6616 20mm: similar to the South Korean counterpart.
FIAT 6616 90mm: the same chassis as the previous unit, but armed with a low-pressure 90mm Cockerill Mk.3 gun. This vehicle is roughly a better AML-90, being a tad bit faster, better armored, and armed. Available from 1990.
FIAT 6616 60mm: same chassis, but armed with the HVMS 60mm high-velocity gun (AP rounds only). This armament is already found on the Israeli vehicle of the same name. Available from 1989, but as a prototype.

The “heavy recon” family:

LEOPARD 1A2 RICO.: similar to the main battle tank, but in the recon role.
B1 CENTAURO RICO.: Italy’s striking indigenous heavy armored car. It is a better AMX-10 RC, faster, with more range and accuracy, a stabilizer, better optics, and slightly more armor. Available from 1990.

Some more vehicles

And we turn to a general type of vehicle.

Fire support vehicles:

AR59 CANNONIERA: the AR76’s ancestor, mounting an M40A1 RCL as a fire support vehicle.
FIROS-6 (AR76): the classic AR76 armed with a 48-tube 51mm MLRS. Can only fire in direct support. This version was designed for paratroopers, providing them with additional firepower. It was never adopted for service. Available all-era, but prototyped.
FIROS-6 (FIAT 6614): the same launcher, also adapted on a Fiat 6614 armored car for export. Available all-era, but prototyped.

Missile tank destroyers include:

AR76 C.C. I-TOW: the classic AR76 with an I-TOW launcher. Available from 1982.
VTC TOW: this is the M150, an M113 armed with a single TOW tube.
VTC I-TOW: the same, but armed with I-TOW missiles. Available from 1982.
VCC-1 TUA: A VCC-1 APC (see below) with a TUA turret that can fire two TOW-2 missiles in quick succession. Available as a prototype in 1990.

Tank destroyers sporting a gun:

C-13/60: identical to the Israeli HVMS (an Italian export product) but in the tank destroyer role - not recon - and on a slightly different chassis.
B1 CENTAURO: the same as the recon variant, but with lesser optics.

And in the transport section:

ACM-80: a soft-skin truck transport.
FIAT 6614: light wheeled APC, similar to the South Korean KM900.
LVTP-7: heavy amphibious vehicle.
M113A1: the classic APC.
VCC-1 CAMILLINO: indigenous M113-like APC, with more armor, yet retaining its amphibious ability. Available from 1982.
VCC-1 CAMILLINO Mk.3: uparmored VCC-1, but having lost its amphibious capacity. Available from 1995 and prototyped.
VM 90P PROTETTO: an armored truck. It will count as a recon and transport for some scout squads. Available from 1990.

What’s in the box again?

Wargame: Red Dragon - Nation Pack: Italy will feature Italy as a stand-alone NATO nation in Wargame: Red Dragon. They will bring their unique mix of domestic and foreign materiel to the battlefield, old and brand-spanking new. Fully voiced and featuring 104 new Italian units, 19 new models, many existing models redone or upgraded, and a score of new variants, Wargame: Red Dragon - Nation Pack: Italy will boast one of the most visually up-to-date arsenals of our game.

In the previous DevBlog, we detailed the upcoming new Italian infantry. Read all the juicy details here.

What happens next?

That’s all for today’s vehicle preview of Wargame: Red Dragon - Nation Pack: Italy. We’ll be back next week with the DLC’s aircraft!

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Ciao!