IVECO / CIO Freccia

8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

Italy | 2006

"Introduced in 2006, the 8x8 wheeled Freccia Infantry Fighting Vehicle has already seen combat service in Afghanistan with Italian forces."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/29/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Official image from the Italian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

IVECO and OTO-Melara are stalwarts in the modern Italian defense industry. It comes as no surprise that the two teamed to produce the effective "Freccia" Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). Growing in popularity, wheeled armored fighting vehicles are ebbing the dominance of tracked military vehicles with each passing year - changing the face of future battlefields in the process. The Freccia design was made ready in 2006 - based in the earlier "Centauro" 8x8 wheeled tank hunter (detailed elsewhere on this site) - and the Italian Army committed to 253 of the type to succeed the aging line of Cold War-era VCC-2 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) then in service. The VCC-2 was a localized variant of the long-running, tracked American M113 APC.

As it standard, the Freccia is a 28 tonne vehicle with an overall length of 7.6 meters, a beam measuring 2.9 meters and a height of 3 meters. It is crewed by three personnel, made up of a driver, vehicle commander and dedicated gunner, and has seating for an additional eight-to-ten passengers in the rear of the hull. Armor protection is of welded steel with ceramic plates added for reinforcement of particular sections. Power is from an in-house IVECO 5HP-1500 V6 diesel-fueled unit of 560 horsepower driving an 8x8 wheeled arrangement out to speeds of 105 kmh and range of up to 1,000 kilometers. The hydropneumatic suspension system, coupled with the vehicle's excellent ground clearance, allows the Freccia to go cross-country and traverse certain water sources, gradients and obstacles. IVECO supplies the engine, suspension and hull components.

Primary armament is a turreted (known as "HitFist Plus") 25mm OTO-Melara (Oerlikon) KBA autocannon fitted alongside a 7.62mm (coaxial) machine gun mounting. An optional 7.62mm machine gun can be fitted to the top of the turret to act as an anti-aircraft weapon. 8 x Smoke dischargers are carried to provide a self-screening capability as needed. The main gun is afforded 200 projectiles and the machine guns have access to 4,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

Access hatches are provided at the hull roof line and at the turret (2x). At the rear hull facing is a powered single-piece entry-exit door/ramp. The driver is seated at front-left in the hull with the powerpack to his right (the grille is identified along the right hull facing). This allows the rear of the hull to be dedicated to carrying infantry elements. The passengers are seated in two banks of five seats along each hull side wall with the teams facing one another.

Survivability features include a reinforced under-hull, well-sloped glacis plate over the bow and run-flat tires.

Beyond the base infantry support model there is an ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) missile carrier, field ambulance, reconnaissance vehicle, Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARC), mortar carrier (120mm TDA-2R2M type) and Command Post (CP) vehicle.

The Italian Army currently (2022) assigns its Freccia vehicle stock to three total Mechanized Brigades ("Aosta", "Pinerolo" and "Sassan").

To date, the product has not been exported though it is still actively marketed in its varied forms.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the IVECO Freccia 8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

1 x IVECO 5HP-1500 V6 diesel-fueled engine developing 560 horsepower.
Installed Power

65 mph
105 kph
Road Speed

559 miles
900 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the IVECO Freccia 8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

3
(MANNED)
Crew

24.9 ft
7.6 meters
O/A Length

9.5 ft
2.9 meters
O/A Width

9.8 ft
3 meters
O/A Height

61,729 lb
28,000 kg | 30.9 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the IVECO / CIO Freccia 8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

1 x 25mm Oerlikon KBA autocannon in turret.
1 x 7.62mm machine gun in coaxial fitting in turret.
8 x Smoke grenade dischargers

OPTIONAL:
1 x 7.62mm machine gun for Anti-Aircraft (AA) duty.

AMMUNITION:
200 x 25mm projectiles.
4,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.
8 x Smoke grenades.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Nightvision - YES.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Protection (CBRN) - YES - OPTIONAL.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the IVECO / CIO Freccia family line.

Freccia - Base Series Name.

Freccia IFV - Base Infantry Fighting Vehicle form.

Freccia ATGM - Anti-Tank Guided Missile carrier.

Freccia CP - Command Post with additional communications equipment.

Freccia MC - 120mm field mortar carrier.

Freccia AMB - Field ambulance.

Freccia ARV - Armored Recovery Vehicle outfitted with appropriate equipment for the role.

Freccia REC - Reconnaissance model.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the IVECO / CIO Freccia. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 634 Units
Contractor(s): IVECO DV / OTO-Melara / CIO - Italy

[ Italy ]

1 / 2

Official image from the Italian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

2 / 2

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

❮ ❯

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to battlefield requirements.

INFANTRY SUPPORT

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the IVECO / CIO Freccia 8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

CIO VBM Freccia AMC

CIO VBM Freccia AIFV/ATGM

Going Further...
The IVECO / CIO Freccia 8x8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) appears in the following collections:

HOME

ARMOR INDEX

ARMOR BY COUNTRY

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)