Italy already maintained several thousand license-production American M113 armored personnel carriers by OTO Melara, so it was no surprise that a decision was made to develop the system further with Italian modifications made as necessary. The resulting system became known as the VCC-1 "Camillino" and served with the Italian Army in the same role as the M113 once did.
Changes to the base M113 system included a redesign rear hull portion. Whereas the original M113 suffered from any kind of armor protection for its 12.7 machine gun cupola and offered no firing ports for the passengers, the VCC-1 addressed these deficiencies in a sloped-armor upper hull with two firing ports per side two remotely-controlled top-mounted 12.7mm machine gun and rear-facing hull mounted 7.62mm machine gun. Outwardly, the VCC-1 still maintained the visual similarity to the M113 - most notable in the forward portion of the hull but in essence everything else was of all-Italian design.
The driver was positioned to the forward left of the design with his own cupola. The commander was seated just to the rear of the driver with his cupola. The main 12.7mm armament was mounted onto a powered cupola to the commander's extreme right. Periscopes are fitted to each cupola to address vision issues from when within the vehicle. Passenger accommodations allow for up to seven combat-ready personnel with exit/entry made possible by a large powered rear ramp.
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Specifications
Automotive Technical Service / OTO Melara - Italy Manufacturer(s)
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