ROME - Seventeen new Italian armored vehicles dispatched in June to Afghanistan to counter improvised explosive device (IED) threats have weathered the soaring temperatures of the Afghan summer and undertaken their first operational tasks, officials said.
After taking delivery of its first Freccia vehicle in February 2009, the Italian Army sent 17 of the 26-ton wheeled vehicles to Shindand in western Afghanistan on June 25, 2010, alongside technicians from the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium, which built them.
"There was a three-week period of logistical and environmental acclimatization for the vehicles before they started full operations," a defense official said. "We needed to check how they reacted to the very high temperatures, but there was no problem."
The Army has used the vehicles, which feature a 25mm cannon and can carry eight troops, for convoy support, area defense, a quick-reaction force, route reconnaissance, observation points and checkpoints, the official said.
Operating in pairs, the Freccias have patrolled alongside the Iveco-built Lince vehicles, also used by the Italians in Afghanistan. Political pressure to deploy the heavier Freccias grew after a series of IED explosions killed or wounded soldiers traveling in Lince vehicles, despite the Lince receiving praise from commanders for offering an elevated level of protection for its class.
Italian officials have not revealed whether Freccias have been struck by IEDs or if they have been involved in combat.
Since delivery, the 82nd regiment of the Italian Army's Pinerolo brigade has been training with the Freccias.
Since their dispatch to Afghani-stan, Army officials have been working with an online database linking Afghanistan, Iveco/Oto Melara, Rome and the base of the 82nd regiment in southern Italy to speed up maintenance and spare-parts replacement for the new vehicles, the official said.
"The Army's logistics command in Rome, industry, officials in Afghani-stan and at the 82nd regiment's HQ all worked off the same data sheets, which documented necessary repairs," the source said. "For any problem inputted into the system, all the parties would respond according to their areas of responsibility."
One issue arose concerning the vehicle's turret, which experienced more wear and tear than expected.
"More so than the hull, due to the fact that the vehicle was often stationary at checkpoints but the turret was constantly turning," the official said. "These lessons for Iveco/ Oto Melara will allow the study of separate life cycles for the turret and the body of the vehicle."
A first company of the 82nd regiment, which accompanied the Freccias, will return from Afghani-stan in December. It will be replaced by a second company, which is training in Sardinia with the vehicle as well as elements of the Army's digitalization program that are being brought into service alongside the Freccia.
After a six-month tour, a third company will take over, complete with replacement vehicles.
To date, the main component of the so-called "Soldato Futuro" program to be sent to Shindand with the Freccias are new tablet computers for ground commanders, which are linked to the vehicle and can be used to communicate, download maps from the vehicle's database, indicate targets, obtain information on the status of the vehicles and perform other tasks.
"There are broadband radio links between the Freccias, and we are waiting for broadband for hand-held radios," the official said. "For that, we are getting software-defined radios from Selex Communications in 2011. The IPR radios [Individual Pocket Radios] used to communicate tablet data are good but not enough."
To date, the Army has received 44 Freccias from a first ordered batch of 54, all of which are in combat version. Apart from the 82nd regiment, deliveries are already being made to the 9th regiment of the Pinerolo brigade, based in Trani in southern Italy, while the brigade's 7th regiment in Bari will begin receiving vehicles by the end of 2012.
All three regiments previously used the Italian-built, tracked VCC2 armored personnel carrier.
The first deliveries from a second batch of 109 Freccias are expected by the end of the year. In the second half of that batch, command post versions as well as Spike missile and mortar-firing Freccias will be delivered alongside the combat versions. Deliveries are planned to conclude next year or in 2012 before a third tranche of about 90 vehicles starts delivery in 2012. That delivery will wrap up in 2014 and complete the equipping of the three Pinerolo maneuver regiments.
"An artillery regiment and an engineer's regiment in the brigade will then receive their Freccias to fully complete the brigade by 2018," the official said. The former variant will feature a 155mm gun, he added.
The source said the Italian Army is interested in upgrading its Centauro wheeled tank, also built by Iveco/Oto Melara, on which the Freccia is based.
"We are looking at a 'Centauro 2' with a new body, which would benefit from the lessons learned on flexibility and protection during the development of the Freccia," he said. "It would also be wired for digital systems and feature a 120mm cannon instead of the current 105mm cannon."
An Italian industrial source confirmed talks are underway but at a very early stage.