SIDAM 25 (Mistral) History Questions…

Machinery of War Discussion Ground Vehicle
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Hello, I was just curious on the history of this vehicle as there really isn’t any information/sources on it (at least that I’ve found) other than a few drawings, one link (which is shared below) and Gaijin’s take on it.

Gaijin’s Take

“ Modernization plans for the SIDAM 25 were drawn up in late 1994, when Italian engineers proposed the up-arming of the vehicle with Mistral surface-to-air missiles in order to give it better long-range capabilities and improve its performance as a whole.

The missiles were to be distributed between two launchers, with each launcher containing three missiles. As such, the vehicle could then utilize the missiles against targets at long range, whilst preserving the cannon armament for close-range engagements.

The modernization of the SIDAM 25s with Mistral SAMs was expected to begin in the early 2000s, alongside some other potential upgrades as well.”

From the Link

IMG_0694
IMG_06941290×870 208 KB

https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1498

Questions:

  • What’s the history of the SIDAM 25 (Mistral)?
  • Was this upgrade ever carried out in any capacity? Any prototypes or just a blueprint design?
  • Is the SIDAM 25 in any capacity still in service or is it stowed/retired? If so, when?
  • Has Italy worked on a replacement that can fulfill its unique V-SHORAD role?

IMG_0692

Thanks everyone, this is obviously voluntary so I appreciate your responses. I’m just trying to learn more on the relatively “discreet” vehicles of the Italian Army. Take care!

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and other 1001 questions to gaijin historical accuracy

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Check out the Italian Research discord, the link is somewhere on these forums

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I don’t know much about this, I’ll share what I know but keep in mind that I might have got something wrong.

Only one was ever built, it never entered service since the whole project was canned after the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent budget cuts and lost of interest in SPAA with guns.

No new SPAA with a mix of guns and SAM has ever been made in Italy. As with most nations, the focus has moved to SAM-equipped vehicles.
You can take a look at this thread for other interesting Italian platforms Nicho's new and improved Italian SPAA line for Italy.

image

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That is a photoshop

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This is what the vehicle actually looked like during tests. Yes, it was tested with only one launcher but it was capable of mounting 2 like in the game.

Whether this is an actual funny looking photo or a digital editing I do not know, but it is the only picture we have.

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