OTO Melara OF-24 'Tifone'

[NicholasConcu]

Looking for any documentation in regards to the OF-24 'Tifone', there is some stuff availible online but i feel like some of you here might have some pictures or info that have yet to be posted.

 

[monochromelody]

Basically a direct copy from MOWAG Taifun IFV.

 

[fortrena]

If I may, the OF-24 Tifone may well have been the first infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) taken into consideration by the Esercito Italiano / Italian army. As was mentioned above, OTO Melara began to work on the project in the 70s after evaluating the Mowag Taifun tank destroyer, a vehicle based on the earlier Gepard.

It looks as if three versions of the Tifone were under consideration and / or developed.
Tifone Mk 1, with a 76 mm gun in a turret - possibly the turret and gun of the British FV101 Scorpion (A 90 mm Cockerill weapon may have been envisioned at some point.)
Tifone Mk 2, with a 20 mm in a turret - possibly an OTO Melara turret with a Rheinmetall weapon
Tifone Mk 3, with two 20 mm antiaircraft guns in a turret - possibly an OTO Melara turret with two Rheinmetall weapons

The use and fate of the prototype or prototypes after the end of thre trials is unclear. Indeed, it is unclear whether or not such prototype(s) actually carried their full armament.

 

[NicholasConcu]

If I may, the OF-24 Tifone may well have been the first infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) taken into consideration by the Esercito Italiano / Italian army. As was mentioned above, OTO Melara began to work on the project in the 70s after evaluating the Mowag Taifun tank destroyer, a vehicle based on the earlier Gepard.

It looks as if three versions of the Tifone were under consideration and / or developed.
Tifone Mk 1, with a 76 mm gun in a turret - possibly the turret and gun of the British FV101 Scorpion (A 90 mm Cockerill weapon may have been envisioned at some point.)
Tifone Mk 2, with a 20 mm in a turret - possibly an OTO Melara turret with a Rheinmetall weapon
Tifone Mk 3, with two 20 mm antiaircraft guns in a turret - possibly an OTO Melara turret with two Rheinmetall weapons

The use and fate of the prototype or prorotypes after the end of thre trials is unclear. Indeed, it is unclear whether or not such prototype(s) actually carried their full armament.

Here are the variants and what makes them different from each other.

 

[NicholasConcu]

 

[Coiler]

The 76mm turret version feels like a western BMP-1 in terms of armament.

 

[NicholasConcu]

Photoshop of Tifone.

 

[prof12]

Basically a direct copy from MOWAG Taifun IFV.
View attachment 672392

this is true

 

[prof12]

Tifone was created in the late 70s based on the Swiss prototype of the Mowag Taifun infantry fighting vehicle. The original Mowag Taifun had a frontal turret with 20 mm cannons and an eight-man crew compartment, separated from the engine compartment, located in the middle of the vehicle. The OF-24 Tifone replaced this 20 mm turret with either a British Scorpion turret equipped with a short 76 mm cannon, or a turret from the Belgian manufacturer Cockerill, equipped with a 90 mm turret from the same company with relatively powerful HEAT rounds. The infantry carrying capacity was removed, but the OF-24 became fully amphibious.

The OF-24 never made it into any army; its place was already taken by several other vehicles, in particular the PT-76. He was quickly forgotten and is now rarely heard of.