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80mm Folgore



Overview


Folgore

A Folgore used in the field on its bipod.
Source: Unknown author @ www.photobucket.com - © copyright lies with original owner

Origin
Italy
Type
Recoilless rifle
Entered service
Mid to late 1980's
Status
Limited service
Development
1974 - Early 1980's
Developer
Italy - Breda Meccanica Bresciana
Production
1986 - 1990's
Producer
Italy - Breda Meccanica Bresciana
Number produced
Over 800
Designations
Folgore
Italian for "thunderbolt"
Notable users
Italy

Description


Introduction

The Folgore is a recoilless rifle of Italian origin. It was developed in the early 1980's by Breda. The Folgore design stands out for having good accuracy and range.

Design

The Folgore is a recoilless rifle with a conventional breech loading design, but differs in two aspects. First of all it uses rocket boosted ammunition that provides a very flat trajectory and long range. Second, when used on the tripod a large coincidence type range finder can be fitted which extends the effective range.

Variants

The Folgore comes in only one version but it is used in two setups. In the infantry role it is used with a small bipod and is aimed using iron sights. As a crew served weapon it is used on a tripod and is fitted with the large range finding sight.

Firepower

The Folgore fires 80mm diameter HEAT rounds with a penetration of 450mm RHA, which is too little to engage modern tanks. Used with the magnifying range finder sight the maximum range is 1 km. When used from the bipod the effective range is halved. The maximum rate of fire is about 4 rpm, which can be maintained for two minutes before the weapon becomes too hot.

Mobility

Given its caliber the Folgore is rather heavy. In the bipod setup it can be easily carried by two men on the battlefield. When fitted with the sight and tripod it is less mobile and mostly used as a static weapon. Over longer distances it is normally transported by vehicle.

Uers

The Folgore was only adopted by the Italian forces. It is used both in the bipod and tripod setup and has not been fitted to vehicles. The Folgore remains in service today although in its role as an anti-armor weapon it has been supplemented by more capable weapon systems.

Details


Facts Folgore
General
Origin
Italy
Type
Recoilless rifle
Crew
2
Dimensions
Weight
18.9 kg empty on bipod
25.6 kg empty with tripod
Length
1.85 m
Tube length
Over 1 m
Ammunition
Ammunition types
Rocket assisted HEAT projectile
Rate of fire
4 rpm for 2 minutes
Warhead
Diameter
80 mm
Warhead type
HEAT
Penetration
450 mm RHA
Velocity
300 m/s at launch
500 m/s max in flight
Range
500 m when fired from bipod
1.0 km when fired from tripod
Accessories
Sights
Mechanical sights when used on bipod
5x optical sight with coincidence range finder on tripod
Bipod
Fitted as standard
Tripod
Optional

Media