Two quadruple 37 mm mounts and a pair of quadruple 20 mm mounts offered a substantial improvement over the scattered single and twin weapons of the preceding class. Italian naval radar development began in 1936, but installation was delayed until 1941 and few sets entered service. A set was tested aboard a torpedo boat and related equipment went to the Capitani Romani cruiser Scipione Africano. The same physical set may have moved between the vessels, although that connection is uncertain. Scipione Africano used radar to detect British torpedo boats, establish a firing solution, and destroy one with gunfire. The equipment worked in combat, even though it lagged behind the best wartime radars.
Chapter · 35:32-37:14
Italian light anti-aircraft weapons and Gufo radar
Concentrated 37 mm and 20 mm batteries accompanied a scarce Italian radar that helped Scipione Africano detect, range on, and destroy a British torpedo boat.