Brazil planning big armor modernization...

via Shepard Media.

VBMT Rec will replace the light tactical vehicle (VTL) currently in service with Brazilian Army reconnaissance units.

Main features of will include armoured protection; surveillance capability in all weather conditions; a global satellite navigation system; an optional inertial navigation system; voice and data communication capabilities; and a 7.62mm machine gun as the main weapon.

VBMT Rec also should be a 4x4 vehicle with a tyre grip system for soft or muddy terrain. Its specified range will be more than 600km on flat paved roads or 450km on unpaved or off-road surfaces. It must be able to move (with full load) on a 60% gradient and 30% side slope.

The VBC Fuz will be the main platform for the army's armoured infantry battalions, according to the MoD. These units are currently equipped with M113 APCs and ‘the VBC Fuz will bring greater combat power’, the press spokesman noted.

Requirements for VBC Fuz include a 25mm (or greater) calibre cannon as the main weapon, capable of engaging targets on the move or from a stationary position. The weapon must be capable of firing intermittently or in bursts.

In addition, the VBC Fuz must be able to cross water obstacles with a depth of up to 1.2m; operate simultaneously with a single data channel and two voice channels; and be upgradable with enhanced armoured protection.

Requirements for the VBR MSR reflect the ongoing needs of the army's mechanised cavalry regiments, which currently operate the EE-9 Cascavel (see lead image).

The new VBR MSR should be a 6x6 vehicle with an operational range of 800km or more. It must be able to ford water crossings up to 1m deep, and should be transportable on the Brazilian Navy's LST Mattoso Maia or the LPD Bahia.

The weapons system on the VBR MSR (potentially a cannon and a machine gun) must have a CEP of less than 30cm with a maximum range of 1km. It will include automatic target tracking and a shot driving system with night vision.

The VBC CC will be a tracked AFV with a range of 400km and the ability to operate on rough terrain. The AFV should also be able to surmount or cross, at maximum load, a 1m step, 2.5m ditch/trench or a 1.8m deep water crossing.

The 50t vehicle will be armed with a 120mm cannon. It will also provide frontal armour protection against 120mm  and 155mm artillery.

According to the MoD , all the above projects are still being formulated. Its next step will be to conduct a feasibility study to see whether the army can develop these vehicles itself, or procure them commercially.

If a commercial tender is the better option, an RfI will be sent to several companies or a competition will be carried out by the army. The MoD explained that the army's requirements were not created to focus on specific commercially available vehicles.

‘Currently, there is no vehicle model defined,’ the spokesman said, adding that at this stage it is impossible to forecast how much investment will be needed. ‘The resources available for investment in the vehicle fleet will depend on a number of factors such as the country's economic and social situation.'

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