Rodas de Viriato

The portuguese blog Rodas de Viriato has been publishing several material about the vehicles - civilian projects and military too - produced and designed by portuguese companies.

A Chaimite V-200 in the military exercise Pristina 072, in July 2007. Notice the one-man turret designed by Bravia.


That is, actually, the case of the Chaimite V-200, an armoured vehicle which was produced by Bravia-VM in Samora Correia. I would like to invite all the visitors to contribute for a research project about the Chaimite and the Bravia-VM which I am doing.

Pedro Monteiro

Comandos

The Comandos are an elite force, specialized in assault operations, with an old tradition in the Portuguese Army. They were created during the Colonial War, in the 1960s.
Currently, there are two operational companies and a third one is expected to be created when the unit is moved to their new base. The Comandos are part of the Brigada de Reacção Rápida (BRR, the Army light brigade).


For those who are interest in know more about the unit, the former comando Mário Relvas has an interesting blog about them.

Pedro Monteiro

Honorary mention

The Jornal do Exército, the official publication of the Portuguese Army, usually organizes a photo contest every year. One of my photos has received a honorary mention, the only award that the jury decided to give in this edition.

The photo shows a M60 A3 TTS main battle tank from the Brigada Mecanizada covered by a dust cloud seconds after firing its 105mm gun. Such photo was taken during the 2007 edition of the military exercise Rosa Brava. It was titled Treinar a guerra em paz or Trainning war at peace.


Pedro Monteiro

Portugal receives the first Pandur II armoured vehicles

On January 31st, the Minister of Defence attended the official ceremony which marked the delivery of the first nine Pandur II armoured vehicles to the Portuguese Army. They are part of an impressive total of 240 vehicles which the Army will receive until 2010. According to some military sources, these new vehicles could be detached in peacekeaping operations after the second semester of 2008. Some images, from the portuguese news agency LUSA, were published by the spanish blog El Tirador Solitario, a good source for international defence news.

In the image, a Bravia Chaimite V-200, the portuguese-built armoured vehicle which, presently, is used by the Army in foreign missions. The vehicle, shown in the photo along with a french-built Panhard VBL, was used in the military exercise Pristina 072 in the region of Vouzela. In the Military Zone web site, you can check some technical information about the Chaimite (portuguese text only).


Pedro Monteiro

New main battle tanks for the Portuguese Army

Recently, an agreement was signed between the portuguese and dutch authorities for the supply of 35 Leopard 2A6 Main Battle Tanks along with 2 vehicles in the Driver Training Tank. The first 8 combat vehicles will be received in the end of 2008, and the other 29 in the following year.

In the Portuguese Army, they will be used by the Brigada Mecanizada, which currently operates the M60 A3 TTS tank, as already reported here.

Pedro Monteiro