Tankograd Missions & Manouevres 7022 - Vehicles of the Modern Portuguese Army

Viriatos: Magazine of the 14th Infantry Regiment of Viseu

The  most recent number of the Viriatos, the magazine of the 14th Infantry Regiment of Viseu, presents on its front cover one of the photos from the Jannuary field report which I have made with this combat unit equipped with the newly received Pandur II armoured vehicle.

For more information and photos concerning to this unit of the Portuguese Army, check the report published by April in Defesa Net.

Pedro Monteiro

Regimento Infantaria Nº 14: Operating the new Pandur II armoured vehicle

Located in the center of Portugal, in the city of Viseu, the 14th Infantry Regiment (Regimento Infantaria Nº 14) is an icconic military unit of the Portuguese Army. Nowadays, the Viriatos, as their soldiers are known, compose one of the two infantry battalions of the Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army).

This regiment is modernizing its forces and structures, namely by receiving the new family of Pandur II of wheeled armoured of vehicles. During a report with them, last February, it was possible to watch some of the field training with this new vehicles, which are being assembled in Portugal in the region of Barreiro.

A full report of the exercise has been published, this week, by the Brazilian defence website Defesa Net:

http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_viriato.htm

Pedro Monteiro

Brigada de Intervenção: A new combat brigade for the new century

The April issue of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo brings a comphreensive article about the Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army) focusing its structure, missions and equipments and challenges that this combat brigade, created in 2006, is facing. Special attention is given to the Pandur II armoured vehicle programme which, in the mid term, will constitute the backbone of the brigade.

MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTED IN: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, Peru and USA.

Pedro Monteiro

Pristina 091: New Pandur II armoured vehicles participate in military exercise

The Agrupamento Mike, which was covered on a previous report (check the article here), is presently completing its mission in Kosovo in the role of the KFOR Tactical Reserve Manoueuvre Batalion. A new battalion of the Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army) will replace it by March.

A small number of troops from the special operations are part of the 290 men Portuguese battalion [click to enlarge].

The north region of Mirandela was the scenario chosen for the military exercise Pristina 091. During a week, the 290 men of the battalion have trained several situations which they might find once in Kosovo, such as crowd riot control. One of the news of this edition of the Pristina exercises was the participation of a small group of Pandur II armoured vehicles which are being received by the Portuguese Army. So far, there are 11 vehicles in service with the infantry regiment of Vila Real, all of them in the Infantry Carrier Vehicle variant.

A total of 81 vehicles have participated in the Pristina 091, including five Pandur II armoured vehicles [click to enlarge].

The Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) variant of the Pandur II armoured vehicle. This combat variant is armed with a 12,7mm caliber machine gun. Other versions, such as the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) armed with a Steyr SP 30 turret with a 30mm canon, are part of the Portuguese purchase [click to enlarge].

A full report of the exercise was published, this week, by the Brazilian defence website Defesa Net:
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_pristina09.htm#

Pedro Monteiro

Pandur II ICV: Walkaround

A walkaround of the basic variant of the Pandur II armoured vehicle, the ICV (Infantry Carrier Vehicle). This combat variant is armed with a 12,7mm caliber machine gun. Other versions, such as the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) armed with a Steyr SP 30 turret with a 30mm canon, are part of the Portuguese purchase.

Com a encomenda do Exército português estão a ser construídas um total de 260 viaturas blindadas do tipo Pandur II 8x8. A Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH (Steyr-SSF), que desde 2003 pertence ao grupo norte-americano General Dynamics, conseguiu mais um grande projecto na sua história. Não foi apenas o melhor preço o que convenceu os militares portugueses: as características do veículo, tais como a tecnologia avançada, a alta mobilidade, a protecção da equipa no interior, assim como a sua flexibilidade, foram determinantes. Em resposta às várias tarefas que o Exército prevê para os seus Pandures foram desenvolvidas várias versões personalizadas, em primeiro lugar para o transporte de tropas e missões de reconhecimento e de apoio. [Steyr's Press Release, 29.05.2008]

The 240 vehicle fleet will be operated by the Brigada de Intervenção, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army.

Front view of the Pandur II ICV. Two vehicles were presented to the public at Coimbra in June 2008 during the commemorations of the anniversary of the Brigada de Intervenção. [click to enlarge].

Rear view of the Pandur II ICV. Two vehicles were presented to the public at Coimbra in June 2008 during the commemorations of the anniversary of the Brigada de Intervenção. Notice the Browning H2B machine gun. [click to enlarge].

Top view of the vehicle. The engine compartment is placed at the right side of the driver [click to enlarge].

Troop compartment of the Pandur II ICV which can carry up to eight troops [click to enlarge].

Another detail of the Portuguese-built vehicle [click to enlarge].

Pedro Monteiro

Portuguese Army boosts its fire power with new weapon systems

The reception of the first batch of Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks purchased in 2007 has boost the fire power, mobility and operationally of the heavy brigade of the Portuguese Army, the Brigada Mecanizada (Mechanized Brigade). The Brazilian defence website Defesa Net has published an article which compares the new Leopard 2A6 with the old M60 A3 TTS:
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_leo2a6.htm


On the other hand, Steyr has been testing a prototype of a Mobile Gun System (MGS) version of the Pandur II which could be purchased by Lisbon for the Brigada de Intervenção, the Army medium brigade:
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_pandur.htm

Pedro Monteiro

Pristina 082: Portugal prepares a new peacekeeping mission in Kosovo

In 2007, the Pristina 072 (see report here) was the final exercise of the portuguese force before being deployed in Kosovo.
One year later, the Agrupamento Mike from the Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army) was involved on the Pristina 082 which took place in Cabeceiras de Bastos, during the last week of July. The exercise tested the performance of the Portuguese troops on a peacekeeping mission, since they will be part of the KFOR Tactical Reserve Manoueuvre Batalion. The unit of 290 men will replace the Portuguese force deployed in Kosovo in September.


A full report in Portuguese was published, last week, by the Brazilian defence website Defesa Net:
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_pristina08.htm

Pedro Monteiro

Dragão 08: Portuguese and Spanish troops train crisis response

The Dragão 08 is the main military exercise of the Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade, the medium brigade of the Portuguese Army). The last edition has included the participation of Spanish troops from the BRILAT as part of the Sagitário 08 - which took place along with the Dragão 08.

In short, the Dragão 08 has comprised to phases: the first one, in April, was basicly a command post exercise (CPX, check the article in Defesa Net); the second one, was a field training exercise (FTX). The FTX has involved 1.135 men and 160 tactical vehicles, inclunding 27 armoured vehicles (12 V-150 with a 90mm gun; 13 Chaimite V-200 personnel carriers; 2 Chaimite V-600 armed with a 81mm mortar). The field manoeuvres took place in the mountainous region of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, north of Portugal.

The Dragão 08 has allowed to the Brigada de Intervenção the trainning of a crisis response response, as well as joint operations with foreing troops.

In the last ten years, the brigade mobilized more than 4.000 men and 11 units in several peacekeeping missions. This was the case of the missions in Bósnia, Kosovo and East Timor. Currently, it has an unit of military engineers deployed in Liban and is preparing a combat unit for a mission in Kosovo.

A V-150 armoured vehicle, armed with a 90mm gun, during field manoeuvres. The Brigada de Intervenção also operates the Chaimite armoured vehicle in both troop carrier (V-200) and mortar carrier (V-600) variants [click to enlarge].

An image of the stressful and demanding command post exercise which simulated the defence against a conventional threat [click to enlarge].

A Spanish soldier from the BRILAT. Around 100 Spanish troops (infantry) have been involved with the second phase of the Dragão 08 [click to enlarge].

Reports published in the Brazilian website Defesa Net:
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_dragao.htm
http://www.defesanet.com.br/nato/pt_dragao_1.htm

Pedro Monteiro