The new Viana do Castelo class

The April edition of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo publishes a 4-page detailed report regarding the new Viana do Castelo class a Portuguese project for a new Offshore Patrol Vessel.
The first ship of the class has been delivered to the Navy the late December in a ceremonny helded in the shipyards of Viana do Castelo in the North of the country.

Following months of trials and training, the ship will make its public debut and be open to visits during the Navy Day ceremony which will take place in the city of Setubal.

Before such event, Fuerzas Militares del Mundo presents an overview of the program and the capabilities of this modern ship.

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Portuguese C-295M: Over the land and the sea

The January edition of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo brings a report focusing the operation of the modern Airbus Military C-295M tactical transport aircraft fleet by the Portuguese Air Force. Flying with Portuguese markings since 2008, the C-295M has already reached a total of 4,000 flying hours.

 

The report comprises detailed information regarding the tactical transport and maritime surveillance versions and the missions of the 502 Squadron which operates currently keeps two detachment in the Madeira and Azores archipelagos and the bulk of the fleet in Montijo air base.

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Inside the Tridente submarine

The October issue of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo brings a report onboard of the Tridente, the newly-received U-209PN submarine of Portuguese Navy.
This report includes interviews to some members of the 33-men crew as well as exclusive inside photos showing, for example, the torpedo room, kitchen or crew accomodations. Besides this, it provides details on the equipments and weapon systems of the new class of submarines which has replaced the former French-built Daphné submarines.

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Tridente: The new Portuguese submarine

On the September 8th, the new Tridente submarine from the Portuguese Navy was publicly presented during a ceremony which took place in the naval base of Alfeite, near Lisbon. The modern conventional submarine from the U-209PN model shares, in the reality, many common characteristics with the more recent U-214 project. The two new submarines ordered by Portugal in 2004 replace the French-built Albacora class, based on the Daphné model. The deliver of the second submarine, named Arpão, is scheduled for 2011.

A detailed report focusing the ceremony and this new class of submarines will be soon published by the Spanish magazine Fuerzas Militares del Mundo. Meanwhile, the Portuguese magazine Revista de Marinha has published a short report here.

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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.

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EHM: The Portuguese Naval Aviation

The May issue of the Spanish magazine Fuerzas Militares del Mundo published a new article focusing the Esquadrilha de Helicópteros da Marinha (EHM, Navy Helicopter Squadron).

This new work brings updated information about the EHM, namely the future of the fleet, new detachments for the new Bartolomeu Dias frigates or the recent deployment with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) which is conducting an anti-piracy naval operation off the coast of Somalia. Moreover, it covers technical aspects such as the new equipments and weapons systems for the Super Lynx fleet.

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CTOE: Portuguese Special Operations

The second part of an article about the Centro de Tropas de Operações Especiais (CTOE, Center of Special Operations Troops) has been published in the June issue of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo (www.fuerzasmilitares.com).


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CTOE: Portuguese Special Operations

The first part of an article about the Centro de Tropas de Operações Especiais (CTOE, Center of Special Operations Troops) had been published in the May issue of Fuerzas Militares del Mundo (www.fuerzasmilitares.com).

This article is the result of a previous visit to the unit, located in Lamego, north of Portgal. The CTOE, created in 1960, is now part of the Brigada de Reacção Rápida (Quick Reaction Brigade).


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New article about the Portuguese Army (II)

As previous noted, the December issue of the spanish defence magazine Fuerzas Militares del Mundo (www.fuerzasmilitares.com) publishes the second part of an article about the Portuguese Army.
In resume, the article comprises both an analysis of the present equipment and a review of the main programmes for new weapon systems (such as the Pandur II armoured vehicle or the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank).


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New article about the Portuguese Army

The November issue of the spanish defence magazine Fuerzas Militares del Mundo (www.fuerzasmilitares.com) publishes the first part of an article about the Portuguese Army.


On the one hand, the first part covers the structure and missions of the military branch. On the other other hand, the December issue will cover the equipment and weapon systems operated by the Army.
This work is, in fact, the final result of several reports which I have been doing for the past few months - some of them are presented here.

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