Army Day

Every year, in October, the portuguese Army commemorates its day. In 2005, the ceremony took place at Coimbra, where the Brigada de Intervenção (the medium brigade, then called Brigada Ligeira de Intervenção) has its command. As usual, there was an exhibition of equipements and, in adition, a military parade happened on Av. Emídio Navarro, near the Mondego, Coimbra's iconical river.

Below, I present some photographs of the vehicles which were present at the exhibition.

The three types of wheeled armoured vehicles operated by the portuguese Army are shown in the photo. Begining in its left side, a Panhard VBL M-11, a Cadillac Gage V-150 with a Cockerill turret with a 90mm gun and, finally, a Bravia Chaimite V-200.

Another look of the armoured vehicles in the exposition at Coimbra.

Portugal operates HMMWV vehicles. The first vehicles - M1025 A2 version - were bought in 2000 for the peacekeaping mission in East Timor. In 2003, more vehicles - M1097 version - were recieved in order to transport and support the Firefinder system of the portuguese artillery. Currently, some vehicles of the first batch - with an armour kit M-PAV 2 from the israeli Plasan - are operating in Afghanistan.

A M60 A3 TTS main battle tank from the Brigada Mecanizada (portuguese Army's heavy brigade, called Brigada Mecanizada Independente at that time). Portugal recieved about one hundred of these in the 1990s - they replaced the M48 A5 and the remaining M47. The military parade, as in the majority of the last commemorations, did not envolved armoured vehicles.

Pedro Monteiro