Elbit and Rheinmettal, among the candidates for the program
The veteran ENGESA EE-9 Cascavel, almost 50 years in service!
12/23/2020 | Belo Horizonte
Roberto Valadares Caiafa
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He Subprogram of the Armored Forces (SPrg F Bld), part of the Army Strategic Program to Obtain Full Operational Capacity (Prg EE OCOP) has determined * the modernization of up to 201 armored reconnaissance vehicles Add to EE-9 Cascavel, that is, half of the remaining fleet of the Brazilian army (evaluated in just over 400 copies) will have to provide another fifteen years of service after receiving the modernization.
This program is a tribute to an armored vehicle whose service record has been spectacular for almost fifty years and whose DNA can be traced back to World War II.
Considered “pé no chão” (with his feet on the ground), the modernization program provides for the revitalization of the suspensions and engines of the selected EE-9s, the complete mechanical overhaul of the components, the modernization of the fire control system with the addition of the ballistic computer and the laser rangefinder (distance meter), the replacement of the rotation of the tower by the introduction of a priority fist for the armor commander, and the modernization of the optronics of the garrison, which will finally allow to operate, see and identify / activate targets at night / in advanced time effectively .
The modernized VBR EE-9 Rattlesnake should also have a Command and Control System C2 interoperable with the C2 of the New Family of Armored on Wheels of the Guaraní Program, allowing a secure communication between the different types of armored vehicles of the Army.
There will be no change in the basic level of armored protection of the entire vehicle platform, that is, the car continues to depend on speed and mobility to survive, as it will also not receive the addition of passive or active protections (armor = plates of ballistic steel 8 mm).
The project should not contemplate the alteration of the main armament, leaving the veteran cannon in use Cockerill de 90 mm capable of firing grenades HEAT y IT.
Among the international companies that have already shown interest in participating in the program, Israeli companies Elbit Systems and the german Rheinmettal They are the ones with the best known proposals.
Previously, two Brazilian companies presented concepts for the modernization of these vehicles, Equitron Automação Eletrônico Mecânica Ltda, from São Carlos (SP), with the concept car EQ-12, and Columbus Comercial Importadora e Exportadora Ltda, from São Paulo (SP), specialized in recovery and revitalization programs for vehicles in the Add in Brazil and abroad.
* Army Bulletin No. 51, of December 18, 2020
Images: Roberto Caiafa
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