Bravia Chaimite

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Bravia Chaimite
OH-85D Chaimite DF-SD-04-079z6.jpg
BRAVIA Chaimite APC 4X4 in Bosnia
Type Light Armoured Vehicle
Place of origin Portugal
Service history
In service 1967–present
Used by See Operators
Wars Portuguese Colonial War Lebanese Civil War
Production history
Manufacturer Bravia
Number built over 600
Variants See Variants
Specifications
Weight 6.800 to 8500 kg
Length 5.6 m
Width 2.26 m
Height 2.39 m
Crew 1+10

Armor up to 7.62 mm
Main
armament
depend of variant
Secondary
armament
depend of variant
Engine diesel engine
155 hp (115 kW) at 3300 rpm
Payload capacity 804 kg
Transmission automatic gearbox
Operational
range
804 km
Speed 99 km/h (62 mph)
4.8 km/h on water
Steering
system
rack & pinnion non assisted

The Bravia Chaimite is an armored vehicle with all wheel drive axles built by the Portuguese company Bravia and used by the Portuguese Army in the Portuguese colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea, from 1967 to 1974 when it ended.

There were two versions of the Chaimite, the VBTP V-200 and the VBPM V-600. The VBTP, (Viatura Blindada de Transporte de Pessoal, Armoured Personnel Transport Vehicle), had an 11-man capacity and was armed with one .50 Browning heavy machine-gun, while the VBPM, (Viatura Blindada Porta-morteiro, Armoured Mortar Carrier Vehicle), had only a 4-man capacity and was armed with one Browning .30 heavy machine-gun and one 81 mm mortar. These vehicles had diesel engines with 155 hp (115 kW) at 3300 rpm with automatic gear capable of taking on speeds to a maximum of 99 km/h (62 mph). The armour of this APC was capable of defeating rounds up to 7.62 mm NATO.

The Chaimite is now[when?] being gradually phased out of Portuguese Army service and replaced by the Austrian Pandur II 8x8 APC.

Variants

Operators

Map of Bravia Chaimite operators in blue

Current operators

Former operators

Popular culture

The Chaimite made some major film appearances, notably in the 1993 movie The House of Spirits, portraying Chilean Army APCs in action during the September 1973 military coup d'etat and in the 2002 movie The Dancer Upstairs, in the colours of an undisclosed Latin American Army. It was also featured in the 2000 film April Captains, set in during the Portuguese Carnation Revolution of April 1974.

See also

Notes

  1. http://milinme.wordpress.com/category/v-200-chaimite – An ex-ISF V-200 Chaimite employed by the Guardians of the Cedar pictured at Houche-el-Oumara during the Battle for Zahle, April–June 1981.
  2. http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/fts/Chaimite

References