Bravia Chaimite
Encyclopedia
The Bravia Chaimite is an armored vehicle built by the Portuguese company Bravia
and used by the Portuguese Army
in the Portuguese colonial war
s 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, (in Portuguese, armoured mortar carrier), 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 engine
s 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 being gradually phased out of Portuguese Army
service and replaced by the Austrian Pandur II 8x8 APC.
& Portuguese Marine Corps
- 80 being retired from service.: Palestinian Liberation Organization - 1 supplied by Libya
, captured by the Israeli Defense Forces at the Beqaa valley
in 1982.: Peruvian Marines - 32 - Philippine Army
& Philippine Marine Corps
- 40: Internal Security Forces
- 30, with a few passed on to the Guardians of the Cedars
in 1976.: Presidential Guard - 16
appearances, notably in the 1993 movie The House of Spirits, portraying Chilean Army
APCs in action during the September 1973 military Coup and in the 2002 movie The Dancer Upstairs
, again 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.
Bravia (vehicles)
Bravia was a Portuguese vehicle manufacturer. It started by reconditioning military vehicles and by 1964 it had become a manufacturer in its own right...
and used by the Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
in the Portuguese colonial war
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
s in Angola
Angola (Portugal)
Angola is the common name by which the Portuguese colony in southwestern Africa was known across different periods of time...
, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
, 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, (in Portuguese, armoured mortar carrier), 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 engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s 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 being gradually phased out of Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
service and replaced by the Austrian Pandur II 8x8 APC.
Variants
- V-200: armoured personnel carrierArmoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
- V-200 Armada 60: special variant for the Portuguese Marines of the V-200 armed with a multiple 60 mm rocket launcher
- V-300: light fire support with 7.62 NATO to 20 mm gunOerlikon 20 mm cannonThe Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
- V-400: heavy fire support with 90 mm gun90 mm gunThe American 90 mm family of guns served as primary heavy anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, playing a role similar to the renowned German 88 mm gun. They were the US's primary anti-aircraft guns from just prior to the opening of World War II into the 1950s when most AAA was replaced by missile...
- V-500: communications and command vehicle
- V-600: mortarMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
carrier with 81 mm or 120 mm mortars - V-700: anti-tank with SwingfireSwingfireSwingfire was a British wire-guided anti-tank missile developed in the 1960s and produced from 1966 until 1993.-Development:Swingfire was developed by Fairey Engineering Ltd and the British Aircraft Corporation. It replaced the Vickers Vigilant missile in British service...
or HOTEuromissile HOTThe HOT is a second-generation long-range anti-tank missile system developed originally as an effort to meet a joint German-French Army requirement, by the then German firm Bolkow and the French firm Nord, to replace the older SS.11 wire guided...
missile launcher - V-800: ambulanceAmbulanceAn ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
- V-900: armoured recovery vehicle
- V-1000: anti-riot with water cannonWater cannonA water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
Operators
: Portuguese ArmyPortuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
& Portuguese Marine Corps
Portuguese Marine Corps
The Portuguese Marine Corps are a special operations force unit in the Portuguese Navy. The corps is specialised in amphibious warfare, coastal reconnaissance, maritime interdiction and boarding operations...
- 80 being retired from service.: Palestinian Liberation Organization - 1 supplied by Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, captured by the Israeli Defense Forces at the Beqaa valley
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
in 1982.: Peruvian Marines - 32 - Philippine Army
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Tagalog is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. On July 23, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Maj. Gen...
& Philippine Marine Corps
Philippine Marine Corps
The Philippine Marine Corps is the marine corps of the Philippines, and is part of the Philippine Navy.- History :...
- 40: Internal Security Forces
Internal Security Forces
The Internal Security Forces – ISF or Forces de Sécurité Intérieure in French, are the national police and security force of Lebanon. Modern police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with creation of the Gendarmerie...
- 30, with a few passed on to the Guardians of the Cedars
Guardians of the Cedars
The Guardians of the Cedars – GoC , also designated Gardiens du Cedre or Gardiens des Cèdres in French, are a far-right ultranationalist Lebanese party and former militia in Lebanon...
in 1976.: Presidential Guard - 16
Pop culture
The Chaimite made some major filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
appearances, notably in the 1993 movie The House of Spirits, portraying Chilean Army
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
APCs in action during the September 1973 military Coup and in the 2002 movie The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs is a 1995 novel by Nicholas Shakespeare. It is based on the Maoist insurgency of the 1980s in Peru, and tells the story of Agustin Rejas, a police Lieutenant , hunting a terrorist based on Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path. In 2002 it was given a film adaptation under...
, again 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
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
of April 1974.