Bravia Chaimite
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. The Chaimite was originally an unlicensed derivative of the Cadillac Gage Commando assembled and later produced in Portugal, with a number of improvements and technical modifications.
| Bravia Chaimite | |
|---|---|
Portuguese Chaimite V200 during Exercise Iberian Resolve, 2002. | |
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | Portugal |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1967–present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | Portuguese Colonial War Carnation Revolution Lebanese Civil War 1982 Lebanon War Moro conflict Internal conflict in Peru 2006 Lebanon War 2007 Lebanon conflict 2008 conflict in Lebanon Libyan Civil War (2011–present) |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Bravia |
| No. built | over 170 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 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 |
| Maximum speed | 99 km/h (62 mph) 4.8 km/h on water |
Steering system | rack & pinnion non assisted |
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 was gradually phased out of Portuguese Army service since 2008 and replaced by the Austrian Pandur II 8x8 APC, though the last operational Chaimite armored cars were only retired in 2016.