Military Technology 05/2021

80 · MT 5/2021 Special Feature As elsewhere, however, development stopped by the ‘90s, while the situation in Mexico, with increasing problems with organised crime, led to a shift in the principal needs, from armoured transports to face con- ventional threats to those for use in low-intensity and irregular conflicts. With the intention of producing its own vehicles, in 2011 DGIM devel- oped the DN-XI, which is based on the Plasan SAND CAT but with a longer chassis and a Mexican-designed turret. This was followed by a contract in 2018 for DGIM to assemble 30 Plasan STORMERs, with some modi- fications. Designated DN-XII, the vehicles were delivered between 2018 and 2019. DGIM had meanwhile, in 2014, developed the CIMARRON on the basis of a Unimog U5000, followed in 2019 by the CIMARRON II, with improvements to the armour and capacity for up to 13 soldiers. Also in 2019 the KITAM II was revealed, using a Dodge Ram 5500 chassis, which is also an improvement of the original KITAM, developed in 2014. Colombia With a less developed automotive industry than its neighbours, but with the reality of an internal war drug-related issues, the Colombian Army started to add armour and modify some of its vehicles, until in re- cent years, local industry started to develop its own products. In all cases these are wheeled vehicles based on truck chassis and engines, all built in small quantities, with the Imdicol MRAP CXT (based on International CXT and ARROW 7300 trucks) being the most successful, with seven units. The most recent was the TITAN-B, based on a Chevrolet FVR truck, but only one was built. Local company Hunter Armor entered the market with the TR-12, based on a Ford 550 chassis, of which two examples were delivered to the Colombian Army in 2012 and 2013, followed by another to the Surinam government and two to the Colombian Police. In 2018, the Colombian Army bought four of an improved version, but the facto- ry couldn’t generate the interest for a larger sale, while the Colombian government elected to buy a batch of 13 Plasan SAND CATs for these missions. An attempt was made by Colombia to build a more complex ve- hicle in series when, in 2005, it signed a contract with Rosoboronexport to assemble 60 BTR-80s, locally designated the CARIBE, for the Army and 20 for the Marines: the deal was abandoned after only a prototype was assembled. The case of Colombia and its lack of success in large scale production clearly illustrates, in common with those other Latin American nations that do not produce their own armoured vehicles, that there is a direct relationship between a developed automotive industry and the capacity to build military vehicles with adequate quality and competitive costs. The use of locally-built engines, transmissions and other compo- nents from the civil market, as happens in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, has proven to be vital to series production, while the Brazilian state sup- port for their exports, with good financing and an aggressive promotion campaign in the 1970s, 1980s and today, is key for their success out- side their frontiers, something not replicated in the other Latin American nations. capabilities infantry, converting it to a mechanised arm. The 500 th unit was delivered earlier this year and the project continues, with new versions being developed, including reconnaissance, NBC, ambulance and missile variants, though a recovery vehicle is now in question, due to budget cuts and delays, and both engineer and mortar variants, scheduled to ap- pear in prototype form last year, have also been delayed. A total of 1,500 GUARANI are expected to be produced by 2035. Partial construction and final assembly is conducted in Brazil, while engines and transmissions are built in Iveco’s Argentinian factories. Iveaco also won Brazil’s LMV-BR light multirole vehicle programme, with a vehicle based on its LINCE M2 4x4, also to be built in Brazil. Tested with the indigenous Remax turret, as installed on the GUARANI, 16 LINCE M2 were procured from the Italian Army and 16 newly-built as LMV-BR, to be delivered from April this year, with a further 77 to be built in Brazil. Am Army requirement for 211 8x8s was originally expected to be met by an enlarged GUARANI, but it now appears that the Iveco CENTAURO will fill the requirement, at least partially built in Brazil. With all these vehi- cles, the Brazilian Army will have a fleet consisting entirely of locally-built wheeled armoured vehicles. It is also seeking to export them, however, with the first sale of the GUARANI, to the Philippines, signed last year. Argentina As Argentina is looking for 200 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles, Norinco offered the VN-1, to be assembled in Argentina, but, despite an attractive price, the type is not convincing the Argentine Army, who requested many major modifications if selected. Iveco is offering the GUARANI which, while not an 8x8, was tested a decade ago by the force and has the political advantage of being built very close to Argentina, with many com- ponents already built in the country. Iveco has also indicated the possibil- ity of local assembly, dependent on contract volume. General Dynamics Land Systems, however, has also offered local assembly of the STRYKER. Procurement of a second-hand batch was with the US government in 2019, but didn’t progress. Mexico The country has a long history of building its own armoured vehicles, thanks to the development of its automotive industry, which manufac- tures primarily for the US market. Like Argentina and Brazil, Mexico start- ed to develop its own armoured vehicles in the 1970s, designed by the Departamento de Industria Militar (DIM) of the Mexican Army, now called Dirección General de Industria Militar (DGIM) and built by the state-owned company Diesel Nacional (DINA). In 1974, it produced the DN-I proto- type, followed by DN-II and DN-III CBR armoured reconnaissance vehicle, based on the Cadillac Cage V-100 COMMANDO and the Chrysler MAC-1, with a turret based on that of the Mowag ROLAND. The DN-III was the first produced in a small series, with 28 examples and was followed by 25 DN-IV, six DN-V BUFALO with a 75mm gun, and 25 DN-V TORO, with a 20mm gun. Command vehicle of the ASTROS 2020 system, developed in Brazil by Avibras. (Photo: Hélio Higuchi) The ASTROS 2020 rocket launcher. While the original ASTROS system was developed in the 1980s, the new version is in production and was recently ordered by the Brazilian Army. (Photo: Santiago Rivas) f h