By Roberto Caiafa
After a forced four-year hiatus, the Brazilian Army returns to LAAD with the purchase of its CAV 8×8 VBC defined after the victory of the favoredCentaur II.
In the wake of a slow but successful means modernization program, it may even upgrade the CC Leopard 1A5 BR VBC to a total of 52 vehicles.
Akaer won a contract in 2022 to modernize a significant number of Engesa EE-9 Cascavel 6×6 reconnaissance.
Another program that emerges strongly in LAAD 2023 is the acquisition of the armored infantry fighting vehicle (VBC Fuz), whose operational requirements were disclosed in 2020 (EB20-RO-04.057).
It includes, among the main ones, a weight of less than 45 tons, a garrison of three military personnel (vehicle commander, gunner and driver), and carrying in the combat compartment at least seven combatants.
This tracked vehicle must be armed with a minimum 25 mm cannon, with a useful range of 3 km, and capable of hitting moving targets with a hit factor of over 80%, in burst or intermittent fire.
The ammunition must be capable of piercing at least 50 mm of homogeneous steel at a distance of 1,000 meters, the barrel being stabilized on both axes and the turret equipped with rotation and electric barrel elevation/depression.
A full suite of optronic day/night/thermal sensors must be part of a state-of-the-art fire control system, all managed by an E2C/Communications combat command and control system compatible with VBC CAV 8×8, Guarani 6×6, IDV LMV, etc.
These features point to a paradigm shift, as the choice of the FUZ CBV may be decisive in the choice of the future armored combat vehicle (future CC CBV) to replace the Leopard 1A5 BR currently in use by the EB and with manufacturer’s support contract (KMW) expiring in 2027.
It is nothing new in today’s market for armored vehicles originally launched as infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) or AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) to evolve into a medium MMBT, and generate good products, especially for budgets that need to deliver credible military capability far in excess of available resources.
The commonality of “family” that some designs exhibit is an attractive, if not the only, option for countries like Brazil that need to maximize technological advances in a short period of time.
In the published requirements for the future VBC CC (RO EB20-RO-04.056 and RTLI EB20-RTLI-04.062), in addition to the armament defined at 120mm, the weight issue is telling, as the ceiling is 50 tons (maximum).
This indicates that Leonardo’s Hitfact MKII turret, selected for the Centaur II, should be integrated into the future winning vehicle of the future VBC CC, as a way to standardize armament.
This would make the MMBT, of up to 50 tons, a lethal proposition with high mobility and excellent weight x power ratio, equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and communications/battlefield management systems.
This cutaway bias already eliminates a number of heavier options right off the bat, clearly pointing in the direction of a future CC VBC coming from the modular family concept.
Simply put, the bidder who wins the VBC FUZ competition will almost certainly win the choice of the future VBC CC.
This logic is clearly imprinted in the DNA of some of the vehicles currently under study by the Brazilian Army, such as KMW’s IFV Puma, BAE Systems’ CV-90, General Dynamics Land Systems’ Ajax, Rheinmetall’s Lynx, to mention some products of the most prominent manufacturers.
The list is long and includes Asian manufacturers such as China’s NORINCO and South Korea’s Hanwha.
During LAAD 2023 and beyond, behind-the-scenes actions will take place for two other major contracts under discussion with the market.
They are the 120mm semi-automatic rifled mortar on board, destined for 6×6 Guarani vehicles (100+ planned), and the 155mm wheeled howitzer, with 36 units required.
In the case of mortars, the proposals of companies such as Thales, Elbit Systems, RUAG, BAE Systems, Pátria and ST Engineering are already known.
They are state-of-the-art products, some of them with the preliminary project of integration with the Guaraní already elaborated.
In the case of 155 mm wheeled howitzers, for years the dispute was between the French CAESAR and the Israeli ATMOS, with the Swedish Archer behind, to name three known offers.
The Chinese SH-15 howitzer, manufactured by NORINCO, appears on the export market with a 155 mm/52 caliber tube and other capabilities of all other competitors, and with an extremely tempting selling price.
It remains to be seen whether the “temptation” offsets the inevitable geopolitical cost of purchasing Chinese military hardware at a time when the demonstrations of the US authorities against this issue in South America are, to say the least, very intense.
LAAD 2023 will also be an important window of study for the purchase of unmanned aerial systems larger and heavier than the Nauru 1000C currently in service with Army Aviation and produced in São Carlos by Xmobots.
These purchases are inevitable, and ongoing doctrinal studies should take advantage of the fair to guide procurement decisions in this strategic sector.
In another direction, the Brazilian Army arrives at LAAD 2023 with its Astros Strategic Program practically concluded, except for the effective start of serial industrialization of the cruise missile and the start of production of the 150 km laser-guided rocket.
The manufacturer of the Astros and these strategic weapons, Avibras Aeroespacial e Defesa, is at the center of a major controversy involving its possible sale to foreign capital as a result of a judicial reorganization, the third in its history.
Ten days before LAAD begins, Avibras’ board of directors issued a note to the press confirming the interest of several investors “Avibras is seeking to increase its capital through direct investments from strategic companies.
The government is closely following the evolution of this process, which is complex and secretive.
There are several interested investors, but so far no transaction has taken place.
In the search for new investors, the priority of Avibras and the Brazilian government is “to maintain the company’s operations in Brazil along with its human, physical and intellectual capital, thus preserving its history of achievements built over more than six decades.”
What about the tactical cruise missile with a range of more than 300 km, the 150 km laser-guided rocket, the Army, and the Brazilian Space Program, the Air Force?
These are important chapters of this story to be revealed during LAAD 2023.
Let’s wait and see.
With information from Infodefensa