View source for Bravia Chaimite

{{short description|Portuguese armoured vehicle}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}

{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Bravia Chaimite
| image              = Chaimite Exercise Iberian Resolve1.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = Portuguese Chaimite V200 during Exercise ''Iberian Resolve'', 2002.
| origin             = [[Portugal]]
| type               = [[Armoured personnel carrier]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged          = 
| is_bladed          = 
| is_explosive       = 
| is_artillery       = 
| is_vehicle         = yes
| is_missile         = 
| is_UK              = <!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1967&ndash;present
| used_by            = See ''[[#Operators|Operators]]''
| wars               = [[Portuguese Colonial War]]<br />[[Carnation Revolution]]<br />[[Lebanese Civil War]]<br />[[1982 Lebanon War]]<br />[[Moro conflict]]<br />[[Internal conflict in Peru]]<br />[[2006 Lebanon War]]<br />[[2007 Lebanon conflict]]<br />[[2008 conflict in Lebanon]]<br />[[Libyan Crisis (2011–present)|Libyan Civil War (2011–present)]]
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = 
| design_date        = 
| manufacturer       = [[Bravia (vehicles)|Bravia]]
| unit_cost          = 
| production_date    = 
| number             = over 170
| variants           = See ''[[#Variants|Variants]]''
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label         = 
| weight             = 6.800 to 8500 kg
| length             = 5.6 m
| part_length        = 
| width              = 2.26 m
| height             = 2.39 m
| diameter           = 
| crew               = 1+10
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->| armour             = up to 7.62 mm
| primary_armament   = depend of variant
| secondary_armament = depend of variant
| engine             = [[diesel engine]]
| engine_power       = 155 hp (115 kW) at 3300 rpm
| pw_ratio           = 
| transmission       = automatic gearbox
| payload_capacity   = 804 kg
| suspension         = 
| clearance          = 
| fuel_capacity      = 
| vehicle_range      = 804 km
| speed              = 99 km/h (62 mph) <br /> 4.8 km/h on water
| guidance           = 
| steering           = rack & pinion non assisted
}}

The '''Bravia Chaimite''' is an armoured vehicle with all wheel drive axles built by the Portuguese company [[Bravia (vehicles)|Bravia]] and used by the [[Portuguese Army]] in the [[Portuguese colonial war]]s in [[Angola (Portugal)|Angola]], [[Mozambique (Portugal)|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.<ref name="Jane2">{{cite book | last = Christopher F. Foss| title = Jane's World Armoured Fighting Vehicles| year = 1976| url = https://archive.org/details/janesworldarmour00foss_271| url-access = limited|edition= 1976|pages= [https://archive.org/details/janesworldarmour00foss_271/page/n291 290]–293 | publisher = Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd| isbn= 0-354-01022-0}}</ref>

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 [[M2 Browning machine gun|.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&nbsp;mm mortar. These vehicles had [[diesel engine]]s with 155&nbsp;hp (115&nbsp;kW) at 3300 rpm with automatic gear capable of taking on speeds to a maximum of 99&nbsp;km/h (62&nbsp;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|Pandur II 8x8]] APC,<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 80-95.</ref> though the last operational Chaimite armoured cars were only retired in 2016.<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 152-156.</ref>

==History==
Designed in the mid 1960s for the Portuguese Army, in its original incarnation the Chaimite resembled a modified [[Cadillac Gage Commando]], leading to speculation that [[Bravia (automobile)|Bravia]] had produced it under license from the United States.<ref name="Jane2"/> A hearing held before the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1977 verified that no such license had been granted, and that two former Cadillac Gage employees had been prosecuted for illegally transferring the technical knowledge for the Commando design to Bravia.<ref name="Hearing">{{cite report|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=United States-South Africa Relations: Arms Embargo Implementation: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session, July 14 and 20, 1977|date=July 1977|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]]|location=[[Washington D.C.]]|edition=First|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002943148|page=63|access-date=28 June 2017|quote=The assertion was made here last week that a Portuguese firm, Bravia, had produced V-150 personnel carriers under license...from Cadillac Gage of Detroit. This statement is false. The facts are that two former employees of Cadillac Gage stole technical data and conveyed it to the Portuguese firm. When this was discovered by the U.S. Government, the two former employees were prosecuted for illegally transferring the technology, and were convicted and sentenced.}}</ref>

The first prototype Chaimite appeared in 1966, and was designed primarily for direct fire support, with a large turret ring and braced chassis to carry a 90mm low-pressure cannon.<ref name="Auto-Metralhadoras">{{cite journal|last=Coutinho |first=Pereira |url=http://biblioteca.exercito.pt/download.asp?file=multimedia/associa/imag/revista_cavalaria/3_29.pdf |date=May–August 2012 |title=Exército Português Auto-Metralhadoras |journal=Revista da Cavalaria |volume=3 |issue=27 |pages=6–10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220180543/http://biblioteca.exercito.pt/download.asp?file=multimedia%2Fassocia%2Fimag%2Frevista_cavalaria%2F3_29.pdf |archive-date=December 20, 2014 }}</ref> In 1968 or 1969 the prototype was sent to [[Portuguese Guinea]] for combat trials, where it performed well but was later destroyed by [[African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde]] (PAIGC) insurgents with an [[RPG-2]] or [[RPG-7]].<ref name="Auto-Metralhadoras"/> The base Chaimite subsequently spawned several variants designed for internal security, anti-tank purposes, and medical evacuation.<ref name="Recognition">{{cite book| last = Christopher F. Foss| title = Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide| date = 16 May 2000| edition = 2000| pages = [https://archive.org/details/janestankcombatv00foss/page/122 122–123]| publisher = Harper Collins Publishers| isbn = 978-0-00-472452-2| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/janestankcombatv00foss/page/122}}</ref> By the time production ceased, over 600 had been manufactured for the [[Portuguese Army]] and export.<ref name="JaneAA">{{cite book | last = Christopher F. Foss| title = Jane's Armour and Artillery| date = 2001|edition= 2002|page= 482 | publisher = Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd| isbn= 978-0710623096}}</ref>

==Variants==
*'''V-200''': [[armoured personnel carrier]]
*'''V-200 Armada 90''': special variant for the Portuguese Marines of the V-200 armed with a multiple 90&nbsp;mm rocket launcher
*'''V-300''': light fire support armed with [[FN Minimi]], [[FN MAG]] or [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm gun]].
*'''V-400''': heavy fire support with 90mm or 75mm low-pressure gun.
*'''V-500''': communications and command vehicle.
*'''V-600''': [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] carrier with [[81 mm mortar|81mm]]&nbsp;mm or 120&nbsp;mm mortars
*'''V-700''': anti-tank with [[Swingfire]] or [[Euromissile HOT|HOT]] [[missile launcher]]
*'''V-800''': [[ambulance]]
*'''V-900''': armoured recovery vehicle
*'''V-1000''': anti-riot with [[water cannon]]

==Combat history==
===Africa===
[[Libya]] placed an order of 60 V-200 Chaimite armored cars in June 1976, though only 13 or 16 were delivered. The Libyan government cancelled the order upon hearing that the Portuguese government had decided that same year to establish diplomatic relations with [[Israel]], an act that infuriated President [[Muammar Gaddafi]] who immediately severed the diplomatic and commercial ties with Portugal in protest, which left the remaining 25 vehicles still in production at the assembly line of the [[Bravia (automobile)|Bravia]] VM plant in [[Samora Correia]].<ref name="Monteiro, 2018 pp. 41-55">Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 41-55.</ref> The batch of V-200 Chaimite armored cars that was shipped to Libya prior to the break-up of diplomatic relations was assigned to the Presidential Guard,<ref name="Monteiro, 2018 pp. 41-55"/> with one of the vehicles being later sent to [[Lebanon]]; the other remaining vehicles were kept in service until the [[Libyan Civil War (2011)|overthrow of the Gaddafi Regime in October 2011]]. Their present status is unknown, though some unconfirmed reports claim that they have been used in combat on the ongoing [[Libyan Crisis (2011–present)|Libyan Civil War]].

===Asia===
Twenty V-200 Chaimite armored cars were acquired in 1973 by the government of the [[Philippines]] for its [[Philippine Constabulary]] units fighting the Muslim separatist guerrillas in [[Mindanao]] during the [[Moro conflict]], but only 13 were actually delivered before the order was cancelled by the Philippine authorities.<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 36; 55.</ref>

===Middle East===
[[Lebanon]] was the first [[Middle East]]ern country to place a request in December 1972 of thirty V-200 Chaimite armored cars for its [[Internal Security Forces]] (ISF), though only twenty-one vehicles had been delivered by April 1975, when occurred the outbreak of the [[Lebanese Civil War]] (1975–1990), a conflict in which they saw considerable action.<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), p. 41.</ref> During the [[Battle of the Hotels]] in October 1975, the ISF used their own V-200 armored cars alongside loaned [[M113 armored personnel carrier|M113]] and [[Panhard M3|Panhard M3 VTT]] [[armored personnel carrier]]s (APCs) by the [[Lebanese Army]] in a successful operation to evacuate more than 200 people – including the staff and residents, most of them tourists – trapped in the [[Holiday Inn Beirut|Holiday Inn]] and adjoining hotels located at the Minet el-Hosn hotel district of [[Beirut Central District|downtown Beirut]].

When the ISF collapsed in January 1976, the Christian [[Tigers Militia]] and [[Guardians of the Cedars]] (GoC) militia were able to seize an unspecified number of V-200 armored cars, which the GoC later employed against the [[Syrian Army]] at Houche el-Oumara during the [[Battle of Zahleh]] on April–June 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://milinme.wordpress.com/category/v-200-chaimite/|title=V-200 Chaimite|date=April 1, 2013|website=Military In the Middle East}}</ref> The vehicles operated by the [[Tigers Militia]] were reportedly employed in the defense of the Christian-controlled east [[Beirut]] quarters during the [[Hundred Days' War]] in February–April 1978, but after the forcible disbandment of the militia in October 1980 they were eventually returned to ISF ownership.

The Lebanese ISF Command was so impressed by the performance of its V-200 Chaimite armored cars in the field – notably, the Lebanese crews praised the ability of their vehicles' armored hull to withstand small-arms fire, [[Land mine|landmine]] blasts and even [[RPG-7]] anti-tank rounds in an [[urban combat]] environment<ref name="Monteiro, 2018 p. 42">Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), p. 42.</ref> – that they requested a further nine or 10 vehicles in 1980, which were delivered by 1982. Later in August 1990, the Lebanese showed interest in acquiring an additional thirty V-200 armored cars along with 15 [[Bravia Commando|Bravia Commando MK III patrol cars]] for the ISF, but those plans were eventually scrapped upon the conclusion of the civil war in October that same year.<ref name="Monteiro, 2018 p. 42"/>

The [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) guerrilla factions operating in [[Lebanon]] received a single vehicle from [[Libya]] in 1981, which was later captured in the [[Beqaa Valley]] by the [[Israeli Defense Forces]] (IDF) during the [[1982 Lebanon War]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/fts/Chaimite.pdf |title=Blindado Chaimite 4x4 |website=ecsbdefesa |language=pt |access-date=2010-06-30 |archive-date=2012-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105091042/http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/fts/Chaimite.pdf }}</ref>

===Latin America===
[[Peru]] was the first foreign customer of the Chaimite, purchasing in 1970 twenty V-200 armored cars for its [[Peruvian Naval Infantry|Marine corps]], which were delivered in 1971–1973.<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 33; 55.</ref>

==Operators==
[[File:Bravia Chaimite operators.png|thumb|300px|Map of Bravia Chaimite operators in blue]]
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->

===Current operators===
*{{flag|Lebanon}}: 30<ref name="trade">{{cite web |url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |title=Trade Registers |publisher=Armstrade.sipri.org |access-date=2013-06-20 |archive-date=2010-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414022558/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), pp. 41-43.</ref>
*{{flag|Libya}}: 16<ref name="trade"/>
*{{flag|Peru}}: 20<ref name="trade"/>

===Former operators===
*[[Guardians of the Cedars]] – some captured from the [[Internal Security Forces]] in 1976;
*{{flagicon image|Parti National Libéral Liban.png}} [[Tigers Militia]] – some captured from the [[Internal Security Forces]] in 1976 and returned in 1980;
*{{flag|Palestine}}: [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] &ndash; 1 supplied by [[Libya]] in 1981;
*{{flag|Portugal}} – 84 units were operated by the [[Portuguese Army]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=CHAIMITE V-200 (Parte I) {{!}} Operacional|url=https://www.operacional.pt/chaimite-v-200-parte-i/|access-date=2020-12-31|language=pt-PT}}</ref> and 4 operated by the [[Portuguese Marine Corps]];<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=CHAIMITE V-200 (Parte II - Conclusão) {{!}} Operacional|url=https://www.operacional.pt/chaimite-v-200-parte-ii-conclusao/|access-date=2020-12-31|language=pt-PT}}</ref> replaced in 2009 by 188 [[Portuguese Pandur|Pandur II]].
*{{flag|Philippines}}: [[Philippine National Police]] operated 20 units ordered only 13 units delivered.<ref name="trade"/><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120105091042/http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/fts/Chaimite.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>
===Evaluation-only operators===
* {{IRN}};<ref name=":0" />
*{{flag|Malaysia}}: one V-400 prototype tested in July 1973;<ref>Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'' (2018), p. 36.</ref>
*{{MYA}};<ref name=":0" />
*{{VEN}}.<ref name=":0" />

==Vehicles on display==
===Philippines===
*A [[Philippine National Police]] Bravia Chaimite APC inherited from the [[Philippine Constabulary]] is on outdoor static display at Fort Sto Domingo Sta Rosa, Laguna, Luzon, Philippine.<ref name="auto">https://pnp.gov.ph/pnp-museum-celebrates-the-museums-and-galleries-month/{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
* V-200 Bravia Chaimite in [[Integrated National Police]] colors is on static display at the Philippine National Police Museum, Camp General Rafael T. Crame in Quezon City, Philippines.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://amommabroad.com/blog/pnp-museum | title=PNP Museum, Camp Crame Quezon City | date=2 October 2018 }}</ref>
===Portugal===
*Bravia Chaimite armoured vehicle in the exposition in the Military Museum of Elvas, Portugal<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alamy.com/bravia-chaimite-armored-vehicle-on-the-exposition-in-the-military-museum-of-elvas-portugal-image449568728.html | title=Bravia Chaimite armored vehicle on the exposition in the Military Museum of Elvas, Portugal Stock Photo - Alamy }}</ref>
* V-200 Bravia Chaimite armoured vehicle in the exposition in Museu do Combatente, Portugal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.escapehunter.com/escapes/portugal/museu-do-combatente-010714.php | title=BelÃ©m Museu do Combatente - Attraction Review }}</ref>
* A Bravia Chaimite is part of the Monument to the 25th of April, 1974 in [[Póvoa de Varzim]], Portugal, since June 16, 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maissemanario.pt/chaimite-do-exercito-homenageia-a-liberdade-no-dia-da-cidade-da-povoa/ | title=Chaimite do exÃ©rcito homenageia a liberdade no Dia da Cidade da PÃ³voa (Fotos) | date=16 June 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cm-pvarzim.pt/comunicacao/noticias/monumento-ao-25-de-abril-na-avenida-com-este-nome-finalizacao-da-avenida-25-de-abril-para-breve/ | title=Monumento ao 25 de Abril na Avenida com este nome. Finalização da Avenida 25 de Abril para breve | date=17 June 2019 }}</ref>

==In Popular culture==
The Chaimite made some major [[film]] appearances, notably in the Danish 1993 historical drama film ''[[The House of the Spirits (film)|The House of the Spirits]]'', portraying [[Chilean Army]] APCs in action during the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|September 1973 Chilean coup d'état]] and in the Spanish-American 2002 crime thriller film ''[[The Dancer Upstairs (film)|The Dancer Upstairs]]'', in the colours of an undisclosed Latin American Army. It was also featured in the 2000 historical drama film ''[[April Captains]]'', set in during the Portuguese [[Carnation Revolution]] of April 1974.

==See also==
*[[Battle of the Hotels]]
*[[Bravia Commando]]
*[[Cadillac Gage Commando]]
*[[List of weapons of the Portuguese Colonial War]]
*[[List of weapons of the Lebanese Civil War]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Christopher F. Foss, ''Jane's Tank and Combat Vehicle Recognition Guide'', HarperCollins Publishers, London 2002. {{ISBN|0-00-712759-6}}
*Pedro Manuel Monteiro, ''Berliet, Chaimite e UMM – Os Grandes Veículos Militares Nacionais'', Contra a Corrente, Lda., Lisboa 2018. {{ISBN|9789899901261}} (in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]])

==External links==
*''[http://www.operacional.pt/chaimite-v-200-parte-i/ CHAIMITE V-200, by Miguel Silva Machado in "Operacional"]
*[http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/Portugal/Bravia-Chaimite.php Tank Encyclopedia-Bravia Chaimite]
{{Modern IFV and APC}}

[[Category:Armoured cars of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Wheeled armoured personnel carriers]]
[[Category:Military equipment of Portugal]]
[[Category:Internal security vehicles]]
[[Category:Paramilitary vehicles]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles]]