Victor M.S. Barreira
HITFACT 105 is currently fielded by the armies of Italy (400) and Spain (84) on Iveco-OTO Melara Società Consortile (CIO) VBM Centauro 8×8 armoured vehicles, with 9 HITFACT 120 mounted on VBM Centauro vehicles of the Sultanate of Oman. The gun has been retained to arm the turret mounted on Japanese MCV (Maneuver Combat Vehicle) 8×8 armoured vehicles.
One prototype of the turret and a pilot-batch of 13 turrets will be purchased potentially in 2015 by the army’s Manufacturing Directorate (or Diretoria de Fabricação).
Requirements include the 105 mm high-pressure gun as the main armament, 7.62×51 mm machine guns, 76 mm grenade launchers, electro-optical and fire control systems, and provisions for communication and command-and-control systems. Optionally, the turret could be capable of switching to a 120 mm gun, fire anti-tank missiles, and accommodate additional armour and ARES Aeroespacial & Defesa REMAX (Reparo de Metralhadora Automatizada X) remote weapon station armed with 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher.
CMI Defence has proposed the Cockeril 3105 turret system. Denel Land Systems teaming with Mectron Engenharia, Indústria e Comércio (part of Odebrecht Defesa e Tecnologia), and China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) also delivered proposals on 9 March 2015.
ARES Aeroespacial & Defesa also proposed other remote systems for armoured vehicles, such as the UT-30BR system armed with 30mm Orbital ATK Mk44 Bushmaster automatic cannon, as well as the TORC 30 (Torre Operada Remotamente e estabilizada para Canhão 30mm) system being developed in cooperation with the Brazilian Army’s Technological Center (CTEx) and armed with Rheinmetall Defence Mk 30-2/ABM automatic cannon.
The VBR-MR programme together with VBTP-MR Guarani 6×6 (Viatura Blindada Transporte de Pessoal – Média de Rodas) amphibious armoured vehicle purchased by the Brazilian Army, and VBMT-LR (Viatura Blindada Multitarefa – Leve de Rodas) 4×4 multi-purpose light tactical protected vehicle is part of the Brazilian Army’s Strategic Project Guarani or Projecto Estratégico do Exército-Guarani (PEE Guarani).
The Brazilian Army has so far inducted several of the VBTP-MR 6×6 armoured vehicles developed by Iveco Veículos de Defesa in cooperation with the Brazilian Army.
Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial/ Renault Trucks Defense with its Tupi vehicle, which is based on the Sherpa Light Scout vehicle, Iveco Veículos de Defesa with the LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle), the team of AM General and Plasan with the MLTV-BR vehicle and BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa (acquired by South Africa’s state-owned defence conglomerate Denel SOC Ltd) with the RG32M LTV are competing to supply the Brazilian Army with an initial batch of 32 4×4 armoured vehicles. Another 154 vehicles will be acquired in two separate tranches of 77 each.
