Bravia Chaimite V-400 Mk. II – Iberian Lynx

ChieftainWarrior · September 21, 2024, 7:49am

Would you like to see this in-game?

Yes
No

0 voters

Chaimite V-400 Mk. II

TL;DR: Portuguese unlicensed Cadillac Gage V-150 with turret housing a 90mm GIAT F1 cannon

History
In the early 1960s, Portugal felt a growing need for a modern wheeled APC, to be used to in Africa. At the time, Portugal was in a period called the Estado Novo (New State), led by dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. A number of independence movements in Portugal’s African colonies began, culminating in the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974).

Portugal reached out to America, seeking the license for the Cadillac Gage Commando V-100. America did not authorise the license, as Portugal intended to use them outside the scope of NATO, of which it was a founding member. In March 1967, the company “BRAVIA SARL, Sociedade Luso-Brasileira de Viaturas e Equipamentos” was founded and plans were soon drawn up for the ‘Chaimite’. As Cadillac Gage did not provide Portugal with the license, Portugal resorted to using information from two American engineers who illegally provided technical data to Bravia.

The first prototype was produced soon after, and later that year, the Portuguese Army ordered 27 vehicles. By 1971, only 18 had been produced. The first Chaimites were sent to Guinea for testing at the end of 1970 – in two forms. Four were in the APC form (V-200), and one was in a light tank form, with a 90mm Mecar gun in a two-man turret designed by Bravia. Named the V-400 (and later V-400 Mk. I), this vehicle saw testing, and later was returned to Portugal, where it remained in Bravia’s storage until its closure.

4.-Chaimite-CTA-MAI67

Left: V-200 during testing in Guinea; Right: Brochure for V-400 Mk. II

Later, in April 1983, the French D90 turret – the same as on the AML-90 Lynx (not to be confused with the H90 on the original AML-90) – was mounted on the Chaimite, acquiring the designation V-400 Mk. II. This was also marketed, but like the Mk. I, never went further than a single prototype (of which only one photo is available).

While the V-400s never saw service, the V-200 saw active service in a number of countries, like Portugal, the Philippines, Lebanon, Libya and Peru. Bravia modified the V-200s with a number of different armaments, like the V-300 with various SPAA turrets, and V-200s with ATGMs and rocket launchers.

In 1989, Portugal received 15 V-150 Commando’s equipped with a 90mm Cockerill cannon. These are often mistaken online for Chaimite V-400s, but Portugal never appears to have mounted this same turret on the Chaimite. While the Chaimite and V-150 are almost identical, one key external difference is that the Chaimite has three side windows, whereas the V-150 only has two.

uex5idua5vh81-1

V-150 in Portuguese service, NOT a Chaimite

Characteristics
The turret of the V-400 Mk. II is the French D90 Lynx. It houses a DEFA D921 90mm cannon. The cannon can only fire HEAT-FS, HE and smoke rounds, and has a rate of fire in the H90 turret of 7-9 rpm. The OCC-60-62 HEAT-FS rounds have 350mm penetration and a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s. The OE 90 F1 HE rounds have a muzzle velocity of 640 m/s. The turret, along with the two crew inside, weighs 2t total.The gun can traverse 360° horizontally at a speed of 45°/s, and elevate +15°/-8° at a speed of 30°/s. Compared to the H90 turret, the D90 has a number of upgrades, including faster traverse speed, day/night sights, (TJN 2.90 SOPELEM) and a laser rangefinder (TCV-29). The turret has two sets of three smoke grenade launchers.

D90 90mm Brochure

The V-400 Mk. II has one 7.62mm machine gun on the turret roof. This has 2000 rounds total.

V-400 Mk. II diagram (inaccurate, shows Cadillac Gage V-150 hull)

The hull of the Chaimite is all-welded steel, with the driver and normally the commander at the front. Its armour is very thin – the hull front has 6.35mm at 75° on the upper section, and 7.94mm at 40° on the lower section. The thickest section of armour is the hull floor, at 9.35mm. The vehicle has a Chrysler 361 M75 V-8 petrol engine, delivering 210hp (or 191hp, sources differ) at 4000rpm. The V-200 APC variant has a weight of 7.3t, and as such, a power-to-weight ratio of 28.76 hp/t. The D90 turret weighs 2t, and therefore the V-400 Mk. II weighs 9.3t and has a hp/t ratio of 22.5. Along with a manual transmission with 5 forward gears and 1 reverse gear, this allows the Chaimite to have a maximum speed of 99km/h, a reverse speed of 13.7km/h, and 7km/h in water. The V-400 has 4 crew – commander, gunner, driver and radio operator.

V-400 Mk. II ammunition

Conclusion
The Chaimite V-400 Mk. II would be a great light tank for a future e.g. Iberian tree, or potentially added to the US (Cadillac Gage copy) or French (Belgian gun) trees as a premium. It is a Portuguese analogue to vehicles in-game like the AML-90, albeit slightly better owing to the laser rangefinder and very fast turret traverse, and thus would sit at a BR of 7.7-8.0.

Specifications
Armament

90mm GIAT F1 / DEFA D921
- 7-9 RPM, 20 rounds
- Ammunition:
  - OCC-60-62 HEAT-FS
    - 350mm at 0° at 10m
    - 120mm at 65° at 10m
  - OE 90 F1 HE
  - Smoke
1x 7.62mm
- 2000 rounds total
Vertical guidance
- +15°/-8°
- 30°/second
Turret rotation speed
- 45°/second
Laser rangefinder

Armour

Hull front upper – 6.35mm at 75°
Hull front lower – 7.94mm at 40°
Hull sides upper – 6.35mm at 30°
Hull sides lower – 7.94mm at 10°
Hull top – 6.35mm
Hull floor – 9.35mm
Hull rear – 6.35mm at 30°
Turret – 8-15mm all around

Mobility

Maximum speed
- 99km/h off-road
  - 1st gear, 13.7km/h
  - 2nd gear, 22.6km/h
  - 3rd gear, 37.9km/h
  - 4th gear, 62km/h
  - 5th gear, 99km/h
  - Reverse gear, 13.7km/h
- 7km/h in water
Weight
- 9.3t
Engine power
- 210hp at 4000rpm, Chrysler 361 M75 V-8
- 22.6hp/t