- Yes
- No
Cardoen Piraña I 6x6 - LAU97
History:
In 1980 Chile obtained the contract for the licensed production of the Mowag Piranha I being one of the few countries to build these vehicles, production began in 1983 by the Chilean company Industrias Cardoen which was in charge of the construction of the Piraña I in its 6x6 version building hundreds of these vehicles and equipping them with different turrets and armaments. In this suggestion we will see the version with the LAU97 rocket launcher.
The Cardoen Piraña I 6x6, built in Chile, follows the original model of the Swiss Mowag, also retaining its amphibious capacity, so it keeps the propellers for the water at the rear of the vehicle. The driver is located in the front left of the vehicle right next to the engine and the crew behind the driver in the middle of the vehicle. The vehicle has 8mm armor, which protects it from 7.62mm machine gun fire and explosive shrapnel, making it vulnerable to larger-caliber fire. The biggest advantage of this vehicle is its great mobility and speed.
During the 1980s, Cardoen Industries tested various weapons on the Piraña I 6x6, promoting different versions for possible sale to the Chilean army or abroad. One of these versions carried the LAU97 rocket launcher manufactured by Forges da Zeebrugge FZ of Belgium, which turned the vehicle into highly mobile light artillery.
The LAU97 rocket launch system can carry up to 40 FZ family rockets, has a 360° rotation, and elevation from 0° to +55°. Depending on the booster warhead, it has a range of up to 7,900 meters.
The LAU97 rocket launcher system is capable of firing various types of rockets from the Belgian-made FZ family, but the most notable is the FZ49 rocket capable of penetrating up to 350 mm of armor and which can already be found in-game on various aircraft.
This same rocket launcher system was installed in another of the vehicles designed and manufactured in Chile by Cardoen Industries, the BMS-1 Alacrán, which is a semi-tracked vehicle. Below is a short video of the BMS-1 Alacrán firing the LAU97 rocket launcher system as an exhibition to show the firing speed of the rockets.
LAU97 system fired from BMS-1 Alacrán
During FIDA 86 (International Air Show), in 1986 the Cardoen Piraña I 6x6 - LAU97 and other versions of the Chilean Piranha were shown to the public to generate interest in some foreign buyer since this show receives military companies from all over the world. Below is a video of the presentation of the Chilean Piranhas during FIDA 86 where you can see the version suggested in this publication.
Cardoen Piranha I 6x6 - LAU97 during FIDA 86
Specifications:
- Crew:
- 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
- Armament:
- Primary: 70mm rocket launcher LAU97 (40x FZ49 rockets)
- Dimensions:
- Length: 5.97 m
- Width: 2.5 m
- Height: 1.85 m (without weapons)
- Weight: 10.5 t (vehicle) + 1200 kg (LAU97)
- Maneuverability :
- Engine: Detroit diesel 6V-53T, 300 hp at 2800 rpm
- Max. speed on roads: 100 km/h
- Speed in water: 10.5 km/h
- Transmission: Allison MT-653 automatic with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears
- Turning circle: 11.3 m
- Gradient: 70%
- Side slope: 30%
- Vertical obstacle: 0.5 m
Sources:
- Piraña 6x6, la navaja suiza de Chile
- Chile, Industrias Cardoen, Uso Militar y Civil | PDF
- Army Guide
- Jane-s-Armour-and-Artillery_1991-92_p.293