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FAMAE Piraña I 8x8D - Cockerill CSE 90 mm
History:
In 1980 Chile obtained the contract for the production under license 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 but initially only in the version of the Piranha I 6x6, later in 1990 a second production contract was obtained for the Piranha I but this time by the Chilean state company FAMAE that would begin the production of the Piranha I 8x8D version in 1992-93. In this suggestion we will address the details of this latest version that had a special version.
The Piraña I 8x8D follows the original model of the Swiss Mowag only that the Chilean version did not require amphibious capability so the propellers at the rear of the vehicle were replaced by storage boxes, it should also be mentioned that the D in the name is due to the Chilean piraña being powered by Diesel. 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 part of the vehicle. There are different variants of the Piraña as it can be adapted to a variety of turrets with different armaments but in the Chilean version of the Piraña I 8x8D a Cockerill CSE 90 mm turret from CMI Defense, Belgium was installed.
In 1992 one of these FAMAE Piraña I 8x8D was shown to the public carrying the Cockerill CSE 90 mm turret together with a Cardoen Piraña 6x6 HVMS, which changed the main role of troop transport vehicle to a more direct combat one mainly acting as a fire support vehicle or for ambushes due to the great mobility of the Chilean Piraña added to the 90 mm cannon that in this version of the turret could fire APFSDS-T ammunition and could penetrate 100 mm of armor angled at 60° at a distance of 1000 m, something to be taken into account.
Due to the new role of the vehicle the crew consisted of 3 people, these being the driver and the commander and gunner in the turret handling the gun, although of course it could transport more people in case it was needed. The new turret was from Belgium and only had protection for smaller armaments so the vehicle was weak against larger caliber fire, the turret also had a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun to the left of the main gun and a similar machine gun could be mounted on the roof of the turret for anti-aircraft defense. The commander sat on the left and had seven observation periscopes, the gunner sat on the right and had four. Both had sights mounted on the turret roof with 8x and 1x magnification. Turret traverse and gun elevation/depression were electric. The turret could carry up to 12 rounds of ammunition for the main gun and it also had smoke launchers for self-defense.
As far as its main armament is concerned, this was the famous Cockerill Mk3 of 90 mm low pressure, it was characterized by being compact and light so it was ideal for arming light vehicles such as the Piraña, so it can be seen in other similar projects in other countries, although due to this specific turret it was capable of firing APFSDS-T ammunition of greater penetration, as well as the other types of ammunition such as the HEAT-T, HESH-T, etc.
Finally, it is unknown what happened to this vehicle, although today you can still see these FAMAE Piraña in service, so below I share some photos of the interior of one of these vehicles where you can see some interesting details including what seem to be receptacles for larger caliber ammunition with a total of 24 spaces for extra ammunition.
Specifications:
- Crew:
- 3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver)
- Armament:
- Primary: Cockerill Mk3M-A1 90 mm gun
- Secondary: 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun (400 rounds), 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun (200 rounds), 8+8 smoke grenades
- Dimensions:
- Length: 6.37 m
- Width: 2.5 m
- Height: 1.85 m (without turret)
- Weight: 13 t (vehicle) + 2.1 t (turret)
- Maneuverability :
- Engine: Detroit diesel 6V-53T, 275 hp at 2800 rpm
- Max. speed on roads: 100 km/h
- Transmission: Allison MT-653 automatic with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears
- Turning circle: 15.5 m
- Gradient: 60%
- Side slope: 30%
- Vertical obstacle: 0.5 m
Turret specifications
Sources:
- Army Guide
- https://johncockerill.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/John-Cockerill_Defense_CSE90_EN.pdf
- Jane’s Military Vehicles and Logistics 1994-95
- Jane’s Armour and Artillery Upgrades 2006-2007
- Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1993-94
- Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1994-95
- Jane’s Armour and Artillery 2011-12
- CMI Defense Cockerill Mk3/CSE 90 mm Weapon System