EE-3 Jararaca

     Notes: The Jararaca is a Brazilian 4x4 recon vehicle in service with a number of armies worldwide.  The Jararaca was ultimately rejected for Brazilian service due to the limitations of its 4x4 chassis, but it saw some export success, most notably to Iraq, who used them in the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, and Iran, who also used them in the Iran-Iraq War. The EE-3’s export attempts were partially short-circuited by the trend towards larger wheeled chassis and the availability of light armored cars in the wake of the Cold War.

     The EE-3’s hull is made of electro-slag refined steel.  Armor, like most such light wheeled armored cars, is not heavy, but is adequate against small arms and shell fragments, and is proof against 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds from the front. A variety of turrets may be mounted, some of which are statted out below. The basic vehicle comes with a ring mount (NHT equivalent) to which an M2HB is usually fitted at the front deck hatch (C).  The vehicle has a right-side door and a rear deck hatch for crew access; the commander and gunner also have hatches on the front deck, and the various turrets employed usually have hatches on the turret deck for the commander and gunner.  Variant armaments include a 20mm autocannon, a 60mm gun/mortar, and a Milan ATGM launcher. The EE-3 is powered by a 120-horsepower Mercedes-Benz OM 314A turbocharged diesel in the rear of the hull.  Transmission is a manual Clark Model 240 V with one reverse and five forward gears. Suspension is by semi-elliptical leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. The axles also have hypoid gears. The driver has access to a central tire pressure regulation system.  The driver’s hatch is in the glacis plate and hinges upward; it may be kept open for normal driving and closed for combat.

     While versions with 20mm autocannons, 60mm gun/mortars, and a turret with light and heavy machineguns were not proceeded with beyond unspecified export sales, the reconnaissance car variant with a ring-mounted M2HB was the most-produced variant, and about a dozen versions with the Milan II ATGM launcher were known to be produced for Cyprus.  A single NBC Reconnaissance version was produced as a test and subsequently taken into service by the Brazilian Army in one of its Cav regiments. This version has an NBC Overpressure system, three optical chemical sniffers and three Radiac meters (looking to the sides and front of the vehicle), an inertial navigation system, and a rebuilt driver’s station with a bulge on the glacis plate in front of the driver’s station and vision blocks to the front and sides of the station (the hatch is deleted). The vehicle has an extra long-range data-capable radio. The crew has several changes of MOPP suits and a small computer-controlled station for the analysis of samples taken from outside the vehicle. The commander can aim and fire (but not reload) his machinegun from inside the vehicle with the hatch closed.

EE-9 Cascavel

     Notes: The EE-9 is another Brazilian AFV intended for both domestic service and the export market. Several export customers chose the Cascavel in preference to vehicles like the Panhard AML or ERC-90 Sagaie due more lax export laws in Brazil. The automotive components are also similar or the same as found in civilian heavy trucks, making the supply of spare parts easier. The Cascavel is a 6x6 wheeled recon vehicle of conventional layout, developed to replace the M8 Greyhound and uses the general layout of the Greyhound. The EE-9 shares many components with the EE-11 Urutu APC, and both were produced at the same time and often sold as sets to export customers. It was produced from 1974 to 1993.

     The Cascavel has a driver’s hatch on the front deck, commander’s and gunner’s hatches on the turret, and a firing port on each side.  The gun turret has a coaxial MAG MG, and a mount (NMT equivalent) at the commander’s hatch (C) for an optional second MAG MG. The initial 37mm gun turrets are simply barely modified M8 Greyhound turrets, while the 90mm gun turrets are based on those of the French Panhard AML. The Mark I and II turrets are manually rotated, while others have an electric traverse. The EE-9 is powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V-53N diesel engine developing 212 horsepower; this engine is similar to the one powering the M113A2 APC. The Mark I is powered by a different Mercedes-Benz gasoline engine which develops 190 horsepower. The suspension is a 6x6 double axle boomerang drive, which gives it a very smooth ride. The Mark I and II have manual transmissions, while other variants have an automatic transmission. The driver is in the front center, with the turret in the center of the vehicle and the engine and transmission at the rear. The Mk III uses a variant of the 6V-53N which is locally produced and uses a variant of the Panhard AML’s turret.  The Mark IV has a locally produced variant of the Cockerill Mk 3 90mm gun in an Engesa-made turret, and central tire pressure regulation and run-flat tires, as well as vertical-axis gun stabilization. The Mark V has a Mercedes-Benz OM52A 190 horsepower diesel engine, while the Mark VI has a modified version of that engine, the OM352A, and the Mark VII is a Mark VI fitted with the gearbox of the Mark IV.  All three have a more integrated fire control system.

     Brazilian EE-9s are being modernized to the Cascavel NG (New Generation) standard.  This includes a refurbishment to a “zero miles” condition, replacement of the engine with a 225-horsepower MWM Acteon 6.12 TCE diesel engine, an 8+1 Allison 3000 automatic transmission, addition of a twin Spike LR2 ATGM launcher on the right side of the turret, digital displays for each crewmember, a new command and control suite, a hunter-killer set of sights, upgraded night vision, a GPS navigation system, NBC Overpressure system, air conditioning, and upgraded armor protection. Rearrangement of the interior of the vehicle allows for more ammunition storage, yet makes the inside of the Cascavel NG more roomy. The Cascavel NG is a comprehensive upgrade of the EE-9.

*Belly AV for the Cascavel NG is 4Sp.