The Brazilian Army invested in the purchase of a new model for the Guarani family. The new armored engineering vehicle is already being tested in São Paulo and promises to revolutionize the Brazilian mining sector
This month, the first field tests with the two prototypes of the concept of the 6×6 Guarani special armored engineering vehicle were started at the facilities of the Arsenal de Guerra de São Paulo. The new Brazilian Army vehicle could revolutionize the country's mining sector. The vehicle is part of the transformation process of the Brazilian Army to raise the vehicles of the Land Force, called Strategic Project of the Guarani Army, created in 2007.
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New armored engineering vehicle is a breakthrough for the Guarani family
The DEC project, coordinated by the Directorate of Engineering Material (DME), began with the study of means to create a prototype capable of subsidizing the development of the family of armored vehicles.
The project was studied by the General Staff of the Army (EME), alongside the Department of Science and Technology (DCT), so that its feasibility could be analyzed and also to allow changes to the chassis of the Brazilian Army's armored vehicle.
It is worth mentioning that AGSP was chosen to support the project as an integrator of the engineering facilities, which has extensive experience in the maintenance, modernization and revitalization of armored vehicles.
The engineering vehicles that promise to revolutionize the Brazilian mining sector have a straight blade for obstacles, an excavator arm, a wheel loader, all interchangeable. The integration between these different OM's demonstrates the excellence of work within the Brazilian army.
Armored vehicle integration phase was interrupted by the pandemic
The integration phase of the armored engineering vehicle began last year and was interrupted by the covid-19 pandemic, returning only in August of this year.
Last month, new advances were obtained with the first field tests by the AGSP team, following all the means of protection recommended by ANVISA. Before the delivery of the new armored vehicle to the Brazilian Army, training for mechanics, assessment of the vehicle by the Army Assessment Center (CAEx) and training for job openings by AGSP are still planned.
The two armored personnel carriers belong to the 15th Mechanized Combat Engineering Company, located in Palmas (PR), which will receive the models after homologation by CAEx and is already developing a doctrine for the use of both vehicles. The intention of the Brazilian Army is to mobilize all the engineering units of the Mechanized Brigades.
Brazilian Army acquires three different implements
VBE Eng with bucket loader implement (EAB) 
VBE Eng with blade implement for obstacle removal (SOB) 
VBE Eng with Excavator Arm Attachment (EMA)
Purchased from the British company Pearson Engineering LTD, which is represented by Prospectare in Brazil, for an international competition for the Strategic Program of the Guarani Army, the vehicles consist of a modular intelligent system, composed of a Common Interface with a control module, where they are fixed implements quickly and easily.
In this first phase, the Brazilian Army purchased three different implements for mining, but after approval of these, negotiations will be made for the purchase of specific models for the anti-mine function. The implements purchased were:
- loader bucket implement
- excavator arm implement
- Blade implement for obstacle removal
