EE-T1 Osório
| EE-T1 Osorio | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  Brazil |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Engesa |
| Designed | 1982–86 |
| Manufacturer | Engesa |
| Unit cost | $ 6,855,859.20 BRL, ($3,840,261.00 USD) |
| Produced | 1986 |
| No. built | 2 prototypes |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 42.9 short tons (38.9 t; 38.3 long tons) |
| Length | 9.99 metres (32 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 3.26 metres (10 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.37 metres (7 ft 9 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| Armor | composite, including aluminum/steel, carbon fibers, and ceramics. |
Main armament | 120 mm GIAT G1 smoothbore gun(P2), 105 mm L/52 L7 rifled gun(P1), |
Secondary armament | M2HB 12.7 mm machine gun x2 (coaxial and roof mounted) |
| Engine | 12-cylinder diesel 1,100 hp [1] |
| Power/weight | 26 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | hydropneumatic |
Operational range | 550 km (340 mi) [1] |
| Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
The Engesa EE-T1 Osório was a Brazilian main battle tank prototype. It was developed as a privately funded venture by Engesa, with little government support. It was intended to be sold first to Arab and other Third World countries, jump-starting production — and enabling the Brazilian Army to later place its own orders without having to fund development costs. However macro-political events including the Gulf War and North American political pressure led to the tank's demise, and the tank was never acquired by the Brazilian Army.
Development
Development started in 1982 and the first prototype was completed in 1985.[1]
The EE-T1 was considered for service with the Saudi Arabian Army. It was evaluated against the French AMX 40, the American M1 Abrams, and the British Challenger 1 and emerged as the winner. The Osorio was quite cheap and affordable while having good results in the trails than the first three MBTs. In September 1989, Saudi Arabia quietly opted for the M1 Abrams instead and only announced its new decision shortly after Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait, triggering the Persian Gulf War.[2] The two unique prototypes were given to the Brazilian Army as result of Engesa going bankrupt.
References
- ^ a b c Gelbart, Marsh (1996). Tanks main battle and light tanks. Brassey’s UK Ltd. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-85753-168-X.
- ^ http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forte.jor.br%2F1-ee-t1-osorio%2F Forças Terrestres
External links
- Fprado.com
- Enemyforces.com
- Engesa EE-T1 Osório, the first brazilian MBT (in Portuguese with 'google translate' option)
- Military Today - Osório
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