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The supply of the VBTP-MR (above) will
amount to 2,044 vehicles, being delivered
until the year 2030, with a contract value
of over €2 billion. The joint development
between Iveco and the Brazilian armed forces
will serve to stimulate growth in the
Brazilian defence industry, attracting some
100 local suppliers. |
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Following the contract
signed on December 18, 2009 for the supply of the
amphibious armoured personnel carriers (VBTP-MR), that
the company is developing jointly with the Brazilian
Army, Iveco will create a dedicated Defence Vehicle unit
in Brazil. The new “Iveco Veículos de Defesa” begins
with an investment of € 23 million for the construction
of a manufacturing facility within Iveco’s industrial
complex in Sete Lagoas (MG), where an area of 18
thousand square meters will be completely dedicated to
accommodate the production of the new VBTP-MR.
Series production of the vehicle is expected to begin in
the second half of 2012. When fully operational, the new
unit will employ around 350 people, many of them trained
for specialised tasks not currently available in the
market, such as welding ballistic steels.
The supply of the VBTP-MR will amount to 2,044 vehicles,
being delivered until the year 2030, with a contract
value of over €2 billion. The joint development between
Iveco and the Brazilian armed forces will serve to
stimulate growth in the Brazilian defence industry,
attracting some 100 local suppliers.
The VBTP-MR is a family of armoured vehicles with a GVW
of 18.3 tonnes, powered by locally produced FPT
Industrial Cursor 9 Diesel engines, 6x6 drive,
amphibious capability and able to carry 11 soldiers. The
basic dimensions are 6.91 metres long, 2.7 metres wide
and 2.34 metres high. The model can be equipped with a
turret armed with remote control operation for several
different applications and can be transported by an
aircraft of type C-130 Hercules.
The creation of “Iveco Veículos de Defesa” has been
officially announced today by the governor of Minas
Gerais, Antonio Anastasia, at an event held at the
Administrative Centre of the State Government and which
was attended by the Commander of the Brazilian Army,
General Enzo Peri, among other senior civil and military
personalities. At the ceremony, the first VBTP-MR
prototype, called "Guarani", was also presented. The
vehicle is about to be displayed in Latin America & Air
Defence (LAAD), the largest military fair in Latin
America, which opens on April 12, 2011 in Rio de
Janeiro. After being displayed at LAAD the prototype of
the "Guarani" will go to the Brazilian Army’s proving
ground, in Marambaia (RJ), for a period of testing.
The creation of “Iveco Veículos de Defesa” is a further
extension of the rapidly growing Iveco activities in
Brazil. Since 2007 the company has created a product
development centre, a new plant for heavy trucks, a new
parts distribution centre and has launched six new truck
product families. Moreover, during the past four years
Iveco's sales have increased five-fold in Brazil.
"With ‘Iveco Veículos
de Defesa’ we can both better serve our customer and
partner, the Brazilian Army, as well as develop new
products for the military segment for Brazil and for
export," said Marco Mazzù, President of Iveco Latin
America.
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