EE-9 Cascavel

   The EE-9 Cascavel armored reconnaissance vehicle was developed by Engesa at the same time as the EE-11 Urutu armored personnel carrier and shares many components with it. In 1975 it entered service with Brazilian Army and later on was exported to some African, Asian, South American and Middle East countries.

   The EE-9 Cascavel has an armored hull welded from a multi-layer armor. Vehicle's front armor protects crew from 12.7-mm rounds.

   A two-man turret houses a 90-mm gun and a coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun. It is worth mentioning that the first production vehicles for the Brazilian Army were armed with a 37-mm gun (EE-9 Mk.2), while the export models (EE-9 Mk.3) had French 90-mm guns. The EE-9 Mk.4 had a license-built EC-90 gun. This gun has a rate of fire in 6 rpm. A 12.7-mm machine gun is mounted over the commander's hatch, however some vehicles are fitted with a 7.62-mm MG instead. The EE-9 armored reconnaissance vehicle has a rather powerful armament and can be also used as a fire support vehicle.

   The EE-9 Cascavels Mk.2, 3 and 4 are powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V-53N diesel engines, while the Mk.5, 6 and 7 models are fitted with a Mercedes-Benz OM352A diesel engine, delivering 190 hp.