The VLEGA (an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for "Vehículo Liviano de Empleo General Aerotransportable" (General Employment Airborne Light Vehicle)) Gaucho was a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

of a military light utility 4x4 vehicle, capable of being transported by air. It was developed by

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in the 2000s for employment by their militaries. Some of its uses included: cargo/transport,

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

. Nicknamed "the

Hummer Hummer (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of Pickup truck, pickups launched in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a model under GMC (automob ...

of Mercosur" when it was released by presidents of Argentina and Brazil,

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Sa ...

and Lula da Silva in 2005, the Gaucho Project was first abandoned by the

Brazilian Government The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative ...

and finally cancelled by the Argentina Government in 2016.El Gobierno canceló el Proyecto Gaucho
by Carlos Cristófalo, 20 Oct 2016 Brazil then focused on developing the Chivunk fast attack vehicle.

History

The prototype of Light Vehicle Employment General Aerotransportável was presented March 27, 2006, at Army Headquarters in

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

- DF, for the

Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Francisco Roberto de Albuquerque, and the Chief of General Staff of the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army () is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed For ...

, General Roberto Fernando Bendini. VLEGA Gaucho

The Car Light Employment was the initial design of the Scientific and Technological Exchanges between the armies of Brazil and Argentina. This exchange implements within the Army, the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed between the governments of Argentina and the Federative Republic of Brazil, on May 17, 1980. In Brazil, the project was conducted by the Technological Center of the Army (CTEx) and in Argentina by the Dirección de Investigación Desarrollo y Producción Army in that country. The project began in April 2004 when it was held in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, the first working meeting, which were agreed Technical Requirements Operating a car that should meet. The definition of principal components, the layout of the car and the responsibilities of each work team was the first step to achieving the vehicle Argentina / Brazil. The

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

gearboxes A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

and differentials and transfer, produced in Brazil, were sent to the Argentine team that designed the tubular frame and

independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...

. The prototype semi-mounted arrived in Brazil on June 16, 2005 for completion of work carried out in the workshops of War Arsenal of Rio de Janeiro. The car was performing engineering tests at the Center for reviews of the Army (CAEX) and soon will undergo technical and operational assessments, according to modern methods of assessment of the Brazilian Army. It was designed to meet about 60 requirements previously defined by the two hosts. The Gaucho was projected to be used primarily for airmobile units, since its design allows the vehicles to be stacked and transported by aircraft type C-130. The independent suspension and 4x4 traction would enable high tactical mobility in any terrain. The vehicle was planned to fulfill missions in development of supply, transport equipment, evacuation of wounded, launching of wireless, reconnaissance, command and control, airborne operations, and special situations. Nevertheless, the Gaucho was never mass produced so the project was first abandoned by the

due to disagreements with Argentine engineers, and finally cancelled by the Argentina Government in 2016, after both countries preferred to acquire other military vehicles to supply their armies, such as Agrale Marruá and

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

. In April 2014, Argentina lent Uruguay a Gaucho but the Uruguayan Army dismissed purchasing the vehicle.El Ejército del Uruguay descarta adquirir el vehículo argentino VLEGA Gaucho
on Infodefensa América, 2 Mar 2015

Specifications

Engine

MWM, 2,800 cc, 4

cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

turbo-Diesel The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...

producing 130 HP @ 3.600 rpm

Dimensions

* Width: 2.15 m * Length: 4.15 m * Height: 1.85 m * Wheelbase: 2.80 m * Gauge: 1.83 m * Ground clearance: 0.42 m * Approach angle: 50° * Departure angle: 40° * Capacity: 600 kg * Crew: Up to 4

Performance

* Maximum speed: 120 km/h * Longitudinal ramp: 60% * Side ramp: 40% * Fording: 0.52 m * Vertical obstacle: 0.36 m

Tires

BF Goodrich Off Road - 33 x 12.5 R 15

Armament

* Armament: 7.62mm machine gun

FN MAG The FN MAG (, , ) is a Belgian 7.62 mm calibre, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it h ...

Gallery

File:Gaucho jeep engine.JPG, MWM turbo-diesel File:Gaucho jeep suspension.JPG, Suspension travel File:Gaucho jeep dashboard.JPG, Dashboard File:Gaucho jeep interior.JPG, Interior File:Gaucho front wheel.JPG, Front Wheel and tire File:Img 0440 cropped.jpg, Stacked Gauchos for air transportation

Users

*28https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2021/11/libroblancodeladefensa2023_.pdf

- These vehicles have participated in various Argentine Armed Forces parades, as a symbol of the military industry. They are part of the equipment of southern units of the XI Mechanized Brigade, them being the 24 Mechanized Infantry Regiment and the 11th Armored Cavalry Exploration Squadron. It was used in the operating SOL 2010 -2011. *

References

{{Automotive industry in Brazil Military light utility vehicles Military equipment of Argentina Military equipment of Brazil Military trucks of Argentina Argentina–Brazil relations Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s