Chilean Army
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| Chilean Army | |
|---|---|
| Image:Chile!.jpg | |
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age required for military service (2006) |
| Availability | age 18-49: 3,815,761 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 3,123,281 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | 150,084 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $3.6 billion (2006 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.9% (2006 est.) |
| See Also | Military of Chile |
The Chilean Army ("Ejército de Chile" in Spanish) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army (20,700 of which are conscripts) <ref> International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), The Military Balance, 2002-2003 </ref> is organized into six divisions and an air brigade.
Since the last years and after several major reequipment programs, the Chilean Army becomes one of the most technologically advanced and professional armies of Latin America <ref> [1]</ref> <ref> http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1981.htm </ref>
Several tragedies have struck the Chilean Army in the last few years. In 2005, 45 mostly conscript soldiers died when they were trapped in a snow storm during mountain training near Antuco. On November 12 2006, an additional 19 soldiers, who were largely the members of a military band, drowned when their bus fell in a river near Cañete.
The Chilean Army is mostly supported by the United States, Israel, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom and France.
Contents |
[edit] Peacekeeping
- UNIFIL withdrew in the early 90's
- MINUSTAH United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Haiti.
- UNFICYP United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, embedded in the Argentine Battalion [2]
[edit] Military Equipment
The Chilean Army was equipped with Leopard 1's tanks, M113 APC's and is planned to have new Leopard 2 MBT's from the German Army and YPR-765 APC's from the Royal Netherlands Army to modernize itself. Their goal is to have the strongest army in Latin America by 2015. They are currently planning to buy more APC's and advanced technology for strategic warfare purposes.
In all, the Chilean army has about 360 Leopard 1's and 427 M113's and are going to receive 118 Leopard 2's from Germany. They also have a handful of FAMAE Piranhas (Mowag Piranha) LAV's. Their main assault rifle is currently the SG 550 and the Heckler & Koch G3 but the army is planning to replace the Heckler & Koch G3 for the Heckler & Koch G36 as its main assault rifle by 2007.
Image:Foto21.jpg Image:Chilean leopard1.jpg Image:Dsc00035wh1.jpg Image:MOWAG 8X8 chile.jpg Image:File 2006111021055.jpg Image:M113.JPG Image:100 4247.jpg Image:Dsc00068iv1.jpg
[edit] Tanks and APC's
- 360 Leopard 1 A5 Main Battle Tank
- 118 Leopard 2 A4 Main Battle Tank
- 165 YPR-765
- 20 YPR-765 Armored Personnel Carrier variants equipped with Twin SPIKE anti-tank missiles and M2 Machine Gun
- 427 M113A2 APC's
- 20 M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV) - M113 with twin BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile launcher mounting on roof.
- 400 Mowag Piranha LAV's manufactured in Chile by FAMAE
[edit] Guns (Rifles, pistols, grenade launchers and machine guns)
PISTOLS
- CZ-82 Semi-automatic pistol (Main Pistol of the army)
- M1911
- M9 Pistol 9mm Pistol
- SIG P220
- Desert Eagle
- GLOCK 17
RIFLES
- SG-542 manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
- SG 540 manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
- SG 550 - 500+ manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
- Heckler & Koch G3
- M16
- IMI Galil
- Heckler & Koch G36 (Main Assault rifle) in service 2007/early 2008) [citation needed])
- M4 Carbine equipped with M203 grenade launcher (for special forces only).
- M82 (rifle) (A1 version) High-Powered Sniper Rifle
- FN F2000
OTHER GUNS
- Rheinmetall MG42
- Rheinmetall MG3 Machine Gun
- M2 Machine Gun
- FN M249
- FN P90
- SIG 552
- Heckler & Koch MP5
GRENADE LAUNCHERS
- Mk 19 grenade launcher
- Milkor MGL grenade launcher
[edit] Artillery
- 24 x M109 howitzer KAWEST Upgraded by RUAG, Switzerland
- 47 x AMX-13 Mk.F3 155 mm Self Propelled Howitzer
- Soltam M68 155mm Towed Howitzer
- Soltam M71 155mm Towed Howitzer
- M101 howitzer/33 105mm Towed Howitzer (Upgraded by FAMAE)
- Oto Melara M56 105mm Towed Howitzer (Mountain Artillery)
[edit] Air defense
- 10 Mistral missile launchers
- 100 FIM-92 Stinger
- M163 VADS self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
- MIM-72/M48 Chaparral
- .50 AA Guns mounted on FAMAE (Mowag) Piraña 6x6 Vehicles
- 45 Javelin surface-to-air missile
- GEPARD (Leopard tank with AA Turret: 2x 20mm Guns and 4 Mistral -IN STUDY)
[edit] Anti tanks systems
- AT4 Anti-tank weapon (Infantry Squad AT weapon)
- Carl Gustav recoilless rifle Anti-tank weapon
- MILAN ATGM
- Bofors 106mm Recoiless Gun mounted on IMI Storm jeeps.
- IMI MAPATS mounted on IMI Storm jeeps.
- Rafael SPIKE ATGM, on YPR 765 and MD-530F (manufactured in Israel).
[edit] Transport
1) Land Assets
- 200+ HMMWV (Some will replace the "AT role" Storm Jeeps. The rest for Recon units).
- The standard transport for troop commanders is the IMI Storm (manufactured in Israel).
- MB-1017A (Most used truck)
- Armoured Unimog trucks
- Ducati Multistrada Dual-sport Motorcycles
2) Air Assets (Depending on the Army Aviation Brigade)
- 4 CASA CN-235
- 4 CASA C.212 Serie 400
- 4 CASA C.212 Serie 100
- 6 Cessna Caravan
- 1 Cessna Citation
[edit] Helicopters
- 24 AH-1 Cobra
- 15 MD-530F (Hughes H-6) fitted with 72mm rocket launchers, .50 cal guns & SPIKE ER.
- 4 Aerospatiale Puma
- 2 Eurocopter Super Puma + 2 (2007)
- 4 AS 350B3 Ecureuil
- 1 AS 355N Ecureuil
[edit] Commanders-in-chief
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) [http://www.ejercito.cl/ Ejército de Chile (Army)
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