Engesa – Engenheiros Especializados S/A was a Brazilian company in the agriculture and defense sectors that specialized in producing tactical military trucks,

armored fighting vehicles An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive and defense (military), defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheele ...

, and civilian

Sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

s. Engesa began as a private company in 1963, fitting

all-wheel-drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...

systems into existing

commercial trucks Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

. It also rebuilt, adapted, and updated obsolete armoured vehicles and tanks that had been sold or given to the Brazilian Army during and after World War II. Engesa's first headquarters were in Avenida Liberdade,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

. In 1975, the company moved its headquarters to Avenida Das Nações Unidas, and in 1985, to

Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to th ...

. However, its main production facility was in

São José dos Campos São José dos Campos (, meaning Saint Joseph of the Fields) is a major city and the seat of the Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the same name in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. One of the leading industrial and res ...

. Engesa headed a group of Brazilian companies, operating in various economic sectors and exporting to 37 countries, that included Engesa Electronics (a Brazilian subsidiary of

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

) and FNV (''Fábrica Nacional de Vagões'' or National Rail Car Factory).

Research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

for the group was provided by the company Engepeq. In the 1980s, Engesa employed over 5,000 people, and by 1993 had produced over 3,300 armoured vehicles for the

Brazilian military The Brazilian Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas Brasileiras, ) are the unified military forces of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviatio ...

and export worldwide.D. Hanel "The Defence Industry of Latin America" page 22 Military Technology 3/2010 ISSN 0722-3226 Engesa was declared bankrupt in October 1993. The company's problems had begun with the loss of $200 million in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and the failure of sales of its

EE-T1 Osório The Engesa EE-T1 ''Osório'' was a Brazilian main battle tank prototype developed by Engesa. The tank was intended to be sold first to Arab and other Third World countries, jump-starting production — and enabling the Brazilian Army to later pl ...

tank in which it had invested its complete

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

. In 2001, the company's factory in São José dos Campos was sold to

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where i ...

Production vehicles

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

vehicle:

EE-3 Jararaca The EE-3 Jararaca is a Brazilian scout car developed for route reconnaissance, liaison, and internal security purposes. It was engineered by Engesa in response to a perceived Brazilian Army requirement for a light armored car capable of replaci ...

; * Armored car:

EE-9 Cascavel The EE-9 ''Cascavel'' (, translated to ''Rattlesnake'') is a six-wheeled Brazilian armoured car developed primarily for reconnaissance. It was engineered by Engesa in 1970 as a replacement for Brazil's ageing fleet of M8 Greyhounds. The vehicle w ...

, It was well used in Iraqi Armed forces during the Iraq-Iran war from 1980–1988 and was used heavily in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, it is still in service with Iraq, Zimbabwe, and a number of South American armies, *

Armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

EE-11 Urutu The EE-11 Urutu is a Brazilian amphibious armored personnel carrier. It was based on the drive train and chassis components of the EE-9 Cascavel armored car and initially emerged as part of a project to develop an amphibious troop-carrying counter ...

, It was well used in Iraqi Armed forces during the Iraq-Iran war from 1980–1988 and the subsequent Gulf conflict, * Trucks: EE-15, EE-25, and EE-50, * Light Vehicles: EE-4, EE-12 and EE-34, * Air-portable Armored Vehicle: EE-T4 Ogum, *

Tank destroyer A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...

s: EE-17 Sucuri I and EE-18 Sucuri II, *

Main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...

. File:EE-9 Cascavel (4968753726).jpg, EE-9 Cascavel File:Urutu APC (7527685248).jpg, EE-11 Urutu APC File:Engesa EE34 pickup.jpg, EE-34 pickup

References

{{automotive industry in Brazil Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Brazil Defunct defence companies of Brazil Companies based in São Paulo (state) Organisations based in São José dos Campos