The VLEGA (an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

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 prototyp ...

of a military light utility

4x4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

vehicle, capable of being transported by air. It was developed by

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

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

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 ...

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports 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 medi ...

special operations Special operations (S.O.) 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 may include ...

. Nicknamed "the

Hummer Hummer (stylized as HUMMER) is a brand of pickups and SUVs that was first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a sub-brand of GMC in 2020. ...

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

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...

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 o ...

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 federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

- DF, for the Brazilian Army

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the 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- ...

, 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 ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, 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 gen ...

gearboxes Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

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 w ...

. 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.Brasília ''Revista Verde Oliva'' Nº 188, Abr-Jun 2006
on Exército Brasileiro website 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 Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

, 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 The Marruá ("Wild Bull") is a family of four-by-four wheeled transport and utility vehicles, built by Agrale in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Developed in the early 2000s to serve as a replacement for ageing jeeps and other vehicles i ...

and

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

. 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 (from ) 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 infin ...

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 BFGoodrich is an American tire company. Originally part of the industrial conglomerate Goodrich Corporation, it was acquired in 1990 (along with Uniroyal, then The Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company) by the French tire maker Michelin. BFGoodrich w ...

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 general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, inc ...

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

- 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. * Brazilian Army

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