Portuguese Army to Receive VAMTAC ST5 Special Operations Vehicles

The Special Operations Force of the Portuguese Army is scheduled to receive twelve (12) Urovesa VAMTAC ST5 4×4 special operations vehicles in the current year. VAMTAC is available in many different versions with different body types, two versions will be available. Each vehicle will include three weapon mounts, advanced C2 suite, and two Rheinmetall Rosy_L – Rapid Obscuring Systems. Special Operations Vehicles, designed for Special Forces and equipped for long range reconnaissance and infiltration missions. Portugal Army leased several prior to 2006, after which they were returned to Spain. In October 2018, Portuguese purchased 139 Urovesa VAMTAC ST5 variant vehicles.

The URO VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico, “High Mobility Tactical Vehicle”) is a Spanish four-wheel drive military vehicle manufactured by the UROVESA. Externally it is similar in appearance and design to the Humvee of the United States Military due to similar requirements. More than 2,000 of the vehicles have been delivered to the Spanish Armed Forces. Several other countries operate the VAMTAC as well, and it has seen service most recently in Afghanistan and Syria. The vehicle comes in two models, named I3, S3 and ST5, and has several configurations. Estimate some 4,500 units are in service in more than 20 countries and so far in 50 different configurations.

The URO VAMTAC comes with four-wheel drive capability, and is available in three primary configurations – command and control, chassis-cab, and pick-up. The first comes with a four-door cab. The latter two versions are available with three cab types: two-door, four-door, or a four-door version with smaller rear doors and less cab space. Shelter type or cargo bodies such as hardtops can be added to the rear compartment, as well as weapons. It can accommodate a wide range of weapons including machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, 81 mm mortars, M40 recoilless rifles and light air defence missiles.

The vehicle has a length of 4.845 metres (15.90 ft) width of 2.175 metres (7 ft 1.6 in) and a height of 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in). The curb weight of the vehicle ranges from 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) to 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb), and has a payload capacity ranging from 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb) to 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb). Both these specifications vary depending on the version. The URO VAMTAC has a range of more than 600 kilometres (370 mi), and can negotiate 70% gradients and 50% side slopes. It is powered by Steyr Motors’ M16-“Monoblock” engine (6-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine, 135 kW) coupled with a five speed automatic transmission.