PARIS, June 15 (UPI) -- The Brazilian military this week took delivery of the first pre-series Guarani armored vehicle ordered from Italy's Iveco Defense Vehicles.
The Guarani is a 6x6 amphibious vehicle developed by Iveco in partnership with the Brazilian army's Department of Science and Technology under a contract awarded by the government in 2009.
It weighs about 20 tons, is 26 feet long and is powered by a FPT Industrial Cursor 9 engine. The Guarani can carry a variety of weapons systems and can be transported by aircraft such as the C-139 Hercules Embraer KC-390.
The hand-over took place with a formal ceremony at the Eurosatory exhibition in France.
Main assemblies of the vehicle are commercial off-the-shelf products.
The production project envisaged is for the manufacture of 100 vehicles per year for 20 years. They will be constructed at a facility being built in Brazil and scheduled for completion this year.
