Chilean 6x6 armour

[Apophenia]

Does anyone have any information about these Chilean 6x6s? The drawings appeared on a Yahoo page that is suddenly unavailable:
http://es.geocities.com/proyectoschile/BLINDADOSCHILENOS.html

There were no details given but these drawing were included in a Cardoen 6x6 Piraña section. But, obviously, the designs in the drawings are not all that similar to the Chilean-licenced Mowag 6x6s.

I can't find any reference to either Metalnor or FAMAE restarting Piraña production in Chile. And, frankly, the proportions of the drawing better match the Chilean 4x4 Piraña (the licenced Mowag Grenadier).

Could these designs have been Chilean 6x6 evolutions of the Grenadier? Or even a shrunken version of FAMAE's 8x8 Mowag Piranha?

 

[Cutaway]

Nice vehicles!

 

[Apophenia]

Cheers Cutaway.

A few other Cardoen armoured vehicle projects: the VTP-1 Orca 6x6 APC based on a "commercial truck chassis", and the Unimog-based VTP-2 Escarabajo 4x4 for airfield defence.

 

[Petrus]

This is an entry from the Jane's Armour and Artillery 1991-92 on the VTP-1 Orca:

Development
The VTP-1 Orca multi-purpose armoured vehicle, developed as a private venture by Industrios Cardoen was annouced in 1983. The prototype is different in appearance to that in the original drawings released in 1982 ('Jane's Armour and Artillery 1983-84' p. 265).

Description
The all-welded steel hull of the Orca provides complete protection from small arms fire up to 7.62mm in calibre and shell splinters. The engine compartment is at the front of the hull with air-inlets louvres in the top to allow access to the engine for maintenance.
The driver sits to the rear of the engine on the left with the commander to his right, each having a single piece hatch cover in front of which are three fixed observation periscopes.
The forward part of the troop compartment has overhead armour protection and a single-piece hatch cover each side that opens left and right with the rear part of the troop compartment roof being open. In each side of the forward part of the troop compartment are two firing ports with a vision block above.
Normal means of entry for the troops is via the rear of the vehicle which has a two-part hatch, of which the lower part folds downwards and the upper part opens to the right. The infantry sit on bench seats that run down either side of the hull. A number of 7.62mm and/or 12.7mm machine guns are mounted around the top of the troop compartment.

Variants
In addition to its primary role of troop transport, the manufacturer has proposed the vehicle for a number of other roles including towing a 105mm or 155mm artillery weapon as well as carrying its crew and ammunition, 20 to 30mm air-defence weapon, 60 to 90mm direct fire weapon, anti-tank with ATGWs, mortar carrier with 120mm mortar that can be traversed through 360 deg. together with ammunition and crew, ammunition resupply vehicle, radar carrier to provide air-defence weapons with an early warning capability, command vehicle with a crew of 12+2, vehicle mounted communications relay station, mobile workshop, ambulance carrying up to 12 injured men, mobile hospital carrying an inflatable unit and a mobile emergency surgery.

SPECIFICATIONS
Crew: 2 + 16
Configuration: 6 x 6
Combat weight: 18 000 kg
Unloaded weight: 13 000 kg
Length: 7.84 m
Width: 2.50 m
Height: 2.50 m
Max. road speed: 100 km/h
Fuel capacity: 400 litres
Max. range: 1000 km
Gradient: 60%
Side slope: 30%
Engine: V6 water-cooled diesel 260 HP at 2800 rpm
Transmission: automatic, 5 forward and 1 reverse gears
Tyres: 14.00 x 20
Amour: 6 mm - 16 mm

... and a handful of the vehicle's photos

Piotr

 

[Apophenia]

Great stuff. Cheers Piotr!

Do you know if any series Orca were produced? Online sources vary -- some say prototype(s) only, others that a small number of VTP-1s were actually produced in 1986.