The VEC, or Cavalry Exploration Vehicle, is an armored vehicle for light Cavalry units derived from the BMR and created by the Spanish company ENASA-Pegaso (today Santa Bárbara Sistemas).
Features
The VEC version retains most of the mechanical components of the BMR but varies the shape of its helmet and its distribution and internal conditioning to adapt it to its new functions.
Armament
As its main weapon, the VEC has an M242 Bushmaster 25mm automatic cannon powered by an electric motor, installed in an Oto Melara TC-25 tower (manufactured under license in Spain by Santa Bárbara). The original Oto Melara tower (TC-20) was designed for a Rheinmetall Rh-202 20mm gun and the integration of a new, larger caliber gun was very problematic, resulting in the majority of The VECs were without a turret, except for a few that were fitted with the TC-20 itself and others in which the tower with a 90 mm gun from the decommissioned AML-90s was installed.
The Bushmaster is a single tube barrel with a dual integrated feed system and remote feed selection. It contains the ammunition in two boxes of 35 and 135 rounds, totaling 170 cartridges ready to be fired and can store another 931 shots inside the vehicle. The two boxes of ammunition allow the selective mixing of different types of projectiles such as APDS-T (Disposable shell under-calibrated armor-piercing ammunition with tracer), HEI-T (incendiary high explosive ammunition with tracer) or APHEI-T (armor-piercing armor-piercing ammunition). incendiary with tracer). The M242 can fire more than 200 rounds per minute at more than 2,500 meters, with variations depending on the type of ammunition used. The gunner can select 3 firing modes: single fire, automatic 85 rounds per minute and automatic 200 rounds per minute. The M242 can point up to 50º elevation and 10º depression. The turning speed of the turret is 25º per second in the control of the shooter and 40º per second in the control of the vehicle chief. Other vehicles equipped with this weapon are the M2 / M3 Bradley and the LAV-25.
Secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm caliber MG3S machine gun located on the M242 barrel, with 350 ready-to-use cartridges and 3,000 more in reserve.
It also has 6 Wegmann-type device launchers, for launching smoke canisters for concealment or fragmentation grenades.
The aiming system of the VEC-M1 consists of a daytime periscope that can be replaced by a residual light amplifier. Currently the M2 version has been developed, to which a second generation thermal camera has been installed from the decommissioned AMX-30 cars.
Specifications
| Weight | 17 t |
| Length | 6.15 m |
| Width | 2.51 m |
| Height | 2.51 m |
| Crew | 5 |
| Armor | 10-40mm hardened aluminum |
| Primary weapon | 1 M242 Bushmaster 25mm automatic cannon 1 Machine gun MG3 |
| Power / weight ratio | 19.5 hp / t |
| Maximum speed | 80 km / h |
| Fuel capacity | 400 liters |
| Autonomy | 800 km |
| Transmission | ZF model 6HP500 |
| Rolling | 6 wheels, 6 drives |
Operators
- Spanish Army. 340 vehicles that were manufactured in different variants, only 135 vehicles of the updated version M1 with TC-25 Oto-Melara tower with M242 Bushmaster 25mm gun are currently in operation.
