This is a piece by Bryan Ferreira of Warriors, a Portuguese online tactical magazine on the Portuguese Commando Assault Vehicle.
In the world of Elite Commando Units there are hundreds of light assault vehicles. Land Rover is one the most prominent builders in this area, since the famous Special Air Service (SAS) pink panthers of 50’s, to today’s Australian SAS 6×6 desert patrol vehicles and the pictured Portuguese Commandos, Commando Assault Vehicle (CAV). The CAV are presently deployed in Central African Republic in the UN MINUSCA mission and their multitask capabilities are a must have for any unit.
Afghanistan’s operations changed the role and usage of this kind of vehicles as the war demanded for more heavy armor to defeat the IED (improved explosive device) threat. They were put aside and replaced for MRAP and APC vehicles. But with terrorism spreading all over Africa, the presence of small detachments of Elite Forces in so many places needs to be supported with vehicles that not only permit high mobility, range and firepower, but that can be easily airborne and relocated where they are most needed. They also have the big advantage of being relatively cheap, so abandoning and destroying them isn’t that uncommon in Special Operations. The CAV is a Land Rover 130 TD4 all-wheel drive and it only has light armor in the floor to give some protection against small explosive devices, what allows it to go to speeds of up to 145km/h (90miles/h). It takes a crew of 5+1, with 4 swing arms for the passengers (3 to the sides and one rewards) and a central 360° rotating ring mount. This permits them to have a wide range of weapons to employ in these vehicles. In the passengers mounts they use either the HK (Heckler & Koch) Mg4 in 5,56x45mm or the Rheinmetall Mg3 in 7,62x51mm. In the central rotating mount they will use the MG3, the Browning M2 (12,7x99mm) or even the HK GMG 40x53mm Automatic grenade Launcher. They usually carry additional firepower, the famous 84mm Carl-Gustaf recoilless rifle, which is one of the most versatile rocket launchers in the market, and a 60mm lightweight handheld mortar.
The CAV can be used as an assault vehicle but it will also perform very well as Long Range Reconnaissance asset. Either in an Airport Airborne assault as in the hunt for enemy insurgents, this is one Commando lethal vehicle.
