Chile's marines are finally getting some modern armored fighting vehicles with the purchase of NZLAV 8x8 vehicles from New Zealand's surplus inventory. The $19.8 million deal is for 22 of NZLAVs, which are New Zealand's version of the LAV III and built by General Dynamics Land Systems in Canada. The vehicles are armed with the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon and a pair of 7.62 mm machine guns plus grenade launchers. It is used mainly for reconnaissance missions, and has been reinforced for mine protection, according to InfoDefensa. The LAV III model was the basis for the U.S. Stryker ar ..read more

Chile's Air Force finalized a deal to purchase three E-3D Sentry airborne early warning aircraft from the U.K. Royal Air Force. The planes are part of a fleet of AWACS planes retired in 2021 by the RAF, and negotiations to buy the planes began at that time. According to Jane's, the deal is finalized but terms were not disclosed. Plans are to use one of the three planes for spare parts and keep the other two in operating condition. The E-3D, based on a Boeing 707 platform similar to what the USAF used for many years, replaces Chile's single Condor, an aged 707 converted into airborne radar by I ..read more

One of the Navy's most far-reaching upgrade programs is now completed, after Asmar delivered the third and final Type 23 frigate with greatly improved electronics and armament. The upgrades extend the service life of each of the ships by 20 years. The three warships now carry the Lockheed Martin MCS 330 combat management system, the Hensoldt TRS 4D multifunction radar and MSSR 2000 secondary radar, MBDA's CAMM air defense missiles, and Viasat Link 16 and Link 22 datalink systems. FF 06 Almirante Condell was the last of the three Type 23s to undergo the upgrade, which took about a year for each ..read more

 The Army's Famae armaments supplier selected Elbit Systems to modernize the fire control system for the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks. Famae also picked Belgium-based OIP Land Systems to upgrade the optics and aiming systems in the Army's Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles. Both programs will replace obsolete systems in the German-made armored vehicles, which were acquired second hand with much of their original equipment. The contracts are part of an electronics modernization program for Chile's armor units, a project named Proaco. As InfoDefensa notes, the new contracts could pose c ..read more

The number of applicants to become non-commissioned officers in Chile's national police force plummeted 86% from last year, while police officer applications declined almost as much. Only 380 Chileans have applied this year, far fewer than the 2,137 average applicants over the past decade. Carabineros blame the decline on Covid-19 quarantines, but they also acknowledge that political turmoil has hurt the institution's image. Distrust in government runs high, and that includes the police. There's also a sense of frustration among many Chileans that the justice system doesn't punish crime effe ..read more

 Chile's Air Force is adding two used Lockheed Hercules C-130H transport planes, thanks to a donation from the U.S. government. The first plane was delivered April 22 after serving with the Montana Air National Guard. The delivery came with a bonus: The plane was packed with Covid-19 relief supplies. Chile's Hercules have been used to transport Covid patients from remote locations, including Easter Island. The second Hercules is set for delivery in the next few months. The acquisition helps Chile recover the loss of a C-130 that crashed in the ocean in 2019, leaving all on board dead. Tha ..read more

Chile's Navy is getting deliveries of five H125 helicopters that will replace several Bell UH-57B Jet Rangers in service since the 1970s. Airbus Helicopters delivered the first H125 in December, with four more set for delivery by 2023, including two this year. Like the Jet Rangers they replace, the H125s are general purpose light helicopters suitable for missions such as patrol, search and rescue and pilot training. Separately, the Navy's Asmar shipyard awarded a contract to Canada's Vard Marine for the design of four new multipurpose ships. The company's Series 7 design will be adapted for ..read more

The U.S. State Department approved the sale of air-defense missiles to Chile in a deal valued at $85 million. The 16 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IIIA are destined for the Navy's two Adelaide-class frigates acquired from Australia last year, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The package includes MK 89 Mod 0 guidance sections, a target detection device kit, a maintenance facility, spare parts, training and technical data. Raytheon Missiles and Defense is the main contractor for the project. Chile's Navy acquired the frigates in a transfer from Australia's navy last May t ..read more

The backbone of Chile's Army is its three armored brigades, all equipped with Leopard 2 main battle tanks and supported by Marder infantry fighting vehicles and assorted other armor. The Leopards are armed with a 120 mm gun and decked with a number of upgrades added when they were purchased refurbished from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Germany. Its armor protection is among the best around. But the Leopard 2 has been shown to be vulnerable to anti-tank missiles. They are also becoming increasingly vulnerable to rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). In one of the most significant combat tests, Turkey l ..read more

 A 24-year old police officer was slain in an ambush, the latest death in an extended conflict between extremists and carabineros in the south of Chile. A 23-year campaign by indigenous mapuche radicals to reclaim lost ancestral lands is seeing the most violent year so far. This year alone, five police officers have been killed in incidents attributed to mapuche gunmen. Earlier this year, the conflict impacted the whole nation when truckers went on strike for a week and blocked highways to pressure the government. Truckers complain the government is not doing enough to protect them from c ..read more