CHILEAN ARMY
| 'CHILEAN ARMY' | |
|---|---|
| | |
| 'Military manpower' | |
| Military age | 18 years of age required for military service (2006) |
| Availability | age 18-49: 3,815,761 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 3,123,281 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | 150,084 (2005 est.) |
| 'Military expenditures' | |
| Dollar figure | $3.6 billion (2006 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.9% (2006 est.) |
| See Also | Military of Chile |
The 'Chilean Army ("Ejército de Chile" in Spanish)' is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army (12,700 of which are conscripts)[1] is organized into six divisions and an air brigade.
Since the last years and after several major reequipment programs, the Chilean Army has become one of the most technologically advanced and professional armies of America[2][3]
The Chilean Army is mostly supported by the United States, Germany, Israel, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, France, Ecuador, India and Spain.
Peacekeeping
★ UNIFIL withdrew in the early 90's
★ MINUSTAH United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Haiti.
★ UNFICYP United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, embedded in the Argentine Battalion [2]
Structure
Military Equipment
The Chilean Army has acquired in the last few years Leopard 1V tanks,'s from the Netherlands Army (via RDM), M113 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from USA and Italy, M-109´s SPH from Switzerland and AIFV-B APCs from the Belgian Army (via SABIEX). Now is due to receive new Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks (MBTs) from the German Army to boost defence capabilities. Also 200 Humvees are expected to arrive during 2007. Their goal is to have a completely modernized (and mostly mechanized) army by 2015. They are also modifiying the operational structure, creating Armoured (and 1 Special Operations) Brigades throughout the entire territory, while conserving the current divisional scheme. Further acquisitions of more M-109's self propelled howitzers, Flakpanzer Gepard self propelled anti air vehicles and new attacks helicopters.
In all, the Chilean army has about 202 Leopard 1's, 427 M113's, 169 AIFV's and are going to receive 118 Leopard 2's from Germany. They also have around 300 of FAMAE Piranhas (Mowag Piranha) LAV's. Their main assault rifle is currently the licenced built SG-542 with some Heckler & Koch G3 still in service.
Chilean soldiers with a HMMWV.
Chilean soldiers with a Rheinmetall MG3.
M-109A3 Kawest with desert camouflage of the Chilean army.
★ 202 'Leopard 1' V Main Battle Tank (100 aprox to be replaced by the Leopard 2A4)
★ Several numbers of Leopard chassis-based vehicles
★ 118+ 'Leopard 2' A4 Main Battle Tank
★ 169 'AIFV' YPR-765
★ 20 'AIFV' Armored Personnel Carrier variants equipped with Twin 'SPIKE' ATGM and M2 Browning machine gun
★ 427 'M113' A2 APCs
★ 300 'Mowag Piranha LAV' 's manufactured in Chile by 'FAMAE'
Guns (Rifles, pistols, grenade launchers and machine guns)
''PISTOLS''
★ CZ-75 Semi-automatic pistol (Main Pistol of the army)
''RIFLES''
★ SG 510-4 manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
★ SG 542 manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
★ SG 540 manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
★ SG 550 - 500+ manufactured in Chile by FAMAE (Main Assault rifle)
★ Heckler & Koch G36 (Will receive in 2008)]]
★ Heckler & Koch G3 (In service only in mountain troops, artillery and engineers)
★ M82 Barrett rifle (A1 version) High-Powered Sniper Rifle
★ FN F2000(For paratroopers)
''OTHER GUNS''
★ Rheinmetall MG42 (Converted into MG3)
★ SIG 710-3
★ Rheinmetall MG3 (Standard Machine Gun)
★ M2 Browning machine gun
★ FN M249
★ FN P90
★ SIG SG 552
★ Heckler & Koch MP5
''GRENADE LAUNCHERS''
★ Mk 19 grenade launcher
★ Milkor MGL grenade launcher
Artillery
★ 24+ x M109 howitzer KAWEST Upgraded by RUAG, Switzerland
★ 47 x AMX-13 Mk. F3 155 mm Self Propelled Howitzer
★ Soltam M68 155mm Towed Howitzer
★ Soltam M71 155mm Towed Howitzer
★ M101 howitzer/33 105mm Towed Howitzer (Upgraded by FAMAE)
★ Oto Melara M56 105mm Towed Howitzer (Mountain Artillery)
Air defense
★ Gepard (Cheetah)
★ Mistral missile launchers mounted on UNIMOG trucks
★ M163 VADS self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Anti tanks systems
★ AT4 Anti-tank weapon (Infantry Squad AT weapon)
★ MILAN Anti-tank weapon
★ Carl Gustav recoilless rifle Anti-tank weapon
★ Bofors 106mm Recoilless Gun mounted on IMI Storm jeeps.
★ IMI MAPATS mounted on IMI Storm jeeps.
★ Rafael Spike ATGM, on YPR 765 and MD-530F (manufactured in Israel).
Transport
Land transport assets:
★ 200+ HMMWV (Some will replace the "AT role" Storm Jeeps. The rest for Recon units).
★ The standard transport for troop commanders is the IMI Storm (manufactured in Israel).
★ MB-1017A (Most used truck)
★ Armoured Unimog trucks
★ Ducati Multistrada
Aircraft inventory
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"|In service[4]
|-----
| Aérospatiale Lama
|
| search and rescue
| SA 315B
| 1
|-----
| Aérospatiale Puma
|
| transport helicopter
| SA 330L
| 4
|-----
| CASA C-212 Aviocar
|
| tactical transport
| C-212-100
C-212-300
| 4
2
|-----
| CASA CN-235
|
| tactical transport
|
| 3
|-----
| Cessna 172
|
| utility
|
| 3
|-----
| Cessna 208
|
| utility
|
| 8
|-----
| Cessna Citation
|
| VIP transport
| Citation II
Citation III
| 1
1
|-----
| Eurocopter Cougar
|
| transport helicopter
| AS 332B
AS 332M2
| 1
1
|-----
| Eurocopter Ecureuil
|
| utility helicopter
| AS 350
AS 355
| 3
1
|-----
| MD Helicopters MD 530
|
| utility helicopter
| MD 530F
| 19
|-----
Commanders-in-chief
| Rank | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigadier | José Miguel Carrera Verdugo | March 31, 1813 | November 23, 1813 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Colonel | Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme | November 27, 1813 | September 2, 1814 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Brigadier | José Miguel Carrera Verdugo | August 28, 1814 | October 2, 1814 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Captain General | Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme | April 17, 1819 | January 28, 1823 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Captain General | Ramón Freire Serrano | February 21, 1823 | April 2, 1830 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | José Joaquín Prieto Vial | April 2, 1830 | September 18, 1841 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Manuel Bulnes Prieto | September 18, 1841 | October 18, 1866 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Marcos Maturana del Campo | October 18, 1866 | December 21, 1870 | Senior General Officer |
| Divisional General | Juan Manuel Jarpa Caamaño | August 8, 1871 | December 31, 1875 | Senior General Officer |
| Divisional General | Basilio Urrutia Vásquez | August 8, 1871 | April 7, 1879 | Senior General Officer |
| Divisional General | Justo Arteaga Cuevas | April 8, 1879 | July 18, 1879 | Field Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Erasmo Escala Arriagada | July 18, 1879 | March 28, 1880 | Field Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Manuel Baquedano González | April 3, 1880 | May 3, 1881 | Field Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez | May 3, 1881 | December 19, 1883 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Emilio Sotomayor Baeza | January 4, 1884 | August 22, 1888 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | José Francisco Gana Castro | August 22, 1888 | September 4, 1891 | Field Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Marco Aurelio Arriagada | September 14, 1891 | August 28, 1894 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Adolfo Hölley Urzúa | August 28, 1894 | October 13, 1900 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Emilio Körner Henze | October 13, 1900 | April 19, 1910 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Jorge Boonen Rivera | April 19, 1910 | April 26, 1921 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Arístides Pinto Concha | April 26, 1921 | February 13, 1922 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Luis Altamirano Talavera | February 13, 1922 | November 28, 1924 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina | November 28, 1924 | January 23, 1925 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Mariano Navarrete Ciris | January 31, 1925 | November 10, 1925 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Juan Emilio Ortiz Vega | November 11, 1925 | January 7, 1927 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Francisco Javier Diaz Valderrama | February 18, 1927 | March 20, 1930 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Pedro Charpin Rival | March 21, 1930 | November 7, 1930 | Inspector General |
| Divisional General | Bartolomé Blanche Espejo | November 7, 1930 | August 4, 1931 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Pedro Charpin Rival | August 5, 1931 | August 22, 1931 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Indalicio Téllez Cárcamo | August 25, 1931 | June 11, 1932 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Agustín Moreno Ladrón de Guevara | June 15, 1932 | August 2, 1932 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Luis Otero Mujica | August 3, 1932 | December 26, 1932 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Pedro Vignola Cortés | December 26, 1932 | December 21, 1933 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Marcial Urrutia Urrutia | December 23, 1933 | March 27, 1934 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Oscar Novoa Fuentes | March 27, 1934 | December 20, 1938 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Carlos Fuentes Rabe | December 26, 1938 | August 23, 1940 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Oscar Escudero Otárola | August 23, 1940 | March 8, 1943 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Arturo Espinoza Mujica | August 12, 1943 | October 11, 1944 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Alfredo Portales Mourgues | November 8, 1943 | November 12, 1945 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Oscar Fuentes Pantoja | November 12, 1945 | November 29, 1946 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Guillermo Barrios Tirado | November 29, 1946 | August 2, 1947 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Ramón Cañas Montalva | August 2, 1947 | October 8, 1949 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Division General | Guillermo Barrios Tirado | October 8, 1949 | January 9, 1950 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Rafael Fernández Reyes | January 9, 1950 | October 28, 1952 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Santiago Danús Peña | November 3, 1952 | March 11, 1953 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Carlos Mezzano Camino | March 11, 1953 | June 10, 1954 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Enrique Franco Hidalgo | June 11, 1954 | March 17, 1955 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Raúl Araya Stiglich | March 17, 1955 | May 8, 1956 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Luis Vidal Vargas | May 8, 1956 | November 3, 1958 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | René Vidal Merino | November 3, 1958 | November 13, 1958 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Oscar Izurieta Molina | November 14, 1958 | November 3, 1964 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Bernardino Parada Moreno | November 4, 1964 | July 4, 1967 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Luis Miqueles Caridi | July 5, 1967 | May 3, 1968 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Sergio Castillo Aránguiz | May 3, 1968 | October 24, 1969 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | René Schneider Chereau | October 27, 1969 | October 22, 1970 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Divisional General | Carlos Prats González | October 26, 1970 | August 23, 1973 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Captain General | Augusto Pinochet Ugarte | August 23, 1973 | March 10, 1998 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Lieutenant General | Ricardo Izurieta Caffarena | March 11, 1998 | March 10, 2002 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Lieutenant General | Juan Emilio Cheyre Espinosa | March 11, 2002 | March 10, 2006 | Army Commander-in-chief |
| Army General | Oscar Izurieta Ferrer | March 11, 2006 | ''Present'' | Army Commander-in-chief |
References
1. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), The Military Balance, 2002-2003
2.
[1]
3. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1981.htm
4. "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', January 15 2007.
External links
★ Official Chilean Army site
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