Brazil donates 25 M41 light tanks to the Uruguayan army.

On September 28, 2018, Brazilian President Michel Temer sanctioned Law 13,720 authorizing the Ministry of Defense to donate 25 M41C light tanks to the Uruguayan Army.

The Brazilian Army’s 16th Logistics Battalion donated M-41C armored combat vehicles as historical equipment to the Brazilian Army’s 22nd Infantry Battalion, based in Tocantins state. (Picture source: EB/Brazilian army)

The Brazilian Army (EB, Exército Brasileiro), which once had 340 units of this US-made tank, now has only 152 ones left, all deactivated. Brazil purchased the M41 Walker Bulldog tanks from the United States in the 1960s. The EB finally used these tanks almost five decades for training purposes. In 2009, all units were deemed obsolete and were permanently retired from the inventory. Some of them were placed in museums and others used as monuments. EB replaced the M41C with Leopard main battle tanks.

The donated vehicles are at the Regional Maintenance Park of the EB’s 3rd Military Region in Rio Grande do Sul state, at the border with Uruguay. “Out of the 25 units for donation, 15 need basic maintenance for transport and shipping,” said EB’s Press Office. Repairs will be carried out at the Regional Maintenance Park where the vehicles are located. The other 10 vehicles will be sent to Uruguay as-is to be dismantled for parts by the Uruguayan Army.

According to the law, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense will cover transfer costs, estimated at $93,200. “This is an important form of cooperation with our neighboring country, and the Brazilian land force will see the benefits of a good relationship with our partner nation, surpassing the donation’s material costs,” said Brazilian Senator Pedro Chaves to the Brazilian Congress’s Commission of Foreign Affairs and National Defense. The vehicles will be sent to the Uruguayan Army’s 3rd Cavalry Regiment, in Rivera city, north of Uruguay. The Uruguayan Army plans to assign the vehicles to the 13th Armored Infantry Battalion to replace the M24 Chaffee tanks dating back to World War 2. The U.S transferred the M24 Chaffees to Uruguay in 1957, under the defense assistance program between both countries.

The 13th Armored Infantry Battalion is headquartered in Durazno, at the heart of Uruguay, and will be the location of a new Army headquarters. The 13th Armored Infantry Battalion will combine with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and the 15th Mechanized Infantry Battalion to form an armored brigade.

Uruguayan service members are familiar with the M41 as the Army has 22 such tanks. In 1978, EB began to upgrade the M41 fleet and designated the model M-41C Caxias. The main changes, according to EB’s Press Office, were “armor improvement and modification of the 76mm M32A1. With the Brazilian M-41C units, the Uruguayan Army will be able to improve troops’ training and strengthen ground operations.