The M41 was the first tank to be adopted in large quantities by Brazil's armed forces, and formed the armored mainstay of both the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Marine Corps well into the twenty-first century.
In 1960, an initiative to modernize existing Brazilian armored units led to the purchase of 386 second-hand M41s from the US government.
The tanks were delivered in successive shipments over a period of seven years.
Between 1984 and 1985, Bernardini S/A Industria e Comercio, an industrial firm in São Paulo, rebuilt and modernized all the Brazilian M41s to prolong their service life.
The principal features of the modernization program were a replacement of the original Chrysler petrol engine with a diesel model, thicker armor, and replacement of the 76mm gun with a 90mm gun produced by boring out the original armament.
The rebored gun was modified to fire Belgian fin-stabilized, shaped charge projectiles developed for the Cockerill Mk.
III smoothbore cannon already fitted to Brazil's preexisting fleet of EE-9 Cascavel armored cars.
The tank's transmission was also upgraded to increase acceleration and give it a maximum road speed of 70 km/h (43 mph).
In Brazilian service, these upgraded M41s received the designation M41B and M41C.
The M41 was the first tank to be adopted in large quantities by Brazil's armed forces, and formed the armored mainstay of both the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Marine Corps well into the twenty-first century. In 1960, an initiative to modernize existing Brazilian armored units led to the purchase of 386 second-hand M41s from the US government. The tanks were delivered in successive shipments over a period of seven years. Between 1984 and 1985, Bernardini S/A Industria e Comercio, an industrial firm in São Paulo, rebuilt and modernized all the Brazilian M41s to prolong their service life. The principal features of the modernization program were a replacement of the original Chrysler petrol engine with a diesel model, thicker armor, and replacement of the 76mm gun with a 90mm gun produced by boring out the original armament. The rebored gun was modified to fire Belgian fin-stabilized, shaped charge projectiles developed for the Cockerill Mk. III smoothbore cannon already fitted to Brazil's preexisting fleet of EE-9 Cascavel armored cars. The tank's transmission was also upgraded to increase acceleration and give it a maximum road speed of 70 km/h (43 mph). In Brazilian service, these upgraded M41s received the designation M41B and M41C.
M41 Walker Bulldog