From trucks, Engesa made a leap to armored recon vehicles. The Army's fleet of vintage WWII M8 Greyhounds were growing obsolete and the 2nd Military Region (covering São Paulo) partnered with firms such as Engesa and Bernardini to find a solution. The development process included a failed 4x4 version and a successful modernization package. Engesa went beyond it and devised a whole new vehicle heavily inspired by the M8, using its same 37mm cannon but with a better engine and Engesa’s boomerang system. It was called the EE-9 Cascavel (14-ton) and entered production in 1974. A very similar design with an APC role, the 13-ton EE-11 Urutu, was launched in the same year. It had a stronger engine placed in the front-right rather than rear and could haul 12-14 men. The Urutu’s main armament was just a M2 Browning, but an IFV variant sported a 25 mm gun and an ATGM launcher.
A third 70s design, the 6-ton EE-3 Jararaca, was an armored alternative for the jeep’s niche. It was not accepted by the Army and only sold abroad.
A fourth was the EE-17 Sucuri tank destroyer, whose development proceeded late into the 80s. More on it later.
All of these were wheeled.